FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The leadership team at the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences has an important role: serving more than one-third of the student population of the University of Arkansas through 19 academic departments spanning the fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.

Completing this team was a top priority this summer for Fulbright College Dean Todd Shields, who named a new associate dean, four new department chairs and four new directors.

Steven J. Beaupre became the new associate dean of social sciences on July 1.

“We are very excited to have Steve take on this role,” Shields said. “He’s highly qualified and has already been an invaluable part of our leadership team throughout his time as chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. Now he’ll expand on that role and be an integral bridge between our administration and our faculty – which are the heart of Fulbright College.” 

Beaupre will serve as the administrative liaison between the dean’s office and academic departments, programs and research centers in the social sciences. He will also implement the college’s strategic plan as it relates to the social sciences, and collaborate with the assistant director of research and sponsored programs, focusing on the academic and curricular issues involved in Global Campus, summer teaching, intersessions and extra compensation. Beaupre will also promote social science research by encouraging faculty to apply for external funding from foundations and federal agencies and by facilitating grant-writing workshops, and will work closely with the Fulbright College Advising Center.

Beaupre joined the University of Arkansas faculty in 1995 and was named professor in 2006. His research centers on understanding various mechanisms that influence the distribution and abundance of reptiles, and snakes in particular. He has received awards for being an outstanding mentor and teacher, master researcher and dedicated scholar.

Additionally, the following faculty will serve as a newly appointed chair or director:

Justin Nolan

• Justin Nolan, chair, Department of Anthropology

Nolan is working with Native American and southern U.S. cultures throughout Northeast Oklahoma and he also recently completed an applied study of sustainable tourism throughout Arkansas’ natural regions. His research interests include ethnobiology, medical anthropology and the study of region-specific folkways and traditions.

Ralph Henry

• Ralph Henry, interim chair, Department of Biological Sciences

As the college’s W.M. Keck Professor, Henry’s research focuses on understanding how proteins accomplish life-supporting functions in living cells and working with students to harness those functions for industrial, medical and biotechnology applications. He is also a co-founder of InterveXion Therapeutics.

Christopher Liner

• Christopher Liner, chair, Department of Geosciences

Liner holds the college’s Maurice F. Storm Chair of Petroleum Geology, and has more than 11 years of industrial experience in exploration and geophysical research. His research interests include unconventional resource plays, reservoir characterization and monitoring for hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide sequestration.

John Gaber

• John Gaber, chair, Department of Political Science

Gaber is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners and trained with Health Impact Partners on how to conduct Health Impact Assessments. He is also co-chair for the interdisciplinary planning minor shared by Political Science and the Department of Landscape Architecture in the Fay Jones College of Architecture and Design.

Luis Fernando Restrepo

• Luis Fernando Restrepo, director, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies  

Restrepo’s research and teaching interests include colonial Latin America, literature and human rights, indigenous literatures, postcolonial theory, Colombia and Latino education. He also directs Sin Límites, a biliteracy youth service learning project, and is the U of A representative for Scholars at Risk, a worldwide network defending academic freedom.

Thomas Senor

• Thomas Senor, director, Religious Studies

Senor was the 2014-2015 Alvin Plantinga Fellow in the Center for Philosophy of Religion at the University of Notre Dame, and serves on the editorial boards of the journals Religious Studies and The European Journal for the Philosophy of Religion. His research interests include the philosophy of religion and epistemology.

Casey Harris, Patricia Herzog

• Casey Harris and Patricia Herzog, co-directors, Center for Social Research

Harris is one of the college’s 2015 Connor Faculty Fellows, and he is the 2016 Nolan Award winner for outstanding graduate education contributions. Herzog was also one of the college’s 2015 Connor Faculty Fellows. She is working on a book about how social inequalities pattern transitions to adulthood and affect educational, work, family, religious and charitable giving outcomes.

Shields said he also wanted to recognize outgoing chairs including former Department of Anthropology Chair Peter Ungar, former Department of Geosciences Chair Ralph Davis, former Department of Political Science Chair Margaret Reid, former Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies Director M. Keith Booker, former Director of Religious Studies Lynda Coon and former Director of the Center for Social Research William Schwab, along with former Associate Dean Yvette Murphy-Erby.

“I want to thank these outstanding faculty members for their dedicated service – we could not provide our students with the best academic experiences possible without them!” Shields said.For more information about Fulbright College or any of its academic departments, please visit fulbright.uark.edu.

About the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with 19 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former university president and longtime U.S. senator.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.