CLASS leadership changes

Dean Roberts appoints three new department chairs, reappoints four others

Four chairs have been reappointed in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Three faculty members will serve as new departmental leaders in CLASS All appointments are for three year terms of service.

Effective September 1, David Phillips is chair of the Department of Philosophy.

A native of Hereford, England, Dr. Phillips earned a bachelor’s degree with first class honors in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Lincoln College, part of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. He earned from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Philosophy.

Upon completing his studies in upstate New York in 1993, Dr. Phillips moved to Houston to join the University of Houston faculty. He is now a full professor in the Department of Philosophy. His research focuses on the history of ethics and metaethics, the branch of ethics studies that seeks to understand the nature of moral reasoning.

Dr. Phillips succeeds Dr. Cynthia Freeland, who was named the Moores Professor of Philosophy in 2012. A leading philosopher of art, she will continue to teach and conduct research.

Effective August 1, Pedro Gutiérrez Revuelta is chair of the Department of Hispanic Studies.

Dr. Gutiérrez Revuelta, associate professor of Spanish, joined the University of Houston faculty in 1984. Before the founding of the Department of Hispanics Studies, he served as an interim chair of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages when the Spanish program was still housed in that department.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in literature from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and his master’s and Ph.D. in Literature from the University of California at San Diego. His research and teaching interests include the literature and culture of Spain and the work of Pablo Neruda.

Current Hispanic Studies chair Anadeli Bencomo has received a Fulbright Core Fellowship and will teach and conduct research on narco-violence in Mexico in the 2013-2014 academic year. She served as the academic unit’s chief administrator for three years.

Effective July 1, Jim Johnson is the Director of the School of Theatre & Dance.

Professor Johnson arrived at UH in 2001 and is an expert on dialects and accents. He teaches undergraduate and graduate voice classes and serves as voice and dialects coach for many of UH’s main stage productions. In 2007, he earned the Provost’s University Teaching Excellence Award.

Prof. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in drama from Buena Vista College and a master of fine arts in acting from the University of Nebraska. He also is certified as an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework and conducts voice and dialect workshops in Houston and across the nation.

Prof. Johnson succeeds Steven Wallace, who served as director for the past six years and will continue to teach and direct plays in the School. Profs. Johnson and Wallace are co-directors of the 2013 Houston Shakespeare Festival.

Reappointed as chairs, effective September 1, are:

	Wyman Herendeen, chair of the Department of English
	T.Xavia Karner, chair of the Department of Sociology
	Charles Layne, chair of the Department of Health and Human Performance
	David Papell, chair of the Department of Economics.
	Dr. Karner is taking a faculty development leave to complete research on her book. Associate Professor Shayne Lee will serve as the interim Sociology chair for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Chairs and directors are appointed by the Dean to serve three-year terms.