PDF Chronicle of Higher Education - University of Northern Iowa

September 8, 2017

Associate Provost Search University of Northern Iowa 1227 West 27th St. Cedar Falls, IA 50614

To the University of Northern Iowa Associate Provost Search Committee:

Please accept this letter as application for the position of Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Northern Iowa, as advertised on the Chronicle of Higher Education web site. I currently serve as Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UNT Dallas, a position I've held since July of 2013. At the request of our University President, I also served as UNT Dallas Interim Provost from July 1, 2016 through the end of February 2017. I am enclosing my CV and a list of references for your review.

Your job announcement reports you are seeking an experienced academic leader who is committed to high-quality teaching, student success, diversity and inclusion, and engagement throughout the larger community. As a graduate of the University of Iowa with extensive and diverse teaching and administrative experience at four different universities, I believe I am a good fit for this position. I have taken leadership roles in three different accreditation efforts and directed the campus-wide deliberation and selection of the QEP topic for UNTD's upcoming SACS reaffirmation review. I have served on a range of school and university committees that advance curriculum development and review, built and maintained course schedules, and worked with school districts and community colleges to develop 2+2+2 programs and early college high schools. Finally, I have worked closely with faculty at Sam Houston State, UNM, and UNT Dallas to develop workload guidelines and clearly delineated goals, standards, and processes for achieving tenure and promotion. I would welcome the opportunity to return to Iowa to advance the goals of student-centered education, faculty development, and community engagement at UNI.

As described below, I've served across the university community, with appointments at the department, college, and university levels. I was a Fulbright Scholar in 2009, have served as Principal Investigator of several large research projects, and am currently PI of two grants--a $1.3 million Department of Education grant to develop applied STEM initiatives through Urban Agriculture at UNT Dallas and a $205,000 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board award to improve student performance in our core courses. I currently direct the First-Year College Success course (15-instructor team) and am Team Leader for the university's "Re-Imagining the First Year Experience." My record shows that I am a dedicated teacher-administrator with commitments to experiential and service learning, student-faculty engagement, high impact teaching practices, distance education, dual credit opportunities, and the First-Year Experience.

My teaching and administrative experiences have allowed me to work with a range of

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students--from undergraduates at a selective private liberal arts university (DePauw University) and strong state-supported university (Sam Houston State University) to doctoral students at a Tier 1 research institution (University of New Mexico). My current institution (UNT Dallas) serves southern Dallas, a region marked by high levels of school drop-out, unemployment, and poverty. We seek to be a beacon of hope for the students of this region--most of them Hispanic or African American--opening up high quality, accessible education and career opportunities. In light of these interests and concerns, I have led the university in building successful developmental courses, internships, collegiate academies, and a new First-Year Experience marked by service, experiential learning, and personalized instruction. In all cases, I have sought to create programs that build pathways to student success in college and career, and that hopefully change the lives of these largely first-generation college and underserved students.

I remain convinced that education is the gateway for all students (despite background or socio-economic status) to financial security, civic involvement, life-long learning, and increased social mobility. Your descriptive profile suggests UNI values similar goals for the university and its students. It is my hope that this brief introduction provides an overview of my experiences and interests as an academic leader. I include more information below about my academic background and educational leadership.

Academic Background As mentioned above, I currently serve as Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UNTD (2013-present). I formerly held the positions of Interim Provost at UNT Dallas (July 2016-February 2017), Chair of the Communication and Journalism Department at the University of New Mexico (2010-2013), Chair of the Mass Communication Department at Sam Houston State University (2008-2010), and Associate Chair (20072008) and Doctoral Director (2005-2007) of the Communication and Journalism Department at the University of New Mexico. In addition to these twelve years of academic administration, I bring additional experience in fulltime college teaching, as well as fund development and nonprofit and media management. I hold a B.S. in Mass Communication and an M.B.A. from Eastern New Mexico University and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. I was named Full Professor at the University of New Mexico in 2013; and I brought that rank with me to the University of North Texas at Dallas, where I am a tenured Full Professor in Communication.

Academic Administration and Leadership I came to UNT Dallas in July 2013 as Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Under my leadership, LAS has become the largest School at the university and is now an active and prominent part of the university's academic life. LAS currently offers bachelor's degrees in 13 fields, including Public Health, Math, IT, Biology, Psychology, and Communication and Technology, among others. The School also offers master's degrees in Public Leadership and Criminal Justice and provides math and science content courses for the M.Ed. in STEM. I have been instrumental in the development of all master's degrees in LAS, as well as the B.A. and B.S. degrees in Psychology, Communication and Technology, Political Science, Biology, and Public Health.

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I also brought new usefulness and flexibility to the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences Degree by developing more options for degree concentrations; by building new BAAS areas in Creative Writing and Dallas Studies; and by creating a BAAS Prior Learning Assessment plan for veterans. I was instrumental in establishing the online instruction program at UNT Dallas in 2013 (which now produces 60 percent of tuition income), and I continue to develop new academic opportunities through my leadership in new programs in Urban Agriculture, GIS, and Spanish. Of special interest is reengineering and growing the Information Technology program at UNTD. Workforce data have suggested that many high-paying jobs exist for students holding associate or bachelor's degrees in IT. Working with faculty and community partners, we have redesigned the curriculum for this program, with direct and immediate growth (41%) in enrollment this term. This degree--featuring community college pathways--has great promise to serve students and the workplace. Through development of innovative curriculum, quality teaching, and strong community partners, we are increasing enrollment, student credit hours, and an income stream through the IT program.

A growing number of students admitted to UNT Dallas are not prepared for college work. I have worked closely with the LAS program coordinators for Math and English to create more successful outcomes in developmental education at UNTD, crafting academic options specifically for students who have not met state performance requirements. This has involved careful hiring, creative course design, and supplemental instruction. I have now extended my commitment and leadership in first-year and developmental education to the "Re-Imagining the First-Year Experience" program, a competitively-selected project to increase success and retention for all first-year students. A 13-year veteran of first-year instruction and program design, I was a founding member of the executive team for this UNT Dallas project and currently provide direct oversight of the program.

As Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, I not only actively promote the School's academic programs, but also supervise the activities of 45 full-time faculty, 60 adjunct instructors, an associate dean, ten program chairs, and one full-time staff member. I am directly involved with all budgeting, strategic planning, course scheduling, assessment, staff and faculty hiring, campus and external relations, student recruitment, and day-to-day operations of the School. My efforts to create shared governance in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences have produced a broad-based system of leadership among the faculty. I have also been active in the hiring process for the School, resulting in high quality hires in 2014 (seven), 2015 (five), 2016 (fourteen), and 2017 (nine).

I am extremely proud of the work I've completed as Interim Provost and Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences. On my arrival at UNT Dallas, the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences (now a School) had just a handful of programs (five) and only 19 full time faculty. Over the last four years, I have added eight new majors and eight new minors, and have increased fulltime faculty by 58 percent. I have secured space for three new Communication and Technology labs (computer, radio, and public speaking) and am working with university architects to design approximately 6,000 square feet of media production space for the new 2019 academic building.

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Under my leadership, LAS has led the university in enrollment growth, with annual 30 percent increases in both student head count and student credit hours. I brought these high levels of energy, commitment, and innovation to my work as Interim Provost, seeking ways to further faculty governance and involvement, improve student services, and create new and improved programs that directly impact our students. Importantly, I have worked tirelessly to build trust and consensus among faculty, staff, and administrators, and I continue to look for ways that UNTD employees can build capacity as better teachers, community partners, and university leaders. I am committed to goals of student success and engaged communities; and I embrace the broad diversity encountered throughout the university among students, staff, administrators, faculty, and communities.

In conclusion, I am an innovative and experienced academic professional who has demonstrated commitments to students and their communities throughout my career. Over the years, I've enjoyed success not only in research and writing, but also in curriculum design, project development, strategic planning, student recruitment, and fundraising. I have planned and executed a number of international experiences for students; actively promoted diversity in higher education; and developed many multidisciplinary collaborations with faculty and students. I continue to collaborate with community college leaders and faculty, building useful pathways for student success. I am interested in further expanding these leadership experiences at the Associate Provost level, creating and implementing programs and policies that stabilize and advance opportunities for students, faculty, and members of all community constituencies. I believe the experiences and credentials discussed in this letter all point toward my ability to lead as a successful, innovative, and student-centered Associate Provost at the University of Northern Iowa.

I am enclosing my vitae for your review. I thank you for your consideration of these materials and ask that you contact me if you've any questions regarding my application. I also hope you'll contact the following individuals, who have agreed to serve as professional references for this application.

Professional References: Dr. Thad Anglin President, Cisco College Cisco, TX 76437; 254-592-7264; thad.anglin@cisco.edu

Dr. Lois Becker Provost and Executive Vice President Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL 60605 904-304-6666; lbecker05@roosevelt.edu

Dr. Ronald Brown Professor and Dean, School of Allied Health Sciences University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154 Former President, University of North Texas at Dallas 702-895-3693; rtbrown@unlv.edu

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Dr. Janet Cramer Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Naropa University, Boulder, CO 80302 Former professor and Associate Dean, University of New Mexico 303-546-3588; jcramer@naropa.edu

Dr. Brad Hall Department Head, Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Speech Communication Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-4800 Former professor and CJ Department Chair, University of New Mexico 453-797-8757; brad.hall@usu.edu

Dr. John de Castro Professor and Director, Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies Former Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77340 936-232-4667; JMD018@shsu.edu

Dr. Jeff McCall Professor, Former Chair, Department of Communication and Theatre DePauw University, Greencastle, IN 46135-0037 765-658-4495; jeffmccall@depauw.edu

Dr. Robert K. Avery Professor Emeritus, Department of Communication University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 801-414-1995; ROBERT.AVERY@.utah.edu

Again, please don't hesitate to contact me if I can provide further information about my academic background, scholarly interests, teaching, and educational leadership experiences.

Sincerely,

Glenda R. Balas, Ph.D. 127 Claremont Drive Ovilla, TX 75154 5fg0f5g-d3fg50-9040 Glenda.balas@untdallas.edu

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