The College of Education and Health Professions' Caregiver in Chief

Ask any faculty or staff member in the College of Education and Health Professions who they're likely to turn to in times of need, and one name usually comes to mind.

"Paul Calleja."

Calleja, the college's associate dean of administration, does it all. From large-scale building renovations to one-on-one support for faculty and staff, his impact spans far across the college's many units.

"The college's 'Silent Magician' — that's how one of the colleagues referred to Paul, noting that he was always working behind the scenes to magically improve people's work environment and experiences in our college. I find this description quite fitting," said Dean Kate Mamiseishvili. "Day in and day out, Paul shows up for our college's faculty, staff, and students. He has an incredible passion for helping others, and that shows in his many Rounds of Applause nominations."

Calleja's dedication to improving the lives of others is reflected in the six WE CARE Rounds of Applause Awards he's accumulated, the most of any member in the college.

These awards are one of many action items in the college's WE CARE — Wellness and Education Commitment to Arkansas Excellence — strategic plan. Faculty and staff are encouraged to nominate colleagues or teams throughout the year, which earns the award winner a letter from the dean, a keepsake award and a spotlight in the dean's monthly round-up email.

Just in the past year, faculty and staff in the college have been recognized by peers for things like organizing outdoor recreation activities to help first-year faculty acclimate to Northwest Arkansas or going above and beyond to design intensive nursing application workshops while showing the utmost care for students.

This semester, one faculty member helped a colleague through a medical emergency, waiting with them for over 10 hours in the ER while she received the care she needed. Another recipient provided an outdoor getaway for communication sciences and disorders staff and students on her own land to help build community throughout the program.

Calleja's nominations have come from several different realms of the college. One recent nomination, for redesigning and improving learning spaces in the college, specifically the Graduate Education Building's auditorium, came from a colleague who said they've seen deeper classroom discussions and more engagement with course content as a result of his efforts.

Other nominations for Calleja have included facilitating a pizza-making class for new faculty and assisting with the college's First-Year Faculty Engagement and Networking Series, supporting a student looking for funding sources to finance their return to school, providing instrumental support and care to faculty and staff at the U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic, and for showing "genuine care and kindness to those around him each and every day."

"Everyone in the clinic knows if they need help, they can reach out to [Paul] for assistance," wrote Jessica Danley, director of the Speech and Hearing Clinic, in her nomination letter.

She would go on to praise Calleja for "always going out of your way to ensure all faculty and staff have what they need to serve our students, campus, and broader community."

In the three years since the college began awarding Rounds of Applause, 301 total awards have been bestowed. The number has continued to increase year over year, with 144 Rounds of Applause handed out in the 2025-26 academic year.

While the college continues its steadfast pursuit of building a caring culture that empowers all to thrive, it's people like Calleja and the more than 300 other Round of Applause recipients who are making the biggest impact.