I serve the Bass School of Arts, Humanities and Technology and the University of Texas at Dallas generously through a range of service commitments, including my appointment as the Vice-Speaker of the Academic Senate and my administrative position as the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.

 

I have served as the Vice-Speaker of the Academic Senate since 2020 and was previously a senator beginning in 2016. In my capacity as Vice-Speaker, I advise Senate leadership and participate in discussions to help advance faculty priorities to the upper-administration during bi-monthly Council and Senate meetings. I also attend Texas Council of Faculty Senates and Faculty Advisory Council meetings at the state level on behalf of UTD. In 2021, I co-chaired the inaugural North Texas Joint Senate Symposium in collaboration with the President of the UTA Faculty Senate, an event that was attended by both university presidents and provosts as well as state legislators from our region.

 

As Associate Dean of Graduate Studies since 2021, I have focused my efforts on student success and on creating an inclusive and supportive graduate student culture. One of my signature initiatives has been the creation of Graduate Student Writing Resources in collaboration with Linda Smith-Brecheisen, Assistant Professor of Instruction in Humanities. In response to our lagging time-to-completion in several degree programs, we instituted wrap-around services for students at every stage of the writing process: coursework, proposals, and dissertations.

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I collaborate with colleagues to generate and support school and university-wide programming that brings students, staff, and faculty into conversation. In October of 2020, I hosted a virtual screening of “A Woman’s Work,” a documentary about the campaign for fair compensation by NFL cheerleaders. I also moderated a Q&A with the filmmaker, Yu Gu. In 2021 on the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Emily Rose-Baker (VAP), Amal Shafek (PhD student), and I organized a screening of “Fly So Far,” a transnational feminist documentary about reproductive justice. In March of 2023, I co-hosted Emily-Jo Sargent, curator at the Wellcome Trust in London, who gave a public lecture and also visited with graduate students in classes. I am also the faculty advisor for “Shot/Reverse Shot,” a film series organized by graduate students in Visual & Performing Arts. The series creates intellectual community, raises awareness about global cinema, and provides graduate students with important experience organizing campus-wide events.

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In spring 2022, I was nominated to participate in the Texas Academic Leadership Academy in the 2023-2024 academic year. TALA brings together two nominated candidates from public universities across the state to participate in workshops and conferences to develop leadership skills and prepare for future careers in university administration.