Professor McCulloch served as department head and professor in Family Social Science from 2003-2013 and was on faculty until she retired in 2015. She served on the University of Minnesota Graduate Education Council, 2014-17, the University Women’s Faculty Cabinet, and continues to serve in leadership roles in the U of M Retirees Association.
Her research examined the effects of social risks and resources on older rural Appalachian adults mental and physical health, the relationship of psychological hardiness to aspects of mental health, and factors affecting the sustained work of older farmers. She investigated the relationships of various psychosocial factors to mental health outcomes, predictors of social service utilization and barriers to receiving services. In addition, McCulloch’s research investigated issues relating to older women and gender, focusing on rural women.
Previously, she was on faculty at the University of Kentucky from 1990-2003 and also served as director of graduate studies in the department of family studies and interim associate dean for research & graduate studies for the College of Human Environmental Studies. She received her bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville State University, a master’s degree from the University of Alabama, and her doctoral degree from the University of North Carolina.
She has been honored with the Jack Davis Professional Achievement Award from the University of Alabama, was named a Gerontology Society of America Fellow, and received the Southern Gerontological Society’s President’s Award for Outstanding Service twice.
