Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres named U. of Texas at Dallas dean
U. of Texas at Dallas
May 20, 2010
Dr. Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres, a professor in the School of Economics, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS) and interim dean of the McDermott Library, has accepted an appointment as the dean of undergraduate education at UT Dallas.
Piñeres will succeed Dr. J. Michael Coleman beginning this fall. Coleman has served as associate provost and dean of undergraduate education since 1997.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to serve the University and the undergraduate student body,” Piñeres said. “After 14 years of teaching at UT Dallas, I’ve seen firsthand how our undergraduate students can set the standard for changing the world for the better, whether by vaccinating nomadic people in Sudan or crafting legislation in the Texas State Legislature, and I look forward to helping continue that trend.”
As dean, Piñeres plans to meet with students, faculty and staff to learn how to improve the undergraduate experience, as well as continue efforts to attract high-quality students.
In announcing the appointment of Piñeres, Dr. Hobson Wildenthal, executive vice president and provost noted, “Her qualifications start with a record as an outstanding classroom teacher, as a passionate advocate of individual student achievement and as eloquent spokesperson for UT Dallas. She also has proven herself to be a dynamic leader and a creative and energetic administrator. We are fortunate as a University, and our students are fortunate, collectively and individually, that she has volunteered to assume the vitally important and demanding position.
“Succeeding Mike Coleman as dean, someone who has played an immense and historic role in creating the UT Dallas of today, would be a challenge for anyone. Dr. Piñeres is one of the few individuals I know who has the capabilities to continue his long string of accomplishments with future achievements that will be comparable.”
A professor of economics and political economy, Piñeres will succeed Coleman, under whose leadership undergraduate education has developed into a powerful and distinctive feature of UT Dallas’s institutional profile.
