I have been strongly invested in the daily work and ongoing improvement of my department since I began at ACU. I believe that it is my responsibility to work in close collaboration with my colleagues to ensure that we are providing the best possible education for our students. My dedication to this goal is evident in several ways, briefly discussed below, and was also recognized in May 2016 when I received the Dean’s Award for Service and Leadership.<\/p>\n
I have served as director (department chair) for the School of Information Technology & Computing since June 2016. I have enjoyed the new challenges of this role, adding administrative responsibilities to my now-familiar teaching responsibilities. In this role, I guide the creation and application of department-level policies, coordinate with program leads for the ongoing refinement of our curriculum, represent my department in the college leadership team, and work closely with staff members to coordinate student recruiting (Jenni Williams<\/a>), career and professional development for students (Aimee Agee<\/a>), and academic advising for students (Mary Beth Cuevas<\/a>).<\/p>\n Prior to assuming the role of director, I was the program lead for computer science, the faculty member primarily responsible for the maintenance and improvement of the computer science degree plan and courses. I have led an effort over several years to overhaul the computer science curriculum, ensuring consistency in course content and smooth transitions between sequential courses. I initiated an effort in spring 2012 for the CS faculty to begin working jointly to create and approve final exams for low-level courses; this effort has continued since then, now encompassing the whole department. <\/p>\n