Isaac Prilleltensky

UM News

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (July 15, 2015) —An international leader in community  psychology, Isaac Prilleltensky has received many honors for tackling serious societal problems. Now the National Newspaper Association is recognizing the dean of the School of Education and Human Development for his humor, awarding one of his Miami Today musings second Best Humorous Column in its annual writing contest.

As the judges noted, Prilleltensky’s May 2014 column about soccer legend David Beckham’s desire to build a soccer stadium at PortMiami was original, clever, and an obviously planned humorous look at a topic of concern—which few people can pull off well.

“Planned humor, especially with a lightly sarcastic touch, is difficult to write successfully, but this writer succeeds,” the judges noted in selecting the column, headlined “Seal deal for soccer at seaport fast, before the waters rise,” for second place honors in the daily and non-daily division of newpapers with circulations over 8,000.

Among his many honors, Prilleltensky, the Erwin and Barbara Mautner Chair in Community Well-Being, received the Society of Counseling Psychology’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Prevention last year. He is also the author of seven books and more than 120 articles and chapters in numerous professional journals, including The Counseling Psychologist, which dedicated a special issue to his work promoting prevention, well-being, and social justice for such social ills such as poverty and discrimination.

But he regularly flexes his writing muscles—and sense of humor—on a wide range of topics in local newspapers and on his blog, Going Wellnuts: The Humor Blog for Well-Being. And, if Miami Today Publisher Michael Lewis has his way, he won’t be resting on his laurels. “I hope you’ll keep sending your award-winning columns our way,” Lewis wrote in a congratulatory email.

Miami Today, a trusted and well-known source for local business news, will pick up the award in October.