Campus Life

Matthews Appointed Dean Of Texas A&M’s College Of Liberal Arts

The Board of Regents of Texas A&M University named Dr. Pamela R. Matthews the new dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
By Lane Stephenson, Texas A&M Marketing & Communications April 29, 2015

matthews
Dr. Pamela R. Matthews

The Board of Regents of Texas A&M University on Wednesday named Dr. Pamela R. Matthews the new dean of the College of Liberal Arts, effective immediately. A professor of English, she has been serving as the college’s interim dean since July 2014.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be appointed Dean of the College of Liberal Arts,” Matthews said. “I still can’t quite believe it, and I am humbled by others’ confidence in me. A great university needs a great College of Liberal Arts, and I am excited about our future contributions to Texas A&M’s stature as an AAU (Association of American Universities) member and as a land-grant public institution.”

Provost and Executive Vice President Karan Watson announced last week that she and Interim President Mark Hussey had recommended Matthews’ appointment to the Board of Regents following the recommendation of a search advisory committee. An experienced educator, Matthews has served in a variety of positions at Texas A&M for more than 25 years.

“I have spent my entire academic career as a faculty member and administrator at Texas A&M University. I have stayed because of this university’s dynamism and its active commitment to our dual missions as a land-grant institution and a research university,” Matthews said. “We get things done at Texas A&M, and that positive, can-do attitude suits me well.”

Matthews came to Texas A&M in 1989 as a professor of English after earning a Ph.D. in English from Duke University.

Since then, she has served as associate head of the Department of English, director of Women’s and Gender Studies, associate dean for undergraduate programs in the College of Liberal Arts, and associate provost for undergraduate studies.

Prior to becoming the interim dean for the college, she was vice provost for academic affairs, a position in which she led campus-wide initiatives in support of high-impact learning, accreditation, global program support and curricular alignment.

Matthews is a noted scholar in her field with a specialty in American literature and scholarly publications including “Ellen Glasgow and a Woman’s Traditions,” “Aesthetic Subjects” (coedited) and “Perfect Companionship: Ellen Glasgow’s Selected Correspondence with Women.” Her research interests include American literature and culture, gender studies and women writers.

She also is an award-winning educator, with teaching recognitions that include a Center for Teaching Excellence Montague Scholars Award, a college-level Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for teaching, and the Robert M. Gates Inspiration Award in recognition of her work with undergraduate Regents’ Scholars.

Beyond campus, Matthews was a co-founder of Brazos Valley Reads (BVR), a partnership of the Department of English and other university and community groups that is an effort to engage the local community through literature. Each year, BVR invites internationally-recognized authors to College Station for a public reading and to meet with the people of Brazos County.

Media contact: tamunews@tamu.edu.

Related Stories

Recent Stories