The administration and staff of the UCF College of Arts and Humanities keep the college running smoothly and efficiently. This fall, we welcome several familiar faces to new roles.
Dr. Peter Larson has been selected as an Associate Dean for the college and will be responsible for the college’s research, program assessment, faculty qualifications management and certification (FQMS), faculty evaluations (SPOIs) and SACS-COC accreditation activities. He has served as the chair of the UCF Department of History for the past seven years. Dr. John Sacher will be the interim chair of the Department of History while a search for a permanent chair is conducted over the next year.
Dr. Delia Garcia, ’00, ’01MS, ’19Ph.D., who has served as interim Assistant Dean for the past year, has been selected to continue on in the role on a permanent basis. She will continue with her current areas of responsibility: curriculum, scheduling and student success.
Dr. Nancy Stanlick, former Associate Dean of the college, will step into the role of chair of the Department of Philosophy. Dr. Michael Strawser, who served as chair of the department for the last ten years, will remain on the Philosophy faculty. Stanlick brings many years of administrative experience to the position and plans on a student- and faculty-centric approach to her leadership. Her goals include assisting faculty in teaching and research enhancement and development, developing and increasing majors and department programs, and working with administrative offices to manage the department processes efficiently and responsibly.
Jeff Moore, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, sees potential in the personnel changes. “While administrative transitions can seem daunting, I see them as opportunities,” says Moore. “What we are seeing this year is a lot of familiar faces in the college taking on new roles. They are bringing institutional knowledge and experience with them to their new positions; it is a recipe for success. I’m looking forward to new perspectives, a fresh look at our processes and the continued commitment to excellence from our team.”
There have also been recent changes to staff in the Dean’s Office:
Dr. Kendra Gilbertson ’09MA, ’23PhD who has been serving in the role of Interim Director of CAHSA (College of Arts and Humanities Student Advising) since August 2022, has been selected to fill the role on a permanent basis. Gilbertson, who has worked in the college’s advising office since 2012, has a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration and a PhD in Texts and Technology from UCF. In 2021, Gilbertson was recognized as an advisor who champions student success with UCF’s Pegasus Advisor Award.
“Kendra has expertise in all facets of student success activities in the College of Arts and Humanities and extensive knowledge of university requirements and processes,” say Garcia. “In addition to providing leadership for our college advising team, Kendra also supports our departments and schools, and most importantly, she is an enthusiastic supporter of arts and humanities students. Kendra has spearheaded efforts to expand use of existing technology tools to facilitate more frequent and impactful advising communications and improve data insights. Kendra’s and CAHSA’s efforts are an essential part of our college’s student success efforts and we’ll look to Kendra’s leadership to expand the good work that is already underway.”
Neida Mora-Maus ’95 ’16 ’21MA, who has been working with the College of Arts and Humanities’ regarding space-related issues since 2013, has been hired as UCF’s first director of public art. Her background in art history and engineering, combined with her experience in project management, makes her an ideal person to create and oversee the strategic development and day-to-day operations of UCF’s extensive public art collection. She will manage the university’s outdoor works, site integrated art and Art in State Buildings collection, including the commissioning of new art works. She will also continue to fulfill her previous duties, including assisting in new construction, renovations and minor project requests.
Sabrina Alvarez has been hired as a post-award specialist I. Lee Ann Gemeinhart joined the Finance Business Center as a Travel/Procurement Coordinator II from her previous role as Travel/Procurement Coordinator I position, and Daveda Hill is a new Finance/Budget Analyst II. Pedro Palomino will be joining the team as a Travel/Procurement Coordinator II later this month. Lisa Clendenning moved to a Travel/Procurement Coordinator II position in July from a Travel/Procurement Coordinator I position.
Two long-term employees have retired from the Dean’s Office. We thank Pat Coderre and Edna Rolle for their many years of service to the university.