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Professor
Donald E. Jacobs
Weatherford College
Q: What do you do? Your official
title?
A: Professor Don Jacobs is my title;
after 15 years, I recently resigned
my position as Department Chair of
Behavioral Science; my reason was
to spend more time with students
and advise them on course selection
required to succeed at the next level
of university studies, and to offer
conferences directed to students.
Q: What is your favorite book?
A: My selection is not intended
to be self-serving, but it’s one of
my own publications: The title is:
Psychology of Deception: Analysis of
Sexually Psychopathic Serial Crime
(2009) Kendall Hunt Publishers.
This selection allows me to better
teach Criminal Minds—eight chapters define academic and factual
insights into the neurospectrum of
behavior, followed by 12 examples
of serial predators by name. I make
the argument over the entire class
how no corrective therapies exist to
reverse pathological psychopathy. I
ask students to make their own arguments whether or not this violent
brain condition is decreasing or
increasing in our culture.
Q: What accomplishment are you
most proud of?
A: Other than being a Dad to four
children, who are now all college
educated as adults, I feel I have
accomplished the most and felt the
most energetic in classroom teaching and doing my own research
into neuropsychology. This focus
has allowed me to express my findings in ways students understand. I
apply theory to practice by offering
applications of forensic psychology
and neuropsychology. Also, I wanted
to present e ffective arguments for
making good decisions regarding
the academic challenges ahead. I
hope to instill confidence in students
who have discovered their academic
passion to go to the top of their
careers by hard work and not to settle
for “second best”. My favorite saying
is “We settle for what we settle for.”
Q: Are you married? How did you
meet your spouse?
A: Yes, to my wife of 30+ years,
Kathy. We met on the dance floor!
We met during the Disco Era (early
1970s); I thought I was John Travolta
(in my white suit) and Kathy danced
like Karen Lynn Gorney (both from
Saturday Night Fever) and we’ve
been dancing ever since!
Q: How did you get into your field?
A: I loved my psych classes at SMU.
I had very engaging professors who
were the models of what I wanted
to be as a professional educator. Dr.
Jack Roy Strange was the chair of the
Psych Department and he influenced
me the most by his engaging lectures
and writing his own books. His name
(Dr. Strange) seemed perfect for a
psych professor!
Q: If you could go back in history,
who is the one person you would like
to meet?
A: I would be greedy here…famous
psych individuals who helped to
evolve this amazing field to present
day neuroscience, especially Robert
Hare, Without Conscience: The
Disturbing World of The Psychopaths
Among Us and Dr. Sidney Cohen,
MD author of The Chemical Brain:
The Neurochemistry of Addictive
Disorders . I tell students if they
major in neuropsychology they will
seldom embrace the same phenomenology as most others because they
will become aware of the power of
brain science, especially from the
effects of neurochemistry.
Q: Who in your life has influenced
you the most? How?
A: By their example, my parents
worked hard to give me everything
I needed even though money was
scarce; this was back in the days
when parenting focused on family
values, eating together at the same
table, and taking vacations together
every summer even if it involved a
quick trip to a relative’s house for the
weekend.
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
Q: Would you recommend your
career for other people? Why?
A: Absolutely. In fact, I tell my top
students at WC when they finish their
Bachelor’s and Master’s in Psych, I’ll
hire them to teach at WC…I know
they are well prepared and students
will love them!!
Q: What do you do to chill?
A: I’m really an introvert at heart so
I enjoy writing in my Man Cave at
home or losing my thoughts in some
old black and white film noire from
old Hollywood, or going dancing…
just can’t quit dancing.
JANUARY 2016
Q: If you were to write a book, what
would you call it and what would it
be about?
A: My next project is already underway; I seek to update my earlier
writings about Criminal Minds by
presenting the Story Behind the
Story—the neurochemical “brainmarks” known to drive homicide as
well as violent serial crime. In 2004,
my colleagues and I authored new
courses that would eventually result
in the Texas Co-Board approving
(2008) two forensic science courses
at the 2-year level in higher education. We held numerous conferences
and watched as our students excelled
in university programs. For example,
my top student is a CSI in Denton
County. Our FORS rubric paved the
way for criminal justice programs
across Texas to develop their own
vocational and “work place” courses
based upon our academic research.
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