Anna Zajicek, professor of sociology and associate dean in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas, has been named interim vice provost for faculty affairs, effective July 20. She will replace Kathryn Sloan, who was named interim vice provost for academic affairs in June 2022.

“Cultivating environments where all faculty thrive and can succeed has been my professional passion and commitment,” Zajicek said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate across the university to promote an inclusive campus culture that attracts and creates a sense of belonging for all faculty members. I am honored and delighted to join Interim Provost (Terry) Martin’s team in this role.”

In her new position, Zajicek will be responsible for advancing the strategic recruitment, retention, evaluation and professional development of university faculty and will work with faculty concerning grievances and complaints. 

“Anna is a well-respected member of our faculty, and I’m very happy to have her join the academic affairs team,” Martin said. “I look forward to working with her to support faculty and department chairs in attracting and retaining top-notch faculty as our campus continues to grow.”

The Office of Faculty Affairs also oversees new administrator training, new faculty orientation, the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program, the Teaching and Faculty Support Center and Teaching Academy.

Zajicek holds 28 years of experience as a faculty member at the U of A.

She has served as the chair of Gender Studies Steering Committee, the Graduate Program director and faculty research associate in the Office for Institutional Diversity & Education. She also served as a Senior Inclusion Fellow with the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

In 2014, she was named vice chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminology, and in 2015, she was named chair of that department, where she served until 2020.  

In addition to her position as associate dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, she currently serves as the coordinator of family specialization in the Public Policy Ph.D. program, as well as coordinating the social justice specialization for the Public Policy Ph.D.

Zajicek earned her B.S. and M.S. in sociology in 1986 at the University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, then her Ph.D. in sociology in 1995 at Virginia Polytechnic and State University.

Her research interests include social inequality (specifically, the intersectionality of gender, race, class and age), gender/race and STEM disciplines, institutional transformation, social policy and discourse. She has published 45 refereed publications, two books and eight book chapters.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.