Janice Holden, chair and professor of counseling and higher education, earned the Gilbert and Kathleen Wrenn Award for a Humanitarian and Caring Person from the American Counseling Association for her concern for the welfare of others and her passion to fight injustice.

Holden researches the transpersonal perspective in counseling, addressing experiences that transcend the usual personal limits of space and time, and advocates for treatment of people who have had transpersonal experiences.

Her primary scholarly focus has been near-death experiences. She is the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies and served on the board of the International Association for Near-Death Studies for six years, three as president.