Academic program strategy
Curriculum is one of the most powerful ways a university turns its priorities into action. I work with faculty to identify opportunities, build support for change, and create programs that can succeed within the realities of an institution.
Curriculum as strategy
I look at curriculum as a connected system. A new program can affect faculty workload, advising, course capacity, facilities, and research opportunities. Good curriculum leadership means understanding those connections before implementation, not after problems appear. It also means keeping the purpose clear: creating opportunities that are academically strong and workable for the people responsible for delivering them.
Leadership in practice
The initiatives differ in scale and audience. Each began with a need that curriculum could help address, whether the goal was greater access, clearer pathways, earlier research experience, or preparation for a changing workforce.
I helped establish the College of Science's first fully online master's degree, which now allows students to finish in an average of 1.7 years with substantially less debt. I also developed and lead Biology's pilot of eight-week core courses for campus-based students. Expanded summer and online offerings give students more ways to make progress when they cannot be on campus, and the pilot is now informing broader institutional planning.
I developed the Pre-Clinical Biology track and helped build the faculty team behind its clinical-skills curriculum. The resulting three-course microcredential gives students practical experience through UTA's Smart Hospital. Course-embedded certificates and the BIOL 4101 undergraduate capstone create additional ways for students to connect their degree with what comes next.
I launched the Biology Scholars Program to give high-achieving first-year students a smaller academic community and an early connection to research. Scholars begin working with faculty from the start of the degree, including laboratory experiences in which first-year students use C. elegans to investigate gene function.
I am developing an MS in Industrial Biology that connects advanced biological training with biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and food science. The proposed program combines flexible coursework with laboratory training and external experience so graduates are prepared for scientific work beyond traditional academic pathways.
What keeps the work meaningful
Students experience our strategy through the curriculum we build.
I enjoy working with faculty to turn a promising idea into something the institution can sustain. Faculty ownership matters because they understand the discipline and will carry the work forward. The reward is seeing a strong program take hold and create new possibilities for students.
How I move the work forward
I begin by asking whether we are solving the right problem. From there, I work with faculty and academic partners to understand what implementation will require. Some ideas need new courses. Others require changes in scheduling, advising, staffing, or policy. I stay involved through implementation because that is often where the most important decisions are made.
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