Fretz, Bruce (1939-)

Education and Training

In his early years, Fretz did not plan on nor did he believe in the possibility of attending college. He had planned to drop out of school to work to support his mother and younger siblings, as his father had passed away when Fretz was a young boy. However, after he and other teachers discovered that he had an exceptional talent in mathematics, he was switched to the “college track” in school. This sudden change provided him with a boost of confidence that he could perform academically. From there, he progressed academically in a whimsical fashion, with mentors and teachers handing him opportunities that he accepted, by his own admission, with only a half-understanding of their significance.

Fretz was awarded a full scholarship to Gettysburg College and majored in psychology with the original intent of entering the ministry. As he progressed through his undergraduate schooling, he realized that he enjoyed his psychology courses more than his religion and Greek class work. With mentorship and a recommendation from his advisor, Charles Platt, he applied to and was accepted into a graduate program in counseling psychology at Ohio State University. He obtained his Ph.D. in counseling psychology, and in the year 1965, he and his wife were ready to embark upon a new segment of his life near Washington, D.C.

Overview of Career

Upon graduating with a doctorate degree, Fretz obtained a faculty position with the University of Maryland's Department of Psychology. After a brief [Page 217]time at his position, he obtained tenure and an associate professor position, as he was steadily publishing research. Then, just four years after graduating with a Ph.D., he was asked to direct the doctoral program in counseling psychology at the University of Maryland, and he held this position for the next 20 years. His leadership helped build a stable and progressive program from one that had previously struggled with its identity, status, and retention of students. Fretz retired from the University of Maryland in 1995, but he continued to play an active leadership role in various organizations in retirement, including participating in the American Psychological Association Council of Representatives.

Over his years working at the University of Maryland, Fretz was cherished by faculty and students as a competent leader and a warm supportive mentor. Students commented on his passionate orientation toward counseling psychology and his ever-present kindness and support. Colleagues emphasized his ability to work with and achieve collaboration among varying staff personalities. Fretz himself suggested that he owed his teaching success to a specific philosophy he had learned from past teachers and implemented. This philosophy consisted of demonstrating one's enthusiasm in the subject, being student-centered, working hard to make the subject matter interesting, being liked by students, and wanting students and the professor to discover the subject matter together. It seems that his attentiveness to the needs of others allowed him to achieve both popularity and success as a professor and program director.

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