Rachel Glade, a clinical assistant professor at the U of A, has been named the College of Education and Health Professions' new Honors College director.

Her appointment begins on July 1. Glade, program coordinator of the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program, will succeed Michelle Gray, who has been in the honors director role since 2015. Gray is the interim chair of the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation.

"The honors program in the College of Education and Health Professions has established the standard for innovative, ambitious undergraduate research and community engagement," said Lynda Coon, dean of the U of A Honors College. "Former Director of Honors Michelle Gray set a high bar for honors across the U of A campus. Rachel Glade is poised to jump that bar, propelling COEHP Honors into new heights of intellectual ambition."

Glade said it's a privilege to serve the college in this role. "Dr. Gray, as well as previous directors, have done an amazing job building COEHP Honors to where it is today," she said. "I hope to follow their example and am excited to have the opportunity to encourage and highlight the work of honors students supporting and expanding the research and service efforts of faculty at the University of Arkansas."

Glade served on the college's Honors Council for three years and mentors undergraduate and graduate students working on research projects. She began chairing Honors College thesis committees in 2016 and has since chaired 14 honors thesis committees and served on an additional 18 honors thesis committees. She's the mentor for six Honors College projects this year.

Glade's students have researched topics such as how adolescents with hearing loss experience bullying and the impact of hearing loss on executive function skills and working memory in young adults. Glade's work, including work with students, has been published in well-respected peer-reviewed journals. Her mentees consistently receive funding for their research and presentations of their work, and three have received Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship grants. They also regularly present at local, state and national conferences.

Glade has won numerous awards at the U of A, including the Outstanding Service Award for Rehabilitation, Human Resources, and Communication Disorders (2017); Outstanding Faculty Mentor for COEHP's Honors Program (2019); the Innovative Teaching Award for COEHP (2019); and the U of A Faculty Gold Medal (2019).

Glade provides assessment, intervention and consultations for children and adults with hearing loss in Arkansas and across the U.S. Her colleagues and peers elected her to serve as the president-elect for the Arkansas Speech-Language-Hearing Association. This three-year term ended in 2021. Glade has been a board member for the non-profit organization Arkansas Hands & Voices since 2011 and is state champion for the American Cochlear Implant Alliance. Glade is also a faculty mentor for the U of A chapter of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a registered student organization frequently recognized nationally for its community service and philanthropy.

Glade and Gray spent part of their summer traveling abroad in Sweden with U of A students, including several who are part of the honors program. They have co-led the Health Teams Abroad Sweden course for two years.

Gray's primary research focuses on exercise training among older adults and maintaining muscle mass and cognition throughout the lifespan. She teaches courses at the U of A on physical aspects of aging and oversees exercise programming for older adults with chronic illnesses. 

Gray called her time as an Honors College director "simply amazing."

She said, "This experience afforded me the opportunity to collaborate with many folks across campus and make changes that have greatly benefited COEHP's Honors Program and to be more aligned with the national standards. Stepping down after seven years was a difficult decision to make but was certainly made easier knowing Dr. Glade is taking over; she will continue improving COEHP Honors during her leadership."