Mary Wildner-Bassett
Mary E. Wildner-Bassett, who has served as interim dean for The University of Arizona's College of Humanities for nearly one year, has been named to the position.
Wildner-Bassett, a UA faculty member since 1986 and interim dean since July, has been credited with enhancing the college's interdisciplinary efforts with numerous units on campus.
"Dean Wildner-Bassett has the vision and experience that we need to guide the creation of the Colleges of Letters, Arts and Science," said UA Provost Meredith Hay.
The College of Humanities is home to more than one dozen academic departments and programs offering more than 30 programs. The college is part of the newly created Colleges of Letters, Arts and Science, a partnership that also involves the colleges of Fine Arts, Science and also Social and Behavioral Sciences.
"The creation of the Colleges of Letters, Arts and Science will enable us to work in new ways and to pursue exciting interdisciplinary opportunities," Hay added. "I am confident that Dean Wildner-Bassett will provide the leadership necessary to propel the humanities forward."
Wildner-Bassett, who Hay said has an "interdisciplinary vision and collaborative spirit," has long been devoted to the humanities, teaching and outreach.
She has published numerous articles, textbooks and other books on subjects in areas such as language pedagogy, second language acquisition, literacy related to technology and ethics, linguistics, video-based learning, communication via computers and various other topics related to teaching and learning.
Previously, Wildner-Bassett served as the head of the German Studies Department and helped lead the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program. Currently, she is a professor in both areas and has received numerous awards for her research, teaching and mentoring.
In 1993, Wildner-Bassett earned the Burlington Faculty Award for Teaching and Research. In 2000 she received the UA College of Humanities Award for Graduate Advising and Mentoring and in 2003 she received the UA Award for Graduate Teaching and Mentoring.
Also, in 1993 she earned a Fulbright senior research award for research she conducted at Ruhr-University in Bochum, Germany. While there, she researched foreign language learning processes, learning styles and teaching strategies. And in a nationwide study of courses offered about German culture, the Educational Policy Improvement Center in 2007 named her "'Minority Views in German Culture" class as one of the top 10 courses offered.
Wildner-Bassett wrote in a statement about the deanship that her priorities have been to elevate the visibility of programs and departments in the College of Humanities. Another area of emphasis, she said, can involve incorporating digital and
traditional technologies to improve both instruction and learning in the humanities.
Also, Wildner-Bassett has characterized her administration by a guiding concern for fostering an environment of transparency and trust.
While with the UA college, she helped establish a doctoral degree program in Trans-Cultural German Studies, collaborating with University of Leipzig to jointly offer the interdisciplinary program. The program, a first of its kind in the nation, grounds students in cultural, literary and language studies to prepare them for both academic and nonacademic employment. Also, the German studies bachelor's degree was thoroughly revised under her direction.
Hay noted that Wildner-Bassett's "innovative engagement with teaching" also aided in the formation of the college's COHLab, a grant-supported facility and project for humanities classes that supports learning and communication via computer-based interactions, such as e-mail and the Internet.
Wildner-Bassett noted that, as dean, her priorities will include launching new initiatives that will further forge connections between the Humanities and other disciplines while also focusing on fundraising and other philanthropic efforts.
"It is essential to the UA vision and mission that we as the humanities stay strong, expand our outreach and scholarship missions," she said, "and continue to work to make visible to the community what we do."
Mary Wildner-Bassett
College of Humanities
520-621-1044