Fulbright College Dean Candidates to Present to Campus
Stephanie Ricker Schulte, Brian E. Raines and David D. Perlmutter.
Three candidates for the dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences — Stephanie Ricker Schulte, Brian E. Raines and David D. Perlmutter — will hold open forums on Feb. 15, 19 and 22, respectively. Each open forum will be held at 2:30 p.m. in the E.J. Ball Courtroom in the School of Law.
During their presentation, each candidate will focus on the strengths and opportunities they see for Fulbright College. Candidates will also highlight past experiences that have prepared them for this position; include thoughts and commentary on trends in arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences programs; and provide insight on how they will advance research, performance and education for Fulbright College.
The campus community will be able to attend the presentations in person or virtually. In-person seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. A recording will be available within 24 hours following each presentation at this link for those who are unable to attend in person. The recording will only be accessible to individuals with a U of A email address and credentials.
Stephanie Ricker Schulte (Presenting Feb. 15)
Stephanie Ricker Schulte will present at an open forum on Feb. 15. Schulte currently serves as an associate dean for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. She is a professor of communication and a faculty affiliate for the interdisciplinary comparative literature and cultural studies program.
She joined the U of A in 2008 and has served as an assistant professor and associate professor prior to her current role as a full professor. Schulte has also served as chair and vice chair for the Department of Communication.
Her research focuses on communication technologies, popular culture and policy. She has written numerous journal articles and authored the book Cached: Decoding the Internet in Global Popular Culture, a transnational political and cultural history of the Internet that examines the multidirectional relationships between technological design, American culture and policymaking.
Schulte received her bachelor’s degree in communications and German from the U of A. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Schulte was also a Fulbright Scholar and studied abroad in Germany. For more information on Schulte, view her curriculum vitae.
Brian E. Raines (Presenting Feb. 19)
Brian Raines will present at an open forum on Feb. 19. Raines is a professor of mathematics and the associate dean for research, operations and strategic planning in the College of Arts & Sciences at Baylor University. He is also a Faculty Regent at Baylor University.
Raines has been a faculty member at Baylor University since 2002. In addition to his current roles, he has served as associate dean for undergraduate studies for the Department of Sciences and undergraduate program director for the Department of Mathematics at Baylor University.
His research focuses on the topology of pathological spaces that arise in dynamical systems. His research also involves applications of topology to non-deterministic dynamical systems that arise in mathematical economics. He has contributed to many publications, including the journals Advances in Mathematics and Algebraic and Geometric Topology, and he has participated in numerous research presentations and lectures across the world. Raines also serves as a grant reviewer for the National Science Foundation and the American Mathematical Society, among others.
He received a bachelor’s degree in English literature and mathematics from Hendrix College. He received a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Oxford. For more information on Raines, view his curriculum vitae.
David D. Perlmutter (Presenting Feb. 22)
David Perlmutter will present at an open forum on Feb. 22. Perlmutter is a professor in the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University, where he served as dean from 2013-2023.
Prior to joining Texas Tech University, Perlmutter was the director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Iowa and an associate dean for graduate studies and research for the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at University of Kansas. He has also held faculty positions at Louisiana State University and the University of Minnesota.
Perlmutter has authored and edited many books on political communication, new media technologies and higher education. He also published several dozen research articles for academic journals. In addition, he regularly speaks at industry, academic and government meetings and runs workshops on personal and institutional branding via social media, visual persuasion, higher education and fundraising. In addition, Perlmutter also writes the Admin 101 column for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, and he received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. For more information on Perlmutter, view his curriculum vitae.
The dean search for Fulbright College is chaired by Dean of Libraries Jason Battles.
“The search committee and I are pleased to present these three candidates to campus,” Battles said. “Each of these candidates has extensive academic leadership experience in the humanities and sciences, and I’m certain any of these finalists would advance research, education, discovery and service for Fulbright College and the U of A in our community, state and region.”
For more information on the dean candidates and the search process, please visit the Fulbright College dean search website.
About Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on the University of Arkansas campus with three schools, 16 departments and numerous academic programs and research centers. The college provides the majority of the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students. Get the inside scoop on all things Fulbright College by subscribing to the digital Fulbright REVIEW publication.
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 few 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 and Economic Development News.
This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.