Dr. John Gonzalez, UTRGV associate professor and associate dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Social Work. (Courtesy Photo)
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
By Victoria Brito Morales
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – Dr. John Gonzalez, UTRGV associate professor and associate dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Social Work, has been appointed to the advisory committee of the Council on Social Work Education’s Program Directors Academy.
The academy provides support and mentorship to beginner program directors who have served in their capacity for less than three years. Program directors selected typically are transitioning from a faculty position to a leadership role in their departments.
Gonzalez has served in several leadership goals in the UTRGV School of Social Work, including department chair, interim dean, and now as associate dean of Academic Affairs.
“It is humbling,” Gonzalez said of his appointment. “It is a nice recognition of my work as a former program director and interim dean at our School of Social Work. It is also an incredible opportunity to represent our School of Social Work and UTRGV at a national level.”
As part of his appointment, he will offer professional wisdom and experience to ensure that the curriculum for the academy is appropriate and effective.
“The goal of the Program Director’s Academy is to develop management and leadership competencies for program director job functions,” Gonzalez said. “This academy empowers program directors to effectively lead their programs.”
ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.