College of Humanities Welcomes New Acting Dean, Wanda Pillow
On October 21, the College of Humanities welcomed new Acting Dean Wanda Pillow.
Pillow is a professor of Gender Studies, and she has served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and former chair of the Gender Studies Division in the School for Cultural and Social Transformation.
“The Provost’s choice of Wanda as interim dean is an acknowledgement of what we all know – Wanda is an exceptional administrator, scholar, teacher, mentor, and human,” said Elizabeth Kronk Warner, acting dean of the School for Cultural and Social Transformation. “The University will be well served with Wanda in this role.”
Pillow is a first-generation student and an award-winning teacher, mentor, and scholar. Professor Pillow earned her doctorate in Educational Policy and Gender Studies from Ohio State University and is tenured in the Division of Gender Studies at the University of Utah. She is co-Editor of the journal Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies and currently principle investigator on a Mellon Multivocal Humanities grant. Professor Pillow’s publications are widely read across multiple fields of study and her research has been recognized with funding by the Mellon Foundation as well as recent fellowships at the Huntington Library, the National Humanities Center, and the Newberry Library.
Professor Pillow’s work focuses on analyses of power, subjectivity, and representation in feminist inquiry and theory as well as applied research projects that explore how these issues impact American identity in policy and popular culture. For example, Unfit Subjects: Educational Policy and the Teen Mother traces how pregnant/parenting teens were treated prior to and post Title IX and her in progress manuscript, Troubling Intimacies/Sacajawea and York as American Subjects, analyzes historical and present-day representations of Sacajawea and York, captured and enslaved members of the U.S.1804-1806 Corps of Discovery expedition. Professor Pillow has a range of leadership experience and is committed to mentoring students and emerging scholars. This commitment was recognized in Spring 2021 when Professor Pillow received a Distinguished Mentor Award from the University of Utah.
In addition to a distinguished scholarly career, Pillow is noted for her talents and experience as a leader. During her tenure as chair and later associate dean of Academic Affairs at the School for Social and Cultural Transformation (Transform), Pillow led initiatives to support student success, faculty mentoring, raise the profile of Transform, and helped the college navigate a recent leadership change.
“I accepted the position of Acting Dean because I care about the College of Humanities. I have been through similar leadership changes, and I can bring that experience to help the college during this time of transition,” says Pillow. “I look forward to being an advocate for the college and to supporting student success as well as staff and faculty excellence.”
There is a great deal of academic connection between Transform and Humanities, with many shared theoretical and pedagogical disciplinary foundations, as well as multiple faculty holding joint appointments between the two colleges. Likewise, Pillow recognizes the social value of the humanities in today’s complex global landscapes.
“Despite the emphasis on technical degrees that is currently circulating in popular discourse,” she said, “the humanities have enduring value—underpinning and intersecting with every academic discipline and industry. The humanities teach us how to see clearly, think creatively, and connect humanely. I can think of nothing more crucial for success in the world we live in today.”
The College of Humanities is an outstanding research and educational institution, full of passionate and dedicated faculty and staff, teaching the next generation of talented and inquisitive humanists. The College welcomes Acting Dean Pillow to this exceptional organization and looks forward to continuing onwards in collegiality and excellence.