Dear UT Community,
I am pleased to announce that Anita Vangelisti, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Graduate Education, has been appointed Interim Dean of the Moody College of Communication. Throughout her career, Dr. Vangelisti has made incredible contributions to research and scholarship on and off the Forty Acres.
As the Jesse H. Jones Centennial Chair in Communication, Dr. Vangelisti has received the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award from The University of Texas System and the College of Communication Teaching Excellence Award. Her highly acclaimed work has been recognized with numerous awards, including several from the National Communication Association (NCA) and the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR). She served as president of IARR and is a distinguished scholar of NCA and a fellow of the International Communication Association and IARR. In addition, she was co-editor of the Cambridge University Press book series on “Advances in Personal Relationships,” was associate editor of the Personal Relationships journal, and served on the editorial boards of more than a dozen scholarly journals.
Dr. Vangelisti applied her expertise in countless examples of demonstrated leadership and dedication in Moody’s faculty affairs and graduate education program. She spearheaded the launch of Moody’s first Option III graduate certificates and MA program. She also enhanced the financial support available to students by successfully negotiating significant increases in both the number and size of graduate fellowships and stipends. Additionally, she expertly managed the promotion and tenure process within Moody through a fair and rigorous evaluation of faculty performance. On a personal note, she also shared her insight with me as I navigated my mother moving to Austin this time last year. For anyone who has been through such a life transition, you know it’s not always easy and an expert in interpersonal communication is just the guide you want to have!
It is who she is and these achievements that underscore Dr. Vangelisti’s exceptional capability. I am confident she will provide wisdom and leadership during this transition that upholds the Moody standard of excellence.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Vangelisti on her leadership appointment!
Sincerely,
RACHEL DAVIS MERSEY, Ph.D.
Interim Executive Vice President and Provost
Everett D. Collier Centennial Chair
The University of Texas at Austin
provost.utexas.edu | @rdmersey