UMaine Professor Named Fellow of National Organization
Contact: Kay Hyatt, (207) 581-2761
ORONO, Maine — University of Maine Professor Robert M. Milardo wasrecently named a lifetime Fellow of the National Council on FamilyRelations. The NCFR is the leading membership organization for familyresearchers, educators, policy makers and practicing professionals.Milardo, professor of family relationships, was selected by his peersfor the honor at the organization’s recent national conference.
NCFR Fellows are selected for their history of outstandingcontributions to the field of family studies in areas such as publishedscholarship, innovative and influential teaching, development andimplementation of significant interventions to promote healthy familyrelations, and a consistent record of superior contributions to NCFRover time.
Milardo’s research and writing have contributed importantresearch designs and theoretical insights in the areas of relationshipdevelopment, the role of social networks in the functioning offamilies, domestic violence, and the role of uncles in family life,according to the NCFR. The announcement notes that “Dr. Milardo hascontributed greatly to the development of the field through his ownresearch and as an editor or co-editor of volumes that have broughttogether the work of others in a specific area (Families and SocialNetworks, 1988) or that provide major reviews of literatures in avariety of areas (Handbook of Personal Relationships, 1997; and Familyas Relationships, 2000).”
A specialist in kinship and social networks, Milardo’s currentresearch on generativity examines how this adult concern for futuregenerations is expressed in relationships between uncles and aunts andtheir young nieces and nephews. The uncle-nephew research — the firstof its kind — suggests that uncles supplement the work of parents andare often sought out by parents to provide nephews with advice andsometimes criticism, and to act as intergenerational buffersinterceding in conflicts and providing both parents and nephews withinsight and a unique perspective. Milardo reports his findings in thearticle “Generative Uncle and Nephew Relationships” published in theDecember 2005 issue of the NCFR’s Journal of Marriage and Family.
Milardo has been actively involved in NCFR work and leadershipfor more than 25 years, including serving as editor for the Journal ofMarriage and Family from 1996-2001. This position also broughtdistinction to UMaine as the home of the national publication’seditorship. In his capacity as editor, Milardo developed and carriedout a plan to expand the issue in 2000 to include a special set ofbroad papers addressing the general progress of the field in the 20thcentury. The result was a set of papers, which are expected to becomeclassics, and are published as The Decade in Review: UnderstandingFamilies into the Next Millennium. Milardo continues to serve on theJournal’s editorial board.
In addition to other leadership roles, Milardo has chaired theNCFR Research and Theory section, helped establish the Feminism andFamily Studies Section, served on the board of directors and been anactive member of the Publication Committee.
Milardo, who lives in Newburgh, earned his Ph.D. in humandevelopment and family studies from Pennsylvania State University andhas been a UMaine faculty member since 1982.