With the start of the academic year, nine new department heads have now taken their posts.
By college, they are:
College of Arts and Sciences
Susan Kalisz, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—Kalisz came to UT from the University of Pittsburgh, where she was professor of biological sciences for nineteen years and served as director of graduate students and chair of the graduate program oversight committee. Kalisz’s research interests are two-pronged: the mating system and the evolutionary process, and biotic interactions, population fitness, and community invasion.
Allen Dunn, Department of English—Dunn has been at UT since 1985. His research focuses on critical theory, the study of the history of criticism, and the philosophy of criticism. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California at Los Angeles and a doctorate in English from the University of Washington.
Richard Aquila, co-interim director, Department of Philosophy—Aquila, a profesor emeritus, joined UT in 1974. His areas of specialization are Kant’s philosophy of mind and knowledge, Schopenhauer, and Sartre’s theory of consciousness. Previously he has served the department as associate department head and director of graduate studies.
John Nolt, co-interim director, Department of Philosophy—Nolt joined UT in 1978. He earned tenure in 1984 and was promoted to profesor in 2000. His teaching and research focus mainly on environmental ethics and logic. He has held a number of leadership positions, including serving as director of undergraduate studies in the department, president of the Faculty Senate, and president of Tennessee University Faculty Senates. He currently chairs the Committee on the Campus Environment.
Haslam College of Business
Anne Smith, Department of Management—The Flaskerud Professor in Business and Professor of Management, Smith came to UT in 2001. She has a doctorate and MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.
College of Communication and Information
Maureen Taylor, School of Advertising and Public Relations — Taylor comes to UT from the University of Oklahoma, where she served as interim graduate director of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Before that, she taught at Western Michigan University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Rutgers University, and Purdue University. She has a doctorate in public affairs and issues management and a master’s degree in rhetorical studies, both from Purdue University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Westfield State College.
Dania Bilal, School of Information Sciences — Bilal, who came to UT in 1997, is a highly-cited researcher who focuses on children’s information-seeking behavior in web search engines and digital libraries. Originally from Lebanon, Bilal received her bachelor’s degree at Lebanese University and came to the United States on an educational visa to complete her master’s degree and doctorate at Florida State University.
College of Engineering
Chris Cox, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering — Cox became department head May 1, having previously served as director of UT’s Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment and as a member of both the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering. As part of the selection, Cox will also hold the Robert M. Condra Professorship for a five-year period beginning August 1.
Veerle Keppens, Department of Material Science and Engineering — Keppens became department head June 1, having previously served as a faculty member within the department as well as associate dean for faculty affairs in the College of Engineering, a role she will continue to fill. She came to UT in 2003.
—
CONTACT:
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)