JULY 24, 2023 — Incoming Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Shipley today announced the appointment of Professor Jianwei Niu as interim dean of University College, effective August 1. Niu has served as associate dean of the college since 2019.
“Dr. Niu is an experienced and collaborative administrator who is passionate about University College’s role in advancing student-centered learning at UTSA and incubating new, interdisciplinary degree programs to prepare Roadrunners for high-demand careers,” said Shipley. “As we prepare for the new academic year, we are grateful for her stepping up to join the leadership of Academic Affairs to build upon our work to advance a high-quality experience for all UTSA students in and out of the classroom.”
A professor of computer science, Niu joined UTSA in 2005. She served as interim academic director of the School of Data Science from 2019 to 2021 and interim chair of the Department of Computer Science from 2018 to 2019.
Niu earned her Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Waterloo. Her research focuses on software engineering, privacy and security, and has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and Microsoft, among others.
Her teaching has been recognized with the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award and the President’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence. Niu has supervised 12 Ph.D. students, nine of whom successfully completed their doctoral degrees. Seven have secured academic positions at Stony Brook University, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. Mary's University, Air Force Institute of Technology, and UTSA.
The University College promotes student-centered learning through academic excellence and dynamic, engaged curriculum, offering students lifelong tools for academic inquiry, advancement and leadership. Its programs include the Multidisciplinary Studies program, Academic Inquiry and Scholarship program, Writing Program, Air Force and Army ROTC, and Dual Credit program.
In addition to offering undergraduate degrees in multidisciplinary studies, the University College offers an M.S. in artificial intelligence, a Ph.D. in translational science, a graduate certificate in data science and undergraduate and graduate certificate programs in community-engaged leadership, data science and legal studies.
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