ACE names two University of Texas at Arlington educators to its Fellows Program Class of 2013-14
ARLINGTON, Texas – Pamela Jansma, dean of The University of Texas at Arlington College of Science, and Victoria Farrar-Myers, a UT Arlington professor of political science, have been named American Council on Education Fellows for the 2013-14 academic year.
President James D. Spaniolo nominated both educators for the prestigious program, which selected a total of 50 college and university senior faculty and administrators after a rigorous application process this year.
Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing promising senior faculty and administrators for senior positions in college and university administration.
Ronald L. Elsenbaumer, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said both Jansma and Farrar-Myers are representative of the best UT Arlington faculty.
“Dean Jansma and Dr. Farrar-Myers are distinguished by their commitment to teaching and research excellence, and they each have had a significant impact on the colleges they represent,” Elsenbaumer said. “Both of these UT Arlington leaders have unlimited potential in their careers, and we are fortunate to count them as our colleagues.”
Dean Jansma joined the UT Arlington College of Science in 2009, having previously served as the dean of New Mexico State University’s College of Arts and Sciences. Jansma, a professor of earth and environmental sciences, is an expert in microplate tectonics, earthquakes and faults.
During her tenure at UT Arlington, enrollment of the College of Science has increased 24 percent and the college has launched the Shimadzu Center for Advanced Analytical Chemistry. The College also is home to several grant-funded programs aimed at increasing participation in STEM fields by traditionally underrepresented groups.
“I am deeply honored and thankful for the selection as an ACE Fellow,” Jansma said. “Students, faculty and the community-at-large should be proud that UT Arlington has gained a national reputation that allows its representatives to be welcomed into such an elite group.”
Farrar-Myers joined UT Arlington in 1998 and is a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the College of Liberal Arts. She is an expert in the American presidency and is a 2012 recipient of The University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award.
“I am honored to have President Spaniolo’s and the University’s support, and to be recognized by the ACE Fellows Program,” Farrar-Myers said. “I look forward to working with leadership at my host institution to learn about competency-based undergraduate education and related issues.”
Margarita Benítez, interim director of ACE’s Emerging Leaders Group and the ACE Fellows Program, noted that most previous fellows have advanced into major positions in academic administration.
Nearly 2,000 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program since its inception, with more than 300 Fellows having served as chief executive officers of colleges or universities and more than 1,300 having served as provosts, vice presidents and deans.
“The 2013-14 class of Fellows is a talented, diverse group,” Benítez said. “The ACE Fellows Program will strengthen their leadership skills, expand their networks and prepare them to tackle the wide array of issues facing the higher education community.”
ACE is the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, and advocates on higher-education issues in Washington and around the world.
The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of more than 33,800 students and more than 2,200 faculty members in the heart of North Texas. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more.
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Media contact: Bridget Lewis, Blewis@uta.edu, 817-272-3317
The University of Texas at Arlington, www.uta.edu
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