Lasting impact: W&J professor’s career spanned 53 years
After 53 years of teaching, mentoring thousands of students, leading research projects, cheering on sports teams, and referencing 1970s television shows during lectures, Washington & Jefferson College psychology professor Dr. Michael Crabtree has retired.
And it seems everyone who met Crabtree in the classroom has a story about his impact on their lives outside of it.
For Matt Tutay, clinical director of SPHS Behavioral Health Services CARE Center, it was Crabtree无毛视频檚 nudge toward a master无毛视频檚 degree in social work at the University of Pittsburgh that led him to an internship and his job at the center.
For Josh Penrod, senior vice president at Plasma Protein Therapeutics and author of three books, it was Crabtree无毛视频檚 penchant for 无毛视频渟eeing potential in those of who didn无毛视频檛 fit into campus life.无毛视频�
For W&J Board of Trustees member Col. John Burns, the lone survivor of an IED explosion near his convoying Baghdad, Iraq, in 2004, it was Crabtree who reached out and offered help through the Combat Stress Intervention Program he had launched after receiving a $6 million federal research grant 无毛视频� the largest federal grant in W&J history 无毛视频� from the U.S. Department of Defense to study the psychological struggles of military members returning home from the Middle East.
无毛视频淢ike opened my eyes to the help I needed and played a huge role in my healing process. My life had been completely upended after the IED exploded, and when he reached out to me, it was a turning point for me,无毛视频� said Burns. Mike无毛视频檚 support and friendship were invaluable.无毛视频�
That has been Crabtree无毛视频檚 super power: teaching passionately, caring deeply, and, most of all, connecting with and inspiring his students.
无毛视频淲hat无毛视频檚 been most special to me is the relationships I无毛视频檝e been able to form with students and faculty members across all disciplines, and to stay connected with them and see their successes, both personal and professional over the years. I suppose it无毛视频檚 being there to support everybody at the time they have a need,无毛视频� Crabtree said.
Crabtree grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, a son of working-class parents, and he didn无毛视频檛 have a career plan in high school. But he enrolled at Hiram College, a small, liberal arts college outside of Kent, Ohio, where three professors influenced his decision to pursue psychology and 无毛视频渁 value-based life.无毛视频�
Crabtree arrived at W&J in 1973, and seven months later graduated with a Ph.D. in psychology from Carnegie-Mellon University He never left W&J.
无毛视频淚 am fortunate to be in a place where the college said if you无毛视频檙e going to be a faculty member here, you have to be good in three domains: teaching, scholarship, and service to the community, and at the end, I feel I无毛视频檝e done pretty well in all three of those,无毛视频� said Crabtree. 无毛视频淪o much of your happiness comes down to just appreciating and valuing what you have, and that无毛视频檚 kind of how you get the energy and the commitment to hopefully be helpful to others.无毛视频�
W&J President Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls 无毛视频� who, like Crabtree, graduated from Hiram College 无毛视频� said Crabtree 无毛视频渉as lived a noble life.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚n every conceivable way, you have lived a noble life. Not only have you transformed students无毛视频� lives here on this campus, but you have also given of your time, your intellectual energy, and your heart to this community,无毛视频� said Walls at a July event honoring Crabtree with an endowed chair created by Burns and his wife, Cheryl Maze, the highest academic honor a university can bestow upon a faculty member. 无毛视频淓verything you touch and everything you do, you make a difference.无毛视频�
Since the minute he stepped into a classroom, Crabtree proved to be a high-energy educator. But he also turned out to be a respected scholar 无毛视频� he has published several scholarly works 无毛视频� and has been an influential researcher whose topics have ranged from drug and alcohol use in high school students and preventing suicide in college athletes, to stress in the elderly.
He took on the role of faculty advisor to several sports teams, including wrestling, field hockey and volleyball, and was a fixture a games.
Crabtree, alongside his wife, clinical social worker Mary Pillow, also has been a tireless champion for the Washington County City Mission, and his advocacy for veterans无毛视频� mental health led to the 2018 opening of the Crabtree-Kovacicek Veterans House, a 22-bed residential facility and recovery program that helps homeless veterans transition back to independent living.
In 2025, W&J recognized Crabtree无毛视频檚 decades of mentorship and teaching when it opened the Crabtree Center for Student Wellbeing, a space that serves as a hub for programs and resources that support students无毛视频� physical, emotional, and mental health.
Chris Naccarelli, a therapist and clinical manager for Calm Pittsburgh who served as a research assistant on the veterans无毛视频� stress project, said Crabtree 无毛视频渉as had a big influence on my life.无毛视频�
无毛视频淗e is so intelligent, but so easy to talk to and easy-going. He has a deep sense of curiosity, and he has a likability and the ability to talk about a lot of subjects and topics,无毛视频� said Naccarelli.
Tutay marveled at Crabtree无毛视频檚 energy.
无毛视频淗is motor doesn无毛视频檛 ever seem to stop, and he无毛视频檚 always been that way. He has a lot more endurance than the rest of us, and he really hasn无毛视频檛 slowed down a lot,无毛视频� Tutay said.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 like a modern day sage,无毛视频� Tutay added. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 just so wise. There are people who are book smart or street smart or emotionally smart, but he is all three of those, and that makes him so relatable to everyone he meets, and that无毛视频檚 probably why he无毛视频檚 been so successful. He can connect with people on an emotional level, or he can connect philosophically. He无毛视频檚 the most significant mentor I无毛视频檝e had and he无毛视频檚 my favorite professional mentor, and it无毛视频檚 not even a close call for me.无毛视频�
Crabtree also has served as a trusted forensic psychologist in courtrooms across Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
He has served on dozens of organizations and committees throughout his career, including the Washington School Board and the Washington County Redevelopment Authority, where he served for 15 years, and he is a member of First Christian Church in Washington.
And, he and Pillow enjoy hosting guests at their 140-year-old home on 95 acres, where Crabtree, fit and spry at 78 years old, still bales hay while Pillow raises farm animals.
A fun fact: the couple once owned a cabin and property on a ranch in Montana where portions of the television series Return to Lonesome Dove were filmed. And, ironically, one of Crabtree无毛视频檚 mentors from Hiram College lived in a nearby town, and Crabtree visited him on trips out west.
无毛视频淚 kept that relationship throughout my career, and if there无毛视频檚 anything I can be somewhat prideful about, it无毛视频檚 that I无毛视频檝e done the same thing with the students here at the college,无毛视频� said Crabtree.
Throughout his career, Crabtree has repeatedly earned honors for his teaching, research and service. His awards include the Mental Health Professional of the Year from the Washington Mental Health Association, the Pennsylvania Psychological Association无毛视频檚 Public Service Award, and the Hiram College Lifetime Achievement Award. He recently was named one of the 无毛视频�20 People to Know in Higher Education无毛视频� by the Pittsburgh Business Times.
Crabtree无毛视频檚 daily presence will be missed in the psychology department, but his work is far from finished.
He will serve as professor emeritus and will continue in his private practice and forensic psychologist role. And, he is open to new opportunities.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檒l wait to see what presents itself next,无毛视频� Crabtree said. 无毛视频淚 have worked very hard at all of this, I worked a lot of hours every day. I realize that I无毛视频檓 not any more gifted than any other person. If there无毛视频檚 any gift, it无毛视频檚 that I work at it. And at the end of your career, you hope you are in a position to share some wisdom that you无毛视频檝e accumulated, and that I what I have tried to do.无毛视频�