Dear Colleagues,

 

Welcome back! I hope that you had a restful and productive summer and that you were able to  spend time with  those important to you.  Please join me in welcoming our new faculty and staff who you will get a change to meet at the college-wide meeting September (date TBA).  The new faculty have been busy attending  orientation  workshops and exploring their new professional home. Please reach out to them and get to know them as the semester begins.  Also, I want to congratulate our new department, Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies ( REGSS)  . We are excited about this department  officially 'opening' this semester and look forward to its growth and success.

 

 

As the campus fills with the activity of returning and new students and the summer winds down, I look forward to  engaging with you and continuing to set direction that moves us forward and  underscores the important role the college plays on the campus , in the community, and on local, national, and international policy and  knowledge production. The work that you do makes a difference daily, and we are entering into a very exciting time as a university. Provost Espy is entering her second year with us, and  has worked collaboratively to set direction aligned with President Eighmy's vision. New organizational structures and alignments at the institution, as well as in our own college, will allow us to focus on student success and efficient operations that contribute to outcomes across the board. 

 

Our leadership team, comprised of Department Chairs, Associate Deans, and faculty Assistant Deans have met  over the summer and will be  working on  collaboratively developing strategic initiatives with department faculty and program directors that feed into the college metrics and are aligned with President Eighmy's three destinations. Additionally, we have  opportunities around  innovative curriculum development, cross-cutting partnerships, and  engagement with the community.  Our focus on community engagement, student success, research excellence, and strategic growth will contribute to the overall  forward momentum of UTSA. It is a very exciting time to be a part of this university and your contributions in these areas are a critical and driving force. 

 

We will be sending out a master calendar with college-wide meetings dates, junior faculty luncheon date, training and support opportunities, opportunities to meet students during Donuts with the Deans,  and one on one  appointment times with me at either the 1604 or DTC locations. As always, these  meetings are open to all. 

 

Just a reminder as well: As part of the UTSA 50th Anniversary Scholar Speaker Series, this week we have  COEHD faculty member, Dr. Langston Clark, who will be giving a talk titled:  Mind and Muscle: The Intersection of Black Athleticism and Intellectualism.  This talk will take place at The Garage at the Pearl. Doors will open at 6, the talk will begin at 6:30. More details can be found in the link below.  

https://faculty.utsa.edu/events/50th-anniversary-scholars-speaker-series-langston-clark/

 

In September please plan to attend Dr. Vanessa Sansone's talk, also in the 50th Anniversary Scholar Speaker Series, which will take place at  SAY Sí on Sept 17, titled :  The Invisible Wall: Overcoming Social Obstructions in Higher Education. More details can be found in the link below.

 

https://faculty.utsa.edu/events/50th-anniversary-scholars-speaker-series-vanessa-sansone/

 

 

Finally, please plan on attending our own COEHD speaker series celebrating the 50th anniversary. We have a faculty emeritus committee who have been working with Dr. Flores and Raitza Garcia. The first event in the series will be held on October 10 at the DTC "Courageous Conversations, Part I". Two more events will follow ( February 20th and May 7th) . More details will be sent, and try to bring  your class if you can.

 

 

In closing, I wish you all a wonderful start to the fall  semester 2019  and best wishes for a productive and  successful academic year.

 

Warm regards,

Margo

 

Margo DelliCarpini, Ph.D.

Vice Provost for  Strategic Educational Partnerships and Dean of the College of Education and Human Development

President's Distinguished Professor

The University of Texas at San Antonio

One UTSA Circle

San Antonio, TX 78249

T: 210.458.4370

F: 210.458.4487