Our Terms & Conditions | Our Privacy Policy
Dr. William Nichols aims to build upon UTD’s interdisciplinary approach to education. “We’ve developed the idea that we need specialists in single fields, but the reality is that in society the discourses blend into each other, and they influence each other. The more we can use a more integrated approach, the better it is for our students,” he said.
Dr. William Nichols, a scholar of Spanish culture and an experienced university administrator, has joined The University of Texas at Dallas as dean of undergraduate education and Mary McDermott Cook Chair for Undergraduate Education. He began his duties Aug. 1.
For more than two decades, Nichols served on the faculty at Georgia State University (GSU), where most recently he was associate dean of the Honors College. Previously, he was the founding director of the university’s Center for Urban Language Teaching and Research and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures in the College of Arts & Sciences.
UT Dallas’ holistic approach to student success drew Nichols to UTD and his new position.
“UTD focuses on supporting undergraduates from the get-go, and there is a strong interdisciplinary focus,” he said. “There’s a real interest in developing students’ experiences in international education, and that’s a strength I bring to the table. I’m happy to help UTD take it to the next level for students to really develop that global competence.”
Dr. Inga Musselman, UT Dallas provost, vice president for academic affairs and the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair of Academic Leadership, said, “Dr. Nichols brings an exciting, varied background to his new role. His vision for the future of undergraduate education is a perfect match with our forward-looking goals and comprehensive approach to helping our students succeed on our campus, in their careers and in today’s world.
“His fluency in Spanish literature and culture is as deep as his wide range of interests and his passion for learning and growing.”
“His vision for the future of undergraduate education is a perfect match with our forward-looking goals and comprehensive approach to helping our students succeed on our campus, in their careers and in today’s world.”
Dr. Inga Musselman, UT Dallas provost
At Georgia State, Nichols was professor of Spanish cultural studies, and he said his background in language and culture will help guide his approach to undergraduate education.
“I bring an attitude where I’m not only thinking about the student academically, but also in terms of career readiness and always as a language professor. How can global competence enhance the student’s experience after graduation? It’s one thing when they are here, but what are we doing to prepare them for life after UTD?” he said.
As a proponent of interdisciplinary education at Georgia State, he coordinated the Undergraduate Research Conference to foster research opportunities for all students and created an Undergraduate Research Council to integrate various research efforts at GSU.
“I’m always interested in how to combine the peanut butter and the chocolate — how to bring STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] and the humanities together, or social sciences and the arts. We’ve developed the idea that we need specialists in single fields, but the reality is that in society the discourses blend into each other, and they influence each other. The more we can use a more integrated approach, the better it is for our students,” he said.
Dr. William Nichols
Title: dean of undergraduate education and Mary McDermott Cook Chair for Undergraduate Education
Previously: associate dean of the Honors College; professor of Spanish cultural studies, Georgia State University
Nichols’ philosophy includes empowering students to be successful, especially in a world that is rapidly embracing artificial intelligence (AI).
“I want to meet students where they are and give them building blocks to really allow them the kind of self-empowerment to build the program that they want for themselves. We want to help them understand study skills and both the pitfalls and real benefits of AI,” he said.
Nichols earned a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and Spanish and a Master of Arts in Spanish from the University of Notre Dame. He earned his PhD in Spanish literature and culture from Michigan State University.
He is a senior editor of the Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies and served as president of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages. He was also a member of the Council of Directors for National Foreign Language Resource Centers.
His research focuses on urban space, tourism and globalization as it is represented and explored in 20th- and 21st-century Spanish culture.
His most recent book, The Paradox of Paradise: Creative Destruction and the Rise of Urban Coastal Tourism in Contemporary Spanish Culture, was published by Vanderbilt University Press in 2023.
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Aggregated From –
Comments are closed.