1931-2020

For more than thirty-five years, Dr. Dan Olweus, research professor of psychology, affiliated with the Research Center for Health promotion (HEMIL) at the University of Bergen in Norway, was involved in research and intervention work in the area of bullying problems among schoolchildren and youth. In 1970, he started a large-scale project that is now generally regarded as the first scientific study of bullying problems in the world, published as a book in Scandinavia in 1973 and in 1978 in the United States under the title Aggression in the Schools: Bullies and Whipping Boys. In the 1980s, Dr. Olweus conducted the first systematic intervention study against bullying in the world, which documented a number of positive effects of what is now the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). He was the first to study the problem of bullying of students by teachers. He was also the leader of a government-initiated national initiative implementing OBPP on a large-scale basis in Norwegian elementary and junior high schools.

Dr. Olweus is generally recognized as a pioneer and founding father of research on bullying problems and as a leading expert in this area both by the research community and by society at large. His book Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do has been translated into more than twenty different languages. Dr. Olweus received a number of awards and recognitions for his research and intervention work, including the "Distinguished Contributions to Public Policy for Children" award by the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). He has been a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) in Stanford, California.

Susan Limber, PhD., MLS, is the Dan Olweus Professor at Clemson University, where she has an appointment in the Department of Psychology. She also serves as Graduate Program Director for the PhD in International Family & Community Studies. She is a developmental psychologist who received her masters and doctoral degrees in psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also holds a Masters of Legal Studies from Nebraska. Dr. Limber’s research and writing have focused on psychological and legal issues related to bullying among children, as well as youth civic engagement, and children’s rights. She directed the first wide-scale implementation and evaluation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in the United States and co-authored the Blueprint for the Bullying Prevention Program as well as many other articles on the topic of bullying, including co-authoring a book, Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age. From 2005-2016, she provided consultation to the Health Resources and Services Administration on their bullying prevention efforts. She is the recipient of several national awards, including the American Psychological Association’s Early Career Award for Psychology in the Public Interest in 2004, the Nicholas Hobbs Award (awarded in 2012 by the Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice, American Psychological Association), and the 2012 Distinguished Career Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Service Psychology (awarded by the Division of Psychologists in Public Service, American Psychological Association).

Contact Information:
Susan P. Limber, Ph.D.
Clemson University
Institute on Family & Neighborhood Life
321 Brackett Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
Phone: 864-656-6320
Email: Slimber@clemson.edu

Jan Urbanski, is the Director of Safe and Humane Schools within the Department of Youth, Family and Community Studies at Clemson University where she oversees dissemination of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and related initiatives focused on positive connections and reducing bullying and violence. Jan has more than 20 years of school district experience as director of the Pinellas County Schools’ Special Projects Office where she had responsibility for financial management for grants as well as grant procurement. She also served as the supervisor of the Safe and Drug Free Schools program where she directed the district’s national award winning character education program and provided oversight of the district policy against bullying and harassment and implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). Dr. Urbanski also has experience as a Prevention Specialist, an elementary teacher, and professional school counselor. She has been a Nationally Certified OBPP Trainer-Consultant, an Olweus Technical Assistance Consultant (OTAC), and has served as the Florida State Leader for the OBPP. She has conducted workshops on bullying prevention, conflict resolution, and character education at the local, state, national, and international levels. Dr. Urbanski received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Eastern Connecticut State College, and a Master of Arts degree in Guidance and Counseling, an Educational Specialist degree, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida.

Her research has focused on bullying prevention and school connectedness. She has authored several publications and curriculum related to bullying prevention. Dr. Urbanski was named the 2007 Florida DARE Educator of the Year, was inducted into the 2008 Who’s Who of Prevention Leaders in Florida, and received the Arthur Shapiro Leadership Excellence Award in 2012. She is married and has three children and four grandchildren.

Contact Information:
Jan Urbanski, Ed.D.
Clemson University
Institute on Family & Neighborhood Life
321 Brackett Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
Phone: 864-656-6712
Email: jurbans@clemson.edu

Jane Riese is the Associate Director of Safe and Humane Schools with the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life (IFNL) of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences at Clemson University. IFNL serves as home to the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in the United States. Jane began her work with the Olweus Program in 1999 and is one of the developers of the program’s Trainer Certification Course, first held in the U.S. in 2001. She is co-author of Olweus Program print and online materials. She oversees the work of Olweus Technical Assistance Consultants and supports Olweus initiatives in countries outside the U.S.A. licensed social worker, Jane developed and directed dialogue-based restorative justice programming in her community and was the director of a prosecution-based victim services program. She is certified in Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, an adjunct therapy for the treatment of complex trauma through the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at JRI. Jane received a Bachelor of Social Work from Elizabethtown College and a Master of Social Work from Temple University. Jane has served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors.

Contact Information:
Jane Riese, LSW
Clemson University
Institute on Family & Neighborhood Life
321 Brackett Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
Phone:  717-870-7992
Email:  jriese@clemson.edu

June Jenkins is the Training-Consultation Coordinator for Safe and Humane Schools at Clemson University. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in education as teacher and administrator. In 2014, she retired as the Project Director for a Safe Schools/Healthy Students Project in Virginia which focused on community partnerships and addressing risky behaviors of youth. She holds a Postgraduate Professional License from the South Carolina Department of Education in PK-12 administration and supervision. She completed a postgraduate certification in Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports through University of South Florida and is a Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor. She serves on the Board of the SC-Association for Positive Behavior Supports Network. In 2005, June became a certified trainer in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and in 2010 became a Trainer Certification Course (TCC) provider. June is married and lives in the Upstate of South Carolina.

Contact Information:
June Jenkins, MEd
Clemson University
Institute on Family & Neighborhood Life
321 Brackett Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
Phone:  864-656-6712
Email:  june2@clemson.edu