The Office of Undergraduate Studies is pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Paisley, PhD as the assistant vice president for academic affairs and senior associate dean for Undergraduate Studies (US). In this crucial leadership role, Dr. Paisley will be assisting US with navigating through an exciting period of transition, in which exceptional education, proactive academic advising, and One U strategic success initiatives will be at the core of our mission.

The Office of Undergraduate Studies welcomes Erin L. Castro, PhD as the associate dean for student access and communities engagement. Dr. Castro is an associate professor of Higher Education at the University of Utah and Co-Founder/Director of the University of Utah Prison Education Project, an on-site initiative providing college coursework and programming to adults at the Utah State Prison in Draper. She directs the Research Collaborative on Higher Education in Prison where she is involved a number of projects, including: federal Pell grant restoration for incarcerated people, criminal and disciplinary history questions in college admissions, the national directory of higher education in prison programs, and myriad issues related to data collection and equity in prison higher education.

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has announced that the University of Utah will be a participant in its national research entitled “Advancing Evidence on Civic and Community-Based Engagement in Higher Education.” AAC&U designed this project to develop national baselines for student performance on civic and community-based learning outcomes. Project participants include two- and four-year institutions, both public and private. The project is supported by a grant from Lumina Foundation. Read More: https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/advancing-community-engaged-learning/

Dr. Fukushima is an Associate Professor in the Ethnic Studies (ES) Division of the School for Cultural & Social Transformation. She also holds affiliate faculty status in three additional University of Utah units: Center for Research on Migration and Refugee Integration, Asian Studies, and Latin American Studies. Fukushima is a distinguished researcher on domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, labor, and migration. Her Migrant Crossings: Witnessing Human Trafficking in the US (2019)–published by Stanford University Press–was the winner of the 2020 Asia and Asian America Section Book Award sponsored by the American Sociological Association. Her research has been supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, among others. Read More: https://our.utah.edu/2021/09/

12/17/2021: Martha Macomber, the Native American Communities Outreach Director in the Office of Engagement is being recognized by Student Affairs as a Campus Partner of the Year. Her passion for student well-being, collaboration, and partnership is invaluable to the university. Her work supporting the relationship between the university and the Ute Indian Tribe is impactful and significant. She collaborates actively with the tribe to enhance educational opportunities and create productive "pathways" that connect the university and tribal youth.