University program trains next generation of faculty leaders

NOVEMBER 15, 2021 — UTSA Academic Affairs is pleased to announce its 2021-2022 Advancing Next-Gen Faculty Leadership Fellows. In its third year, the program is designed to provide intensive one-on-one training and development experience to promote diverse academic leadership at UTSA.

“In a short time, this program has become an important opportunity for faculty who are eager to advance in their careers and contribute in different ways to help UTSA advance in its mission to become a model for student success and a great public research institution,” said Heather Shipley, senior vice provost for academic affairs and dean of University College. “Each year we have been able to increase the number of fellowship opportunities across the university—starting with two placements, then three, and now five.”

Sidury Christiansen is an associate professor of bicultural-bilingual studies in the College of Education and Human Development. Passionate about digital literacy, Christiansen is fulfilling her fellowship within Academic Innovation, where she is developing and championing innovative teaching, technology and virtual learning practices that will help further strengthen UTSA’s nationally-recognized teacher training programs. Her goal is to help the College of Education and Human Development become a model in integrating technology in innovative ways so that graduates of its professional preparation programs are technologically proficient and prepared to succeed in today’s classrooms.

Teja Guda is an associate professor of biomedical engineering and chemical engineering and the Jacobson Distinguished Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship within the College of Engineering and Integrated Design. With the goal of strengthening his research leadership capabilities and developing strategies to improve UTSA’s research reputation and visibility on a global level, Guda is completing his fellowship in the Knowledge Enterprise.

Antonio Petrov is an associate professor of architecture in the College of Engineering and Integrated Design and founder the Urban Future Lab, an award-winning interdisciplinary urban planning think/do-tank. As a fellow within UTSA’s Westside Community Partnerships initiative, Petrov hopes to take strategies employed by the lab to further strengthen the university’s cultural empathy and connection with the people living in some of San Antonio’s most economically underserved neighborhoods in and around the downtown area where the university is expanding its footprint. He intends to not only explore how place can be used as a restorative measure to manage growth and change while preserving local identity, but also give agency to the community to take an active role in managing growth while increasing density and preserving cultural integrity.

Rebecca Schroeder is an associate professor of instruction in the University College’s Academic Inquiry and Scholarship program. With a specialty in curriculum development that emphasizes experiential learning, Schroeder’s fellowship is in the Multidisciplinary Studies program, where she is supporting the development of new transdisciplinary degree programs that are responsive to the marketplace. In addition, she is working to increase diversity and promote inclusiveness within the existing Multidisciplinary Studies niche pathways of cyber security.

Heather Trepal is a professor of counseling in the College of Education and Human Development. Through her professional experience, she has become increasingly aware of the challenges graduate students face in their school-to-work transition. In her fellowship within Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Trepal is identifying and developing opportunities to enhance the teaching experience and preparation of UTSA’s graduate students so they are better prepared for a broader range of careers.

Launched in 2019, the objectives of the Advancing Next-Gen Faculty Leadership Fellow Program are to help up-and-coming faculty leaders learn about the academic organization and operations; develop skills and attributes of effective academic leaders; consider current and future challenges and opportunities in higher education; recognize and implement the values of diversity, inclusion, self-awareness and ethical leadership; and develop professional relationships. Fellows spend approximately 10 hours per week in residence in their assigned unit, attend regular meetings, and work with their mentor to complete a special project.

The program is open to all tenured associate or full professors and full-time fixed-term-track faculty who have been employed as faculty at UTSA for at least three years.

— KC Gonzalez