Clark Hall Divisions and Functions

Academic Divisions

The College of Arts and Science’s academic programs are divided into three divisions, each represented in Clark Hall by an associate dean:

• Humanities and Fine Arts
• Social Sciences
• Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Chairs are advised to work closely with their divisional associate dean to ensure that he or she is aware of the unit’s needs, successes, and issues. A contact list for Clark Hall, organized by topic, can be found on the College of Arts and Sciences website.

View the College’s Organizational Chart.

Associate Deans

While an associate dean may have duties specific to the academic division for which they are responsible, they also are responsible for duties that cut across all divisions, and in this role they may work directly with all chairs and all units. Regardless of which dean a particular issue falls under, always keep your divisional associate dean in the loop as he or she is your primary advocate within the College.

Clark Hall Associate Deans and Support Staff Responsibilities

Senior Associate Dean, Natural Sciences and Mathematics: Raymond White (rwhite@ua.edu)

• Divisional academic misconduct cases
• Divisional faculty and staff hiring
• Dean’s Merit and Diversity Awards
• Graduate program, awards, and courses approval
• A&S Graduate Committee and UA Graduate Council elections
• Student travel and research funds
• Buildings and facilities: emergency, renovation, and construction
• Contracts and grants
• Start-up fund use
• Academic Analytics and PIVOT
• A&S International programs and initiatives (except Cuba)
• Science Olympiad
• RGC cost-shares
• Collaboration with NOAA National Water Center
• Building issues and questions of Shelby, Lloyd, and SEC
• Institutional animal care and use
• Dave Bauer grant writing workshop

Associate Dean, Social Sciences: Lisa Dorr (lisa.dorr@ua.edu)

• Divisional academic misconduct cases
• Divisional faculty and staff hiring
• Student behavioral issues
• Legal and compliance issues, including harassment, discrimination, and disability
• Training for legal and compliance matters
• Academic advocacy, working with the Dean of Students, Office of Student Conduct, Title IX coordinator, Office of Student Care and Well-Being, and Women and Gender Resource Center
• Active Learning Initiative Workshops
• Teaching Hub website
• George Thompson Publisher-in-Residence Program

Associate Dean, Humanities and Fine Arts: Tricia A. McElroy (tmcelroy@ua.edu)

• Divisional academic misconduct cases
• Divisional faculty and staff hiring
• Tenure and promotion process, including chairing the College committee
• Sabbatical applications and reports
• ASPIRE applications and reports
• Faculty Senate elections
• Winter and Summer Interim course submissions and approvals
• Summer budget
• NEH Summer Stipend program
• A&S Distinguished Teaching Fellows competition
• A&S Teaching Grants competition
• Academic integrity point person

Associate Dean, Graduate Studies: Roger Sidje (roger.b.sidje@ua.edu)

• Faculty searches and ads
• Hiring and retention of minority and underrepresented faculty
• A&S Diversity Committee liaison
• Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference
• Department brochures for recruiting
• Outreach and diversity events
• United Way Level One Coordinator for A&S
• University Annual Strategy Diversity Report

Associate Dean, International Programs: Lisa Pawloski (lpawloski@ua.edu)

• Starting point for A&S faculty interested in any international activity
• Assistance to faculty with international research and education abroad programs
• A&S international initiatives
  • Cuba Center for Collaboration and Scholarship
  • Alabama/Greece Initiative
  • Ghana Initiative
  • Southeast Asia Initiative
• Donor learning/tour program in Oxford to raise scholarships for study abroad
• Oversight of grants for exchanges in South Africa and Mexico
• Faculty-led study abroad proposals and renewal forms
• International travel authorizations for A&S faculty and staff
• A&S Liaison with UA Risk Management for International Travel
• A&S Liaison with UA Capstone International Center
  • Education Abroad
  • International Scholar and Student Services
    • H1B and green card application process and fee paying
  • International MOUs
  • Fulbright Program
• Advisor for Global Health Case Competition
• Advisor for Global Health minor (housed in Anthropology)
• Co-chair, Experiential Learning Steering Committee

Associate Dean, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Utz McKnight (utz.mcknight@ua.edu)

Executive Secretary: Leslie Wiggins (ljwiggins@ua.edu)

• Manage Dean Messina’s calendar
• Process reimbursements for Dean Messina
• Manage student workers
• Manage department chairs’ meeting agendas, and take minutes during meetings
• Enter facilities work orders for Clark Hall
• Plan annual deans’ and chairs’ retreats
• Retirement and resignation letters
• Staff onboarding and out-processing for Clark Hall staff
• Annual performance evaluations for staff
• Manage listservs
• Compile College’s annual report from departmental and center reports
• Oversee faculty book cover framing project
• Faculty book cover exhibition, bi-annually
• Assist with travel arrangements for the Cuba Initiative
• Serve as liaison to Office of Academic Affairs
• Faculty hiring — working with Jimmy Vail (scheduling search committee trainings, tracking diversity plans/reports, job postings, scheduling interviews, computer equipment requests)
• New faculty hiring documents (offer letters, acceptance letters, acknowledgment letters, transcripts)
• Adjunct faculty appointment letters
• Assist Dean McElroy with retention, tenure, and promotion

Administrative Secretary — Front Office

• Manage the front office and student workers
• Assist Associate Dean for Multi-Cultural Affairs (reimbursements, travel arrangements, etc.)
• Place Staples orders
• Manage listservs for Clark Hall and A&S staff
• Assist with Dave Bauer grant writing workshop
• United Way Campaign
• Manage supplemental pay database
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Career Expo
• Building rep Luncheon
• Clark Hall Holiday Lunch
• Manage spreadsheet for part-time instructors
• URSCA
• GREX
• Manage UPS Spreadsheet for Clark Hall
• OnBase scanning for supplemental pay, gift transmittal forms, personnel documents
• Manage conference room calendars for Clark Hall 102 and Woods Hall 115

Administrative Secretary — Faculty Relations

• Advance spending authorization form, RGC awards form, international travel request form
• First-year faculty seminars
• New faculty reception and tenure and promotion reception
• First-year faculty business cards
• Café @UA breakfast program
• Assist Associate Dean for International Programs

Administrative Secretary — Student Relations

• Process:
  • Academic misconducts (send packets to her attention)
  • Student grievances
  • Student holds
  • Change of grades
  • FERPA agreements
  • Applications for admission to candidacy for doctoral degree
  • Graduate faculty status
  • Student travel funding
• Organizing CASSA luncheons, chair CASSA steering committee
• Publisher-in-residence (George Thompson)
• Teaching grants
• Draft sabbatical request letters
• ASPIRE letters
• Legal training workshops
• Faculty/student awards (Teaching Faculty Fellows, Dean’s Merit and Diversity, Outstanding Teaching, Service, and Research)
• Science Olympiad
• Assist Associate Dean with building and space management
• Serve as TEC for Dean’s Office
• MVR forms for Clark Hall staff

Administrative Secretary — Development/Public Relations: Pamela Harrell (paharrell@ua.edu)

• Process and recordkeeping of monetary donations
  • Gift transmittal forms
  • Tracking donors, amounts, frequency of contributions
• Assist Director of College Relations, Stephanie Kirkland
• Assist Dr. Pawloski with International Travel
  • Scheduling meetings with faculty
  • Cash advance paperwork
  • Travel accommodations for groups
  • Arranging itineraries
• Process reimbursements for Dr. Pawloski
• Assist the Director of College Support Boards
  • Arty Party logistics, payment processing
  • GSAB Meetings
  • Friends of the Million Dollar Band
  • Blount Scholars Program
  • Leadership Board
• Liaison to Capstone International and Advancement Services

*All secretaries have access to the Associate Deans’ calendars as well as Dean’s Office conference room calendars (102 Clark and 115 Woods).

Administrative & Budget Office

Director of Financial Affairs: Jimmy Vail (jlvail@ua.edu)

• Hiring information
• Requisition assistance
• Dean’s approval

Accountant: Lorraine (Lori) Burroughs (lpburroughs@ua.edu)

• Faculty ePA’s
• Summer research
• CCS forms
• I-9 completion

Accounting Specialist: Olivia Montgomery (ormontgomery@ua.edu)

• Concur approvals
• Job advertisement placement
• Memberships, sponsorships, and subscriptions for A&S
• BuyBama —purchase orders funded by the Dean’s Office
• Research and travel funded by the Dean’s Office
• DTA approval — contact for the departments
• Dean’s office FOAP-related questions

Accounting Specialist: Lesley Williams (lawilliams21@ua.edu)

• BAS related questions
• All commitment-related questions/balance inquiries
• Establish new commitments funded by the Dean’s Office

Accounting Specialist

• ePA questions
• Research overhead
• Moving allowances
• I-9 completion

Communications & College Relations

Director of Communications/College Relations: Kellie Hensley (kellie.hensley@ua.edu)

Development Office

The Arts and Sciences Development Office initiates and implements fundraising endeavors as directed by the Dean. Department chairs are encouraged to consult with the appropriate divisional associate dean to assess the fundraising priorities of each department. Prior to considering any fundraising efforts, chairs must contact the College’s Development Office to learn about campus policies on fundraising

Senior Director of Development: Brandi Lamon-Pinkerton (blpinkerton@ua.edu)

Director of Development: Kelli Harris (kharris@ua.edu)

Director of Development: Jacob Paul (jdpaul@ua.edu)

Associate Director of Development:

Administrative Secretary: Tracy Miles (tdmiles2@ua.edu)

eTech (Office of Educational Technology)

Our eTech staff provides services for the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office, faculty, and staff. This includes educational technology, College-wide technology initiatives, computer lab maintenance and expansion, departmental and College-wide web development and communication, online course development, academic continuity, and faculty-centric implementation of innovative classroom technologies. The eTech website provides more complete information about eTech services.

Director of Information Technology: Andrew Richardson (andrew.richardson@ua.edu)

College of Arts and Sciences Student Services Center

The College of Arts and Sciences Student Services Center (located on the second floor of Clark Hall), overseen by the Assistant Dean and Director of Student Affairs, has a staff of full-time academic advisors available to all Arts and Sciences students. The Student Services Center also houses the College Registrar.

Student Services works closely with departments to ensure that students have met the necessary degree requirements to graduate (carrying out degree audits with students nearing the completion of their studies) and that each semester’s enrollment process takes place smoothly.

All undergraduate students in Arts and Sciences have two advisors: a professor who acts as the department advisor (advising students concerning the major degree requirements) and a Student Services staff member who is the student’s College advisor (advising students on their progress through the core curriculum and carrying out degree audits in preparation for the student’s graduation). Although department advisors do not have to know the details of the core curriculum’s requirements (knowing that the student’s College advisor can assist with that), they will benefit the students whom they advise if they are familiar with it.

Assistant Dean and Director of Student Affairs: Rebekah Welch (rebekah.welch@ua.edu)

The Assistant Dean and Director of Student Affairs is a position within the College that oversees the operations of Clark Hall’s second floor, where the Office of Student Services is located. The College Registrar and the College’s advisors are located here. The College’s various learning communities are also directed by this office and enrollment management takes place through it as well.

The assistant dean also oversees the undergraduate curriculum for the College, chairing the Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, and directing all new editions of the undergraduate catalog. The assistant dean will contact you to discuss enrollment needs, such as the number of seats in certain core curriculum courses that the College anticipates needing from the unit for the upcoming semester, or to discuss how advising takes place in the unit. Chairs seeking advice on how to proceed with students who are having trouble registering for courses or students who have had difficult times in their courses (and thus might need to request academic bankruptcy) should contact the assistant dean. The assistant dean is also involved in many campus-wide initiatives and is therefore a key conversation partner for chairs who are considering new undergraduate initiatives (e.g., proposing writing (W) courses, learning communities, new courses for core credit, etc.).

Leadership Board

The College instituted a Leadership Board to assist in planning for the future, which often takes the form of fund-raising initiatives and networking. For more information about the faculty awards funded by the Leadership Board, see the link to the Awards for Faculty page on the Arts and Sciences website.