Bernie Carducci Remembered

With degrees from California State University (Fullerton) and Kansas State University, Carducci authored six books and countless scholarly articles over his academic career. He was a fellow of the American Psychological Association, served as president of the Council of Teachers of Undergraduate Psychology, and received two IU Southeast Distinguished Research and Creativity Awards. Most importantly, he founded and directed the IU Southeast Shyness Research Institute.

For Carducci, helping people overcome shyness was a mission born of his own victory over the condition. It was a mission that propelled him to seek an audience beyond academia. He appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the BBC, and other national and international media, while his writings were featured in Psychology Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, among many others.

“He was a pillar of the campus, particularly of the psychology program,” said Gil Atnip, professor emeritus of psychology and former vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Atnip had hired Carducci in 1979 to bolster IU Southeast’s nascent psychology program. Carducci proved himself a dynamic instructor in social psychology, personality, and other areas fundamental to the field, helping the faculty to develop a well-rounded degree. By the mid-1980s, the program had grown to more than 200 majors.

Carducci wore his very big heart on his sleeve. When it came to IU Southeast, he was an unabashed booster. His loyalty to the institution he had helped to build, and to the colleagues he had come to see as family, remained unbroken through his retirement last summer.

He was in no hurry to leave, and let it be known that he was still around, still interested, still engaged. And in its openness and camaraderie, community spirit, and dedication to students and their success, IU Southeast for its part bears witness to his enduring presence.