College of Education and Human Development

Department of Educational Psychology

In memoriam: Kay Herting Wahl

Kay Herting Wahl head shot
Kay Herting Wahl

Dr. Kay Herting Wahl passed away after a courageous battle with lung cancer on December 24, 2019. Dr. Herting Wahl was an emeritus professor in the Department of Educational Psychology’s counseling and student personnel psychology program. Prior to her retirement, she served as the Director of School Counseling. Dr. Herting Wahl was named the American School Counselor Association’s Counselor Educator of the Year in 2010. In 2013, she was also named the Post-Secondary Counselor Educator of the Year by the Minnesota School Counselors Association.

The emphasis of Dr. Herting Wahl’s professional career was on public education: as a teacher, school counselor, and associate professor. As a K-12 school counselor, she became interested in higher education training programs for school counselors. Her interest continued throughout her career as she strove to intertwine reality and theory into school counselor education. Her research interests included the training of school counselors, the effectiveness of school counselor comprehensive programs in schools, and reducing the achievement gap through effective school counselor services and programs.

Working with and for children of all ages was always Dr. Herting Wahl’s goal. She presented at national and state conferences on the value of play and humor in groups at all levels of education. Her enthusiasm was for teaching-providing students with the challenge to grow, learn, and become efficient and expert school counselors.

Read Wahl’s obituary.

Support school counseling students by contributing to the Kay Herting Wahl Memorial Fellowship.