ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS...My commitment to providing access to traditional and non-traditional...

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November 8, 2016

Dear Search Committee:

I am grateful to Robert Luke at Witt/Kieffer for reaching out to me about your advertised

position for President of Florida Gulf Coast University, and with this letter I am formally and

enthusiastically making application for this important position. I believe that my education,

experiences, interests, and values are consistent with the professional characteristics and

personal qualities indicated for this position. I would bring to your university considerable

relevant experience and energy to pursue and support FGCU’s institutional vision and the four

key pillars of its recently completed Strategic Plan, 2016-21.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

My education includes bachelor’s degrees in history and Spanish from the University of

Wisconsin in Oshkosh from where I graduated magna cum laude, and a master’s degree and

Ph.D. in French history from Marquette University. After completing my graduate studies in

1994, I went to the University of North Alabama (UNA) in Florence where I served as a

professor and then chair of the Department of History and Political Science from 2002-2008.

During my fourteen years at UNA I earned a reputation as an award-winning classroom

instructor. Although my career has taken an administrative trajectory I remain dedicated to

teaching and research; in fact, throughout much of my administrative career I have continued

to instruct courses in my discipline and have taught first-year freshman experience courses.

In addition to teaching, I have established and maintained an active scholarly career. I have

been a regular presenter at major national and international conferences of French and

European history. Apart from these activities, along with producing numerous refereed

journal articles and reviews, I recently (2014) published a well-received scholarly book.

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE

I would bring to FGCU substantial administrative experience in complex organizational

settings. Currently, I serve as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at The

University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB). The youngest member of the University

of Texas System and a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), UTPB enrolls nearly

7,000 students and offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and over one dozen graduate

programs of study in both traditional and highly innovative formats. UTPB is consistently

ranked by U.S. News and World Report as a top public regional and online university. Under

my leadership are four colleges (Arts and Sciences, Business and Engineering, Education, and

Nursing), seven research and public institutes and centers, the Dunagan Library, Graduate

Studies, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the REACH (online learning)

Office, the Student Success Office, Admissions, the Registrar, Financial Aid, Institutional

Research and Effectiveness, Student Affairs, and Student Housing. My office also supports a

campus-based STEM Charter School, an on-campus and several virtual early college high

schools, a Dual Credit Academy, and supervises more than 400 faculty and staff persons.

Prior to joining UTPB, I was the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Mississippi

University for Women (MUW), a co-educational liberal arts doctoral-granting university that

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enrolled about 3,000 students. From 2008-2012, I served as the Dean of the College of

Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB), which has now become the

University of Texas of the Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Part of the University of Texas

System, UTB was a baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degree conferring institution which,

similar to FGCU, enrolled over 15,000 students and served large numbers of minority and

non-traditional learners. Finally, from 2002-2008 I served as chair of the department of

History and Political Science at the University of North Alabama, a regional comprehensive

state university that enrolled 7,500 students, where I supervised a dozen faculty and staff, four

undergraduate majors, a graduate program in History, and several minors

ACADEMIC PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

I also would offer to FGCU considerable experience to lead and advance its strategic pillar of

Academic Excellence. Indeed, as department chair, dean, and Provost/VPAA I have taken a

leading role in conceiving, creating, advocating, and implementing innovative undergraduate

and graduate academic programs, including those in the health and STEM fields, which

address student and societal demands and needs. While at UNA, I developed a

multidisciplinary social science degree as well as a master’s degree program in history.

During my tenure as dean at UTB we created undergraduate programs in Architecture,

Spanish Translation and Interpreting, Border Studies, Multidisciplinary Studies, as well as

online master’s degree programs in Psychology and Spanish Translation and Interpreting (at

the time, only one of three programs in the United States). Apart from these curricular

developments, I initiated the creation of the UTB Honors Program, as well as a center of

excellence, the Texas Center for Border and Transnational Studies, which focuses on multi-

disciplinary approaches to US-Mexico issues. During my tenure as Provost/VPAA at MUW

we implemented a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, a master’s degree in Global

Commerce, and developed an innovative experiential-based graduate program in Women’s

Leadership, and an MFA in Creative Writing. At UTPB, we created accredited programs in

Petroleum Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and undergraduate programs in Nursing, and

established a College of Nursing.

ACADEMIC INNOVATION

Consistent with the vision of FGCU, in response to the needs of today’s diverse college

students, I have developed and encouraged emerging instructional technologies including the

implementation of online, hybrid, competency-based, and problem-based learning pedagogies

and have made courses and programs available to both traditional and non-traditional students

at more convenient off-campus sites and in accelerated formats. While at UTB, apart from

developing entirely online programs in Spanish Translation and in Criminal Justice and

Psychology, we created a graduate cohort of local secondary teachers that enabled these

dedicated professionals to pursue their master’s degrees via hybrid methods of instruction

from their home high-school campus. My commitment to providing access to traditional and

non-traditional learners continued at MUW with support of our RN to BSN program at our

off-campus site in Tupelo, MS, which enrolled nearly 400 students as well as an international

teaching venue in Arezzo, Italy which supported an MFA in Physical Theater program.

Additionally, under my direction at MUW we introduced a year-round academic calendar that

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included three intersessions scheduled for August, January, and May. At UTPB I have

continued my record of leading and supporting faculty-driven innovation. UTPB offers more

than a dozen completely online undergraduate and graduate programs and over two hundred

online courses each semester, many of these in an accelerated eight-week format. We also

offer online courses to nearly 2,000 dual credit and early college high school students

throughout the state of Texas extending the impact of UTPB well beyond our traditional

service area. We also support on campus the UTPB STEM Charter School which employs

problem-based learning (PBL) and flipped classroom strategies to instruct its K-6 grade

students. In addition, last fall UTPB faculty developed and offered through EdX our first

massively open online course (MOOC) which enrolled over 13,000 students. Additionally,

with the support of the UT System’s Institute for Transformational Learning (ITL) our

engineering faculty are developing a competency-based program in Petroleum Engineering

Technology. This past spring (2016) we launched an online RN to BSN Program in an eight-

week format, and are about to offer an accelerated online MBA. We also recently have

completed a proposal for a fully online doctorate in Educational Leadership. Finally, as I had

done at MUW, I authored UTPB’s first distance education policy manual to ensure the quality

and integrity of our online courses and programs.

ACADEMIC EXELLENCE/ACCREDITATION

Maintaining and pursuing external accreditations not only testifies to academic excellence but

promotes student enrollment and enhanced job and wage prospects of graduates. I have

significant experience with regional, national, and international accrediting agencies,

including the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

(SACSCOC), the regional accreditor of FGCU. While at UNA I served as one of the steering

committee chairs during the university’s SACSCOC reaccreditation process in 2001 At UTB

I was a member of the SACSCOC Standards Committee in preparation for the university’s

five-year interim report. While at MUW, I was a member of the institution’s SACSCOC

Steering Committee during its successful decennial review and accreditation reaffirmation.

Currently, at UTPB, I serve as the chair the university’s SACSCOC Committee that recently

successfully completed our Fifth-Year Interim report. Along with this regional accrediting

body, I also have extensive experience with discipline and program-specific accrediting

authorities such as NCATE/CAEP (Education), NASM (Music), NASAD (Art), ABET

(Engineering), NASPAA (Public Administration), NAST (Theatre), ACEN, CCNE, NLNAC

(Nursing), CSWE (Social Work), CAA (Speech-Language Pathology), AACSB and ACBSP

(Business), and ABA (Legal Studies).

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

I also would bring to the Presidency of Florida Gulf Coast University considerable experience

in strategic planning and executing already finalized strategic plans. In 2010 I initiated and

saw to completion the development of the faculty supported College of Liberal Arts Strategic

Plan, 2010-2015, which detailed strategic directions, actions, and performance indicators of

the college. At UTPB I am responsible for executing the UTPB Strategic Plan, 2009-19 most

of the goals of which already have been achieved. In addition, I lead the campus in pursuing

the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s (THECB) educational plan for Texas,

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30x60TX. Finally, I have been involved in the planning and construction of new university

facilities. At UTB I was involved in the completion of the Arts Center, and at UTPB I

was/am involved in the planning of our new Residence and Dining Hall and our Engineering

and Kinesiology buildings.

EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS (STATE LEGISLATURES AND SYSTEMS)

I also would offer to FGCU experience working with and responding to state constituents

including state legislatures and state educational boards and systems. My work at MUW

introduced me to state performance-based funding models. Like Florida, Mississippi has a

performance based funding model for higher education, and in my role as Provost at MUW

we had to be responsive to the state-established priorities by aligning our institutional goals

with the strategic agenda of the state. Most importantly this required us to clearly articulate

these goals and priorities to campus constituents so that we could effectively respond to them

as a campus community. I also have substantial experience with state educational governing

boards and systems, including the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), the

Texas Higher Education Commission Coordinating Board (THECB), the University of Texas

System (UTS), and the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) System and Board

of Trustees. As MUW Provost I served on the Council of Chief Academic Officers of the

Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Board of Trustees, and as UTPB Provost I serve on the

Provost Council with the provosts and chief academic affairs officers from UT Austin, UT

Dallas, UT San Antonio, UT Rio Grande Valley, UT El Paso, UT Tyler, and UT Arlington.

FISCAL STEWARDSHIP, PLANNING, AND MANAGEMENT

Additionally, I have extensive financial oversight and management experience not only in

working with state formula funding models but in administering progressively larger and

more complex budgets. In my role as UTB dean, I was responsible for supervising the

budgets of nine academic departments, and the payroll of 130 full-time tenured and tenure

track faculty members, over 100 adjuncts, and twenty staff people totaling $10 million

annually. At MUW, I managed an academic affairs budget that was over $20 million.

Currently, at UTPB I oversee most of the University’s $80 million budget. As UTPB Provost,

I prepare and administer academic and student affairs’ budgets which include the payroll and

support needs of more than 400 faculty and staff. In addition, I oversee a collaborative and

transparent budget process in my role as chair of the University Budget and Planning

Committee which considers budget requests from university constituents and, in concert with

the President and the Vice President for Business Affairs, we submit university budgets and

budget requests to the University of Texas System and the Texas State Legislature. This past

year, for example, we successfully obtained from the UT System Board of Regents

authorization for $52 million to be dedicated for the construction of our new engineering

building. Along with making difficult decisions regarding the allocation of resources, like

other administrators, I have had to look for ways to contain costs and generate resources. At

UTB (2010) and UTPB (2016) I led and was engaged in cost containment initiatives. This

past year, through careful analyses, I was able to trim nearly $1 million from my budget

without impacting current faculty or staff levels.

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FUND RAISING/EXTERNAL FUNDING

In an age of dwindling state appropriations funding and intense competition for student tuition

revenue but rising public demands and expectations of higher education it is more important

than ever for public universities not only to strategically work with state performance funding

formulas and contain costs but also to seek and obtain additional revenue from both public

and private sources. In both Texas and Mississippi, we successfully procured external

funding to advance the institutional missions. In the year prior to my assumption of the

College of Liberal Arts (CLA) deanship at UTB (2007) the college brought in external

funding that totaled only $18,000. In the three years after my arrival, CLA faculty had been

awarded and had acquired grants totaling nearly $1.5 million from agencies such as the

National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Department of Education, the National Institute of

Health, and the Department of Homeland Security, among others. Similarly, in Mississippi

we were successful in acquiring external funding. During the 2012-2013 year faculty were

awarded 25 external grants totaling more than $4,183,481 from agencies and organizations

such as the National Institute of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, NASA, the State

of Mississippi, the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation, the Appalachian Regional

Commission, and others. At UTPB I supervise the Office of Sponsored Programs, and in less

than two years UTPB has received more than $7 million in external funding from agencies

such as the U.S. Department of Education, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the

American Council on Education, the Texas Education Association, and other national and

state agencies. As a fundraiser, I have the proven ability to gain the trust and friendship of

diverse groups and individuals and articulate a clear vision that resonates with stakeholders

and prospective donors. In the past three years, working closely with private donors, we have

added several new privately endowed professorships (approximately $1 million in gifts) to

support the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty and their research.

ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT (ENROLLMENT AND REVENUE GROWTH)

The major source of revenue for most universities, including FGCU, however, is derived from

tuition. All regional universities are in a competition for students, especially non-discounted

students. At UTPB we have increased revenues by building enrollment by developing high-

quality (accredited) and industry and community-aligned programs (Aerospace Engineering

and Nursing, for example) that are accessible not only to traditional students but to working

adults, first-generation students, and those students who come from historically

underrepresented, but growing, college populations, especially Latinos. In addition, as I have

done at UTB and MUW, as Provost of UTPB we have created articulation agreements with

community colleges to establish seamless pipelines through which college students can

transfer to our university. In addition, we have forged collaborative partnerships with other

four-year universities, including UT Health Sciences Center-Houston School of Public Health

and Texas Tech University Health Science Center. Like FGCU we believe that these

partnerships and interactions with other institutions not only will lead to enrollment growth

and opportunities for students but will promote program development and collaborative

research and grant opportunities for our faculty.

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Apart from building high-demand accessible programs to attract new students and articulating

efficient pathways for community college transfers, I have considerable experience with

enrollment management strategies to promote enrollment and revenue growth. At MUW we

worked with Noel-Levitz to conceive and implement data-based enrollment management,

financial aid, and retention plans. Additionally, I consulted AACRAO (the national

association of college registrars) to work with the Registrar’s Office to assure the adoption

and implementation of best practices in that important office. At UTPB I oversee the Office

of Admissions and the Office of Financial Aid and am introducing an enrollment revenue

management system to more efficiently and effectively leverage student financial awards to

build enrollment and maximize revenues. In addition, we have implemented student retention

programs and interventions (discussed below) to keep more students enrolled. These efforts

have proven successful: in the past two years, the student headcount and semester credit

hours at UTPB each have increased by nearly twenty percent.

FACULTY AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Recruiting and retaining high-quality faculty and staff are essential to FGCU’s strategic pillar

of Emerging Pre-eminence. The academic quality and reputation of any college or university

is dependent upon its faculty and staff. As a department chair, dean, and provost I have

demonstrated a commitment to recruit, develop, support, and retain a high-quality and diverse

faculty and staff. At UTB I was responsible for the evaluation and assuring the success of

130 full-time faculty members. In Brownsville, we instituted a faculty-driven, comprehensive

and transparent system of faculty evaluation and feedback in which faculty performance was

measured based upon written personnel action guidelines and criteria that were

departmentally developed. These guidelines articulated fair, reasonable, and transparent

tenure, promotion, and exceptional merit policies and are an integral part of the College of

Liberal Arts Faculty Manual, which was produced during my tenure as dean. To further

support junior faculty, we created a faculty peer mentoring system that paired junior faculty

with more seasoned colleagues. My advocacy of the faculty has been unwavering and

continued at MUW. Apart from supporting pay raises for faculty, I continued my support of

faculty development by instituting a New Faculty Academy, and provided exciting leadership

opportunities for faculty by establishing Provost Fellowships in areas that were crucial to the

university, including Teaching and Learning Innovation, Scholarly and Creative Engagement,

and Global Engagement. Finally, to support the faculty and the teaching mission of the

university we completed a plan for a Center for Teaching and Learning to assist faculty in

infusing best pedagogical practices into teaching and the integration of technology into the

curriculum. At UTPB, under my leadership, we instituted new faculty symposia, department

chairs workshops, have begun discussions on the development of a Center for Teaching and

Learning Innovation. Additionally, I have authored the institution’s first Academic Affairs

Handbook. Furthermore, I have personally supported faculty research by co-authoring and

submitting UTPB’s first and second successfully funded UT System STARs faculty grants

($250,000 each) to recruit world-class faculty to campus. My concern for the development of

Academic Affairs’ employees extends beyond the faculty. At MUW, I instituted “Tech

Tuesdays” to provide academic staff with opportunities to enhance their technical and

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administrative skills which not only assists administrative efficiency but importantly validated

and rewarded their hard work and commitment to the university.

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND SUCCESS

The ultimate success of any institution, including FGCU, is measured by the success of its

students, and my teaching and administrative career have been and are dedicated to assuring

that success. During my tenure at MUW we created the Student Success Office to improve

student retention and graduation rates. At UTPB, under my leadership, we have engaged the

Education Advisory Board’s Student Success Collaborative Platform which has enabled us to

begin using data and predictive analytics to understand student attrition and institute effective

strategies and interventions to promote student success. In addition, we have undertaken a

reevaluation of our scholarship and financial aid awarding system to assure we are not only

effectively using these resources but are providing students with appropriate levels of aid that

can fill financial gaps that prevent some students from persisting. Also, to help make college

more affordable for students, I initiated the S.A.V.E. Textbook Initiative which sponsors the

production of UTPB faculty-authored, online and open source-based text books for students.

In addition, we have encouraged the development of high-impact teaching practices (HIPS)

like service learning (discussed below), undergraduate research, study abroad, and first year

seminars that engage students with the each other and with the wider university community.

Finally, I conceived and designed a student success mobile application (app), Falconnect,

(already licensed and in development) that will connect students (through their smartphones

and other devices) to the campus people and resources they need to by engaged and

successful. These efforts, along with those of our Student Success Office, have resulted in

record-setting retention and four and six-year retention rates. Of course, the ultimate

determinant of student success is whether graduates become employed in rewarding

professions. To promote the professional success of our graduates we are instilling in

students of all programs a sense of entrepreneurism by articulating “marketable skills” in

every program of study. All UTPB students, whether they are majors in Engineering,

Business, Nursing, the Humanities, or Social Sciences, will be able to articulate the

transferrable (employer-desired) skills they acquired in their programs. In this way, our

graduates will become effective marketers of themselves and entrepreneurs of their own

success. Our student success initiatives have worked. Not only are student retention and

graduation rates increasing, but during my tenure as Provost, UTPB ranks first in the UT

System and third among the forty universities and colleges in Texas for graduates who receive

a job (on average higher paying than those of recent graduates from UT Austin) in their field

and/or go on to graduate or professional school within six months after graduation.

STUDENT LIFE ENRICHMENT

Like FGCU, UTPB is a relatively young university that continues to develop its student life

activities to provide students with a holistic and enriching educational experience that

promotes student retention and graduation and overall satisfaction with their

university/college experience. I have taken an enthusiastically active role in this

development. This fall we brought on line our first traditional residence and dining hall

which will further nurture our emerging sense of community. As an avid sports enthusiast, I

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was particularly gratified this fall as we launched the start of Division II football at UTPB.

Along with football, under my leadership, we have developed a wide array of student-

centered activities (including our first fall Homecoming) to promote school spirit and a sense

of unity among campus and community stakeholders.

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION AND IMPACT

I also have a proven record of collaboration with campus and local constituencies which is

essential to building and leading a strong organization and fostering a strong sense of

community. During my tenure as dean at UTB my connection with students was maintained

not only by my continued teaching but through the College of Liberal Arts Student

Leadership Advisory Council that I created and convened. At MUW I encouraged broad

participation and communication on campus through the creation of the Deans’ and Chairs’

Council and by the inception of an Academic Affairs newsletter which I have replicated at

UTPB. Above all, I have worked with and continue to work closely and collaboratively with

the Student Government Association, the Faculty Senate, and the Staff Senate. Just as FGCU

seeks to be a “convener, catalyst, and partner to the region” much of my work has focused on

establishing positive and impactful relationships with the local communities. Along with

being an active Rotarian, I have developed and work(ed) with college advisory boards

composed of local business, civic, educational, and governmental professionals which not

only provide stakeholders with a voice in the future of the college but also assist with

fundraising for scholarships, endowed chairs, and other college needs. Perhaps no

collaborative relationship has been more impactful than encouraging students to engage with

their local community through service-learning. As dean of the UTB College of Liberal Arts

the number of Service Learning courses increased from almost none to 192 sections (Fall

2011) accounting for 71 percent of all such courses offered by the university enabling UTB to

acquire the Carnegie recognition as a community-engaged campus.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

All communities are strengthened by supporting the tenets of diversity and inclusion. As

department chair, dean, and provost I have made it a priority to create and nurture a diverse

and inclusive workplace and community. At MUW, for example, in my role as provost I

served as the institution’s Chief Diversity Officer and completed the MUW Diversity Plan

which included measures to enhance student, faculty, and staff diversity. At UTPB,

meanwhile, apart from conducting a Gender Equity Study which resulted in adjusting the

salaries of women whose salaries were markedly lower those of their male peers, we have

instituted the “Opportunity Rule” which ensures that at least one qualified applicant from an

underrepresented group will come to campus for an interview for an advertised administrative

position. Finally, I created and convene the International Student Task Force which aims to

inform the university community about the special needs and concerns of our growing

international student population. These efforts have enhanced diversity, opportunity, and

inclusion on our campus.

PERSONAL QUALITIES (LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLE)

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Finally, I would bring to your campus community an energetic, collaborative, highly

transparent, efficient, and collegial administration style. I believe that I possess highly

developed communication, interpersonal, managerial, and motivational skills along with a

common-sense, fair-minded, and good-humored approach to work. My personal and

leadership qualities are illustrated formally by a very positive rating that I received from an

evaluation of UTB administrators that was undertaken by the Academic Senate and, above all,

by the words of my former and current colleagues and references.

In summary, I believe that my qualifications, experience, and interests are consistent with the

desired professional characteristics and personal qualities indicated for the Presidency of

Florida Gulf Coast University. I would find the opportunity to further discuss with you my

candidacy for this position most appealing, indeed.

Finally, I wish to thank you for your time in considering my application.

Yours most warmly,

Daniel Heimmermann

Daniel Heimmermann, Ph.D.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

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CURRICULUM VITAE

Daniel Joseph Heimmermann

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

CONTACT INFORMATION CONTACT INFORMATION

2108 Deeanna Lane 4901 E. University Drive

Midland, Texas 79707 Odessa, Texas 79762-0001

(662) 574-4141 MB 4218 F

[email protected] (432) 552-2111

[email protected]

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Ph.D. Marquette University, 1994

Major Field: Early-Modern European History (France)

M.A. Marquette University, 1989

Major Field: Early Modern European History

B.A. University of Wisconsin-

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 1987

Majors: History and Spanish

magna cum laude

Other Training/Proficiencies

French Language Training, Eurocentre Paris, France (Summer 1990)

Academic Leadership Training, University of Texas System Leadership Institute (Fall

2008)

Language Proficiencies: English, Spanish, French

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE

2014-P Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB)

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) is a regional comprehensive master’s

degree-granting and Hispanic serving institution, part of The University of Texas System,

enrolling approximately 7,000 students.

Responsibilities:

Provide leadership, strategic vision, and direction for all academic and student service areas,

including four colleges (Arts and Sciences, Business and Engineering, Education, Nursing), six

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research and public institutes and centers (Center for Early Childhood Studies, John Ben

Sheppard Public Leadership Institute, Ingenuity Century, Center for Energy and Economic

Diversification, Small Business Development Center, Roden Entrepreneurial Development

Center, High Temperature Teaching and Test Reactor Project--HT3R), Graduate Studies,

Dunagan Library, Research and Sponsored Programs, Institutional Effectiveness and Research,

REACH (Online Learning) Office, Student Success Office, Admissions, Registrar, Financial

Aid, Student Affairs, and Student Housing. Provide support for the UTPB STEM Charter

Academy, UPTB Early College High School, and UTPB Dual Credit Academy. Assure the

quality and integrity of the University’s 40 academic majors and concentrations and over one

dozen graduate degree programs. Recruit, support, and evaluate the Vice Presidents, deans, and

directors, along with 350 faculty and staff. Provide leadership on UTPB budgetary matters ($80

million), faculty and staff evaluation and professional development, and in all academic program

accreditation matters. Serve as University’s lead strategic planner and as the liaison to the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Prepare reports for University of Texas

System (UTS), the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and other agencies,

and serve on the Council of Provosts at the University of Texas System. Serve as the chief

administrative officer in the absence of the President.

Major Accomplishments:

Student Engagement and Success:

20 percent increase in enrollment to nearly 7,000 students (highest in history) in past

three years (2014-2016)

20 percent increase in semester credit hours (highest in history) in past three years (2014-

2016)

Student retention and graduate rates highest in history (2016)

Highest percentage of graduate job placement in UT System (3rd

highest in Texas)

Student Success Collaborative Platform Implementation (2016)

Student Success App (Falconnect) Designer (in development)

S.A.V.E. Textbook Initiative (faculty-authored, open source-based textbooks)

Affordable Tuition (lower third in state)

Academic Program Development/Excellence:

College of Nursing (2016) established

Aerospace Engineering Program (2016)

RN to BSN Program (2016)

Fast Track Teacher Certification Program ($1,800 program)

Early Child Education Center (2015)

Ingenuity Center (2015) established

FFLITE Program (Future Falcon Leaders in Teacher Education) to promote education

careers in high school students

West Texas Teacher Residency Program (mentorship program for new teachers)

Dual Credit/Early College High School Handbook

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Revision and Strengthening of Graduate Admission Standards

US News and World Report Top Regional University

US News and World Report Best Online Bachelor’s Programs (2016)

US News and World Report Top Online Programs (Best in Communication)

Accreditation:

SACS Fifth Year Interim Report (2016)

ABET (Petroleum Engineering) Accreditation (2015)

AACSB (Business) Reaccreditation (2016)

CCNE (Nursing) Accreditation (2015)

CAATE (Athletic Training) Accreditation (2015)

Texas Board of Nursing Approval for Nursing Program (2016)

Academic Innovation:

Competency-Based Learning Program Development in Petroleum

Technology/Engineering (ongoing)

MOOC Course Development--Introduction to Sociology (13,000 students) in

collaboration with EdX (Spring and Fall 2016).

Social Media--Conceived Position and Hired University Social Media Coordinator

Student Success App (Falconnect) Designer (in development)

Falcon Faces (High-Impacting Engaged Students Focus)

UTPB Distance Education Policy (author)

Implementation of Canvas Learning Management System (2016)

US News and World Report Best Online Bachelor’s Programs (2016)

External Funding/Fiscal Management:

Funded Research Received (2015-16) of $7 million from agencies such as the U.S.

Department of Education, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, American Council on

Education, National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Texas

Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas Education Association.

THECB Nursing Reduction Grants 2014, 2015, 2016 ($600,000)

Midland Development Corporation ($600,000) for Aerospace Engineering

Academic Endowments (Professorships and Fellowships) from private funders

established in Petroleum Engineering, Neurobiology, and General

State Funding Received for New Engineering Building ($52 million) 2016

State Funding for Kinesiology Building ($13 million) 2016

Cost Containment Savings FY 17 ($911,648)

UT System Rising STARs Grants (2) ($505,000) first ones ever received by UTPB

(2016) to recruit outstanding faculty

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Community Outreach/External Collaboration:

West Texas Community College Articulation Agreements

Articulation Agreements with Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua

Articulation Agreement with JNTUK India

UT Health Science—Houston (Public Health Program)

Diversity and Inclusion/Faculty/Staff Recruitment:

Gender Equity Study and Salary Adjustments (2015-16)

Instituted Opportunity Rule (2016)

International Student Task Force (2016)

Chaired Successful Vice President for Business Affairs Search (2015)

Chaired Successful Chief Information Officer Search (2015)

Hired Dean of Arts and Science (2015)

Other Administrative Accomplishments:

Handbook of Operating Procedures Revision

Revision of Faculty Annual Review, Tenure and Promotion Guidelines

Academic Affairs Handbook

Revised University Mission and Vision Statements

UTPB Academic Affairs Digest Created

2012-2014 Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Mississippi University for Women (MUW)

Mississippi University for Women (MUW) is a co-educational liberal arts doctoral degree

granting university that enrolls approximately 3,000 students.

Responsibilities:

Provided leadership, strategic vision, direction for the offices and programs of five colleges (Arts

and Sciences, Business and Professional Studies, Education and Human Sciences, Nursing and

Speech-Language Pathology, and Honors), the Culinary Institute, the Library, the Center for

Academic Excellence, the Registrar, the Center for Creative Learning, the Center for Outreach

and Innovation (Continuing Education), Study Abroad, Mississippi Governor’s School, and

Graduate Studies, and the Office of Sponsored Programs. Assure the quality and integrity of the

University’s more than forty academic majors and concentrations, nearly one dozen graduate

degrees including its doctorate in Nursing Practice. Recruit, support, supervise, and evaluate the

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, the deans and directors, along with 250 faculty

and staff. Prepare and manage the Academic Affairs budget and prepare reports for the

Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Board of Trustees and other agencies and

serve on the Council of Chief Academic Officers of the IHL Board of Trustees. Assist the Office

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of Student Affairs in recruitment and orientation planning and programs. Serve as the chief

administrative officer in the absence of the President.



Student Success Center (created)

Center for Teaching and Learning Planning Document

Retention Plan Development with Noel Levitz

American Mock Trial Team

Study Abroad Program (Alicante, Spain)


Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) Implementation (2012)

Master of Arts in Women’s Leadership

Implementation of Master of Science in Global Commerce

Women’s Studies Major Implementation

US News and World Report Top Regional Master’s University in the South (2013)

Washington Monthly Best Value in Higher Education (2013)

Accreditation:

SACSCOC 10-Year Reaccreditation (2014)

SACSCOC Quality Enhancement Plan

NCATE Reaffirmation (2013)

NASAD Reaffirmation (2013)


Introduction of Year-Around Academic Calendar including Three Intersessions (August,

January, May)

Distance Education Handbook

Diversity and Inclusion:

MUW Diversity Enhancement Document (authored)

Served as Chief Diversity Officer

External Funding:

From 2012-13 25 grants totaling more than $4,183,481 from agencies such as NIH, U.S.

Department of Education, NASA, State of Mississippi, Blue Cross/Blue Shield

Foundation, Appalachian Regional Commission, Hearin Foundation

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J.C. Fant Memorial Library Renovation

Faculty/Staff Development/Support:

MUW Academic Affairs Newsletter

Academic Affairs Handbook of Operating Procedures

New Faculty Academy (Faculty Development)

Provost Fellowship in Teaching and Learning Innovation

Provost Fellowship in Global Engagement

Provost Fellowship in Scholarly and Creative Engagement

Tech Tuesdays (staff development)

External Partnerships/Community Outreach:

Creation of the Office of Outreach and Innovation

Culinary Partnership (2 plus 2 agreement) with Hinds Community College, East

Mississippi Community College, East Central Community College, Mississippi Gulf

Coast Community College

University Management:

Annual Program Productivity Review

Five Year Program Review Process

AACRAO Evaluation of the Office of the Registrar

Office of Sponsored Programs Handbook

2008-2012 Dean of the College of Liberal Arts

The University of Texas-Brownsville (UTB) presently known as The

University of Texas of the Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)

Part of the University of Texas System, The University of Texas-Brownsville (UTB) was a

baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degree conferring institution that enrolled over 15,000

students and served large numbers of minority and non-traditional learners

Responsibilities:

Provided leadership, strategic vision, direction, and assured quality of all academic programs and

faculty in the College of Liberal Arts -- the largest and most diverse of the six colleges and

schools that comprise the University, generating 44 percent of the University’s semester credit

hours (over 50,000 each semester), accounting for 35 percent of declared majors (3,426

students), and conferring 36 percent the institution’s undergraduate degrees. The disciplines

represented in the College of Liberal Arts included the traditional humanities (English, History,

Modern Languages, Visual Arts, and Music), the social sciences (Anthropology,

Communication, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Criminal Justice, and Government), as

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well as innovative programs in Criminal Forensic Investigation and Architecture. The College

offered more than 25 programs of study and nearly one dozen graduate degrees. Led academic

budget and staffing plans for the college which consists of $10 million annually. Recruited and

evaluated nine department chairs, two assistant deans, 130 full-time tenured and tenure-track

faculty and twenty staff persons.



Developed a University Honors Program

Developed new undergraduate programs in Architecture, Border Studies, Spanish

Translation and Interpreting, and Multidisciplinary Studies

Developed graduate programs Psychology and Spanish Translation and Interpreting

(online)

Senior Capstone/Experience Initiation

Writing Across the Curriculum Program

Created Autonomous Departments of Communication, English, Music, and Visual Arts.

Initiated Center of Excellence -- Texas Center for Border and Transnational Studies

Accreditation:

NASM (Music) reaccreditation

NASAD (Art) reaccreditation


Online Master’s Degree in Psychology

Online Spanish Translation and Interpreting (only one of three program in US)

Redesigned College of Liberal Arts Webpage

Faculty/Staff Development/Support:

Developed College of Liberal Arts Faculty Handbook

Developed Written Guidelines for Tenure, Promotion, and Merit as well as Pathway

Toward Tenure Document

Instituted Faculty Mentorship Program

Strategic Planning:

Developed and implemented College of Liberal Arts Strategic Plan, 2010-2015

External Funding:

Acquired more than $1.5 million in external funding (2008-2011)

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NIH P-20 Center of Excellence for Diabetes in Americans of Mexican Descent (with UT-

HSC) $799,320)

Department of Homeland Security ($250,000)

Department of Education Grant ($300,000) from the fund for the Improvement of -

Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to implement a fully online master’s degree in

Translation and Interpreting

Ford Foundation (Difficult Dialogues) $100,000

Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant-- $100,000 “Planning for the

Development of a Border Studies Resource Center

Humanities Texas Grant Los del Valle (13,896)

Humanities Texas Grant Sabal Palms Writing Project $167,000

Humanities Texas Grant (International Writers Symposium) $1,390 (2010)

Texas Women for the Arts Grant for $45,000 (2011)

National Park Service Grant ($26,000) Landscape Inventory of Fort Brown (2011)

National Endowment for the Arts ($10,000) Challenge America Fast Track Grant (2010)

J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation ($20,000) for Music Outreach Programs (2010)

Public Welfare Foundation ($5,000) for UTB Music Academy (2010)

Spaw Glass Endowment ($25,000) for Architecture (2010)

Private donor ($20,000) for History scholarships (2010)


Service Learning: Service Learning courses increased from almost none to 192

sections (Fall 2011) accounting for 71 percent of all such courses offered by the

University enabling UTB to acquire the Carnegie recognition as a community-engaged

campus.

Created College of Liberal Arts Student Leadership Advisory Council

External Partnerships and Outreach:

Collaborative Partnerships with Herzen State Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg,

Russia.

Collaborative Partnership with The University of Texas Pan American (Joint

undergraduate and graduate degrees in Social Work)

Collaborative Partnership with South Texas College (Articulation Agreements with all

CLA Programs of Studies)

Collaborative Partnership with Texas Forensic Science Academy Consortium -- Texas

Engineering Extension Service

Collaborative Partnership with Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

Collaborative Partnership with Mission (TX) Independent School District Graduate

English Cohort.

Collaborative Partnership with Texas Engineering Extension Services (Forensic

Investigation)

Collaborative Partnership with Gulf Coast –Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

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Collaborative Partnership with the National Park Service

Collaborative Partnership with Off Campus University (Harlingen, TX)

Collaborative Partnerships with Local Cities

2002-2008 Chair of the Department of History and Political Science

The University of North Alabama (UNA)

The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a comprehensive regional master’s degree-granting

institution that enrolls approximately 8,000 students.

Responsibilities:

Led all aspects of administering an academic department that offered undergraduate and graduate

degrees in history, political science, women’s studies, religion and philosophy including the

evaluation of faculty and staff. Provided strategic vision and direction for the department which

during my tenure as chair became renowned for its high-quality teaching and its scholarly

productivity. Directed efforts to infuse technology into the classroom and initiated the

development of online and hybrid teaching within UNA’s History Department.


Developed Masters of Arts in History Degree Program

Developed Multidisciplinary Certification Degrees in History and Social Sciences

Developed and Initiated Peer Teaching Review of Probationary Faculty

Developed and Published The Past Times departmental newsletter

Tennessee Valley High School History Scholarship Competition

ACADEMIC RANK APPOINTMENTS/EXPERIENCE

2014-P Professor of History, Department of History

University of Texas of the Permian Basin

2012-14 Professor of History, Department of History

Mississippi University for Women

2008-2012 Professor of History, Department of History,

University of Texas at Brownsville

2006-2008 Professor of History, Department of History and Political Science,

University of North Alabama

2002-2006 Associate Professor of History, Department of History and Political Science,


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1994-2001 Assistant Professor of History, Department of History and Political Science,


1993-1994 Instructor of History, Department of History, Cardinal Stritch University

1993-1994 Archival Assistant, Marquette University

1992-1993 Teaching Fellow, Department of History, Marquette University

1991-1992 Doctoral Research (Smith Fellowship), Paris and Bordeaux, France

1988-1991 Teaching Assistance, Department of History, Marquette University

1987-1988 Research Assistant, Department of History, Marquette University

ACADEMIC COURSES TAUGHT

Renaissance and Reformation Europe

Early-Modern Europe

Early-Modern European Popular Culture

French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era

Graduate Seminars in European History

Western Civilization to 1648

Western Civilization since 1648

World Civilization to 1500

World Civilization since 1500

Undergraduate Independent Study Courses

Graduate Independent Study Courses

UNA 101 Freshman Seminar

UTPB Freshman Experience Seminar

AWARDS AND HONORS

2010 Teaching Excellence Award, Alpha Lambda Delta (Freshman Honor Society), 2000.

2008 University of Texas System Leadership Institute Completion Certification

2003 College of Arts and Sciences (UNA) Research Grant

2002 Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Member


2000 1999 College of Arts and Sciences (UNA) Research Grant

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1992 Teaching Fellowship (Marquette University)

1991 Smith Family Research Fellowship

1991 Teaching Assistantship (Marquette University)



1988 Research Assistantship, Marquette University, 1987-1988

1987 Phi Alpha Theta (past chapter president and current member)

UNIVERSITY SERVICE (UTPB)

Executive Council

Administrative Council

Academic Council (chair)

Deans’ Council (chair)

SACSCOC Committee (chair)

University Budget and Planning Committee (chair)

Handbook of Operating Procedures Committee (chair)

Enrollment Management Committee

International Student Task Force

Marketing and Communication Committee

Athletics Committee

Compliance Committee

PeopleSoft Implementation Committee

Change in Innovation Lab (American Council of Education), chair

University of Texas System Provost Council

Search Committee Chair, Vice President for Business Affairs

Search Committee Chair, Chief Information Officer

Search Committee, Director of Human Resources

LEAP Texas Member

Higher Education Regional Council (HERC—West Texas)

UNIVERSITY SERVICE (MUW)

President’s Cabinet

Administrative Council

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Academic Council (chair)

SACSCOC Steering Committee

Interim Chief Diversity Officer

Retention Task Force

Enrollment Management Task Force

Emergency Management Team

Graduate Council (ex officio)

Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (ex officio)

General Education Curriculum Committee (ex officio)

Teacher Education Council.(ex officio)

UNIVERSITY SERVICE (UTB)

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Standards Committee (2010-P)

Foundations of Excellence (a comprehensive study of the first year) Steering Committee

Brownsville Early College High School Steering Committee

Graduate Council (Curriculum Committee)

Undergraduate Curriculum Committee

General Education Assessment Committee

Deans’ Council

Dual Enrollment Task Force

University Council

P-16 Council

Academic Senate

Chair, Resource Generation and Cost Containment Task Force: Educational Services

(Spring 2010-Present)

Search Committee Chair, Dean of the University College

Search Committee for the Dean of the School of Business

Search Committee for Dean of the College of Science, Math, Technology and

Engineering

Search Committee for the Associate Vice President of Development

UNIVERSITY SERVICE (UNA)

SACS Reaccreditation Steering Committee (2001-2002)

Presidential Budget Advisory Committee

Teacher’s Education Committee

Academic Affairs Committee

Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship Committee

Distance Learning Advisory Committee

Graduate Faculty Committee

Campus Catholic Student Organization (sponsor)

Academic Resource Center (advisor)

Alpha Tao Omega Fraternity (member and sponsor)

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Tennessee Valley Historical Society High School History Competition (organizer)

SOAR (adviser)

UNA Nights (participant)

History Club Sponsor

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS/HONOR SOCIETIES

American Historical Association

Western Society for French History

Society for French Historical Studies

Consortium on the Revolutionary Era

Phi Alpha Theta (History Honor Society)

Phi Kappa Phi (Academic Honor Society)

Alpha Lambda Delta (Freshman Honor Society)

SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES

Research Areas:

Early-Modern France: Economic, Social, and Cultural History (Preindustrial Labor)

Archival Research:

Archives Nationales (Paris, France)

Biblithèque Nationale (Paris, France)

Archives Départementales de la Gironde (Bordeaux, France)

Archives Municipales de Bordeaux (Bordeaux, France)

Selected Scholarly Publications

Book:

Work, Regulation, and Identity in Provincial France. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Peer-Reviewed Articles and Reviews:

“The Leather Trades in Old and New Regime Bordeaux, 1770-1815,” Selected Paper of the 2006

Consortium on Revolutionary Era, 1750-1850 (2007): 43-54

“The Bordeaux Shoemaker’s Guild at the End of the Old Regime,” Selected Papers of the 2001

Consortium on Revolutionary Europe, 1750-1850 (2003): 211-219.

“The Development of the Manufactures Royales: The Case of the French Leather Industry,”

Selected Papers of the 2000 Consortium on Revolutionary Europe (2000): 1-10.

“The Old Regime Fiscal System and the Decline of the French Tanning Industry, 1759-1791,”

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Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Western Society for French History 26(1999): 173-

183.

“The Guilds of Bordeaux, les métiers libres and the sauvetats of Saint-André and Saint-Seurin,”

Selected Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Western Society for French History 25(1998):

24-35.

“Crisis and Protest in the Guilds of Eighteenth Century France: The Example of the Bordeaux

Leather Trades,” Selected Proceedings of the Western Society for French History, 23(1996):

431-441.

Jacob, Margaret, Strangers Nowhere in the World: The Rise of Cosmopolitanism in Early-

Modern Europe. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. Review in Choice,

2006.

Goldsmith, James Lowith. Lordship in France, 1500-1789. P. Lang, 2005. Review in Choice,

2006.

Choudhury, Mita, Convents and Nuns in Eighteenth-Century French Politics and Culture.

Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2004. Review in Choice, 2004.

Unger, Harlow Giles. Lafayette. Wiley, 2002. Review in Choice, 2003.

Hurt, John, Louis XIV and the Parlements: The Assertion of Royal Authority. Manchester,

2002. Review in Choice, 2002.

Treasure, Geoffrey, Louis XIV. Longman, 2001. Review in Choice, 2002.

Doyle, William, ed., Old Regime France, 1648-1788. Oxford, 2001. Review in Choice, 2002.

Fontaine, Laurence, History of Peddlers in Europe, Duke, 1996 for H-France Book and

Multimedia Reviews, 2001.

Cannistraro, Philip, The Western Perspective: A History of Civilization in the West. Vol. B

1300-1815. Reveiw for Harcourt Brace, 1999.

Whatmore, Republicanism and the French Revolution: an intellectual history of Jean-Baptiste

Say's political economy , Oxford, 2001. Review in Choice, 2001.

David Andress, Massacre at the Champ de Mars: Popular Dissent and Political Culture in the

French Revolution, 2001. Review in Choice, 2001.

Peter McPhee, Revolution and Environment in Southern France: Peasants, Lords and Murder in

the Corbières 1780-1830. 1998. Review in Choice, 1998.

John Markoff, The Abolition of Feudalism, 1997. Review in Choice, 1998.

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Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, The Ancien Regime: A History of France, 1661-1774, 1997. Review

in Choice, 1997.

Geoffrey Treasure, Mazarin: The Crisis of French Absolutism, 1997). Review in Choice, 1997.

Diana Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual, 1997. Review for St. Martin’s Press, 1997.

Philip J. Adler, World Civilizations, 1996 editor for Thomson and Wadsworth Publishers

Yves-Marie Bercé. The Birth of Absolutism: A History of France, 1598-1661, 1996. Review for

Choice, 1996.

Selected Scholarly Presentations

“Skill, Status, and Identity in the Eighteenth-Century French Trades,” Consortium on the

Revolutionary Era, Charleston, South Carolina, February 25-27, 2010.

“The Manufacturing Trades in Old and New Regime Bordeaux,” Consortium on the

Revolutionary Era, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2-4, 2006.

“The Guilds Reconsidered,” Western Society for French History Thirty-Third Annual

Conference, Colorado Springs Colorado, October 27-29, 2005.

"The Bordeaux Shoemaker's Guild and the End of the Old Regime," Consortium on

Revolutionary Europe Annual Conference, Auburn Alabama, February 2001.

"The Development of the manufactures royales: The Example of the French Leather Industry,"

Consortium on Revolutionary Europe Annual Conference, Huntsville, Alabama, March, 2000.

"The Old Regime Fiscal System and the Destruction of the French Tanning Industry, 1759-

1791." Western Society for French History 26th Annual Conference, Boston, Massachusetts,

November 4-7, 1998.

“The Bordeaux Guilds and Their Discontents on the Eve of the French Revolution." Presented

to Graduate Students and Faculty at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, February 13, 1998.

"The Guilds of Bordeaux, les métiers libres, and the sauvetats of Saint-André and Saint-Seurin,"

Western Society for French History 25th Annual Conference, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada,

October 15-18, 1997.

"The 'Blackest of Treasons': Strife Among Masters Inside the Leather Guilds of Eighteenth-

Century Bordeaux," Society for French Historical Studies 43rd Annual Meeting, Lexington, KY,

March 20-22, 1997.

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"Leather, Compagnonnages, and Worker's 'Rights' in the Work Place of Old Regime Bordeaux."

Western Society for French History 24th Annual Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina, October

30--November 2, 1996.

"Crisis and Protest in the Guilds of Eighteenth-Century France: The Example of the Bordeaux

Leather Trades." Western Society for French History 23rd Annual Conference, University of

Nevada-Las Vegas, November 8-11, 1995.

"Independent and Insolent Leather Workers: 'Labor-Management Disputes' in the Leather Trades

of Eighteenth-Century Bordeaux." Conference in History of the Post-Modern Era, University of

Wisconsin-Oshkosh, September 20-22, 1994.

Manuscript Reviewer

French Historical Studies (current)

REFERENCES

Comprehensive list available upon request

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