MEET THE DEAN

PROFILE

MEET THE DEAN

TAMARA BROWN DEAN OF UNT’S COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES SINCE 2019

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT MY JOB The opportunity to serve and help others — faculty, staff and students — achieve their goals.

FAVORITE QUOTE I have two. One is “Lifting as we climb” and the other is “I am because we are.”

TRENDS IN LIBERAL ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH Interdisciplinarity. Historically, disciplines have been very siloed, but we now realize that when we collaborate across disciplines we are able to better understand the world and prepare students to make positive contributions.

IMPACT OF YEAR’S EVENTS The events of the past year, which include the pandemics of racism and COVID-19, highlight the importance of the liberal arts and social sciences because they emphasize our common humanity and how interconnected we are. More than ever, we need our humanities disciplines to help us understand what it means to be human, and our social science disciplines to help us understand how to live together.

HOW LIBERAL ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES CAN LEAD Despite the decades-long emphasis on STEM and approaching education vocationally, research now shows that if we want to prepare students to solve large-scale human problems and improve the human condition, we have to teach them how to think, lead and work in teams. Google, Chevron, IBM and many other large and small companies have found that the most important qualities of top employees are all soft skills such as communicating and listening well, possessing insight into others with different values and points of view, having empathy, being a critical thinker and problem solver, and being able to make connections across complex ideas. STEM skills are important, but they are not enough. Employers, and the world, need those who also are educated to the cultural and social aspects of people.

READING NOW I am reading seven books right now including How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, and Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich.

FUN FACTS I dabble in the art of playing saxophone, and I ride a motorcycle.

PROUDEST MOMENT FOR THE COLLEGE December commencement was a proud moment for me. Celebrating the accomplishments of our students was priceless. Another proud moment was how we pulled together as a college during the pandemic to support our students and one another. Our resilience and innovation were nothing short of amazing.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: RANJANI GROTH

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