Posted on November 17, 2022 by Rebekah Alegria
The college has appointed four faculty to serve as fellows for the 2022-2023 academic year. The Faculty Fellows program was created to provide faculty members with leadership opportunities and to help develop the next generation of college leaders.
With an emphasis on mentorship, shadowing and one-on-one training, the fellowship is personalized to meet the needs and professional goals of each individual faculty member who participates in the program.
David Han and Harrison Liu will work with Juan Manuel Sanchez on projects for the Office of Graduate Studies and Research.
Han, an associate professor of management science and statistics, will focus on graduate studies and research. He will assist in analyzing our research efforts with peer business schools, encouraging faculty to engage in externally sponsored research and assist with graduate programming in support of doctoral, master, and undergraduate research. With almost 14 years of tenured experience at UTSA, Han has much to offer as a fellow.
“I am committed to carrying out the mission of the department, college, and university as well as my professional responsibility and duty to the discipline of statistics and data science for business and industry,” says Han.
Liu, an associate professor of accounting, will research how the college’s graduate programs support students financially and logistically behind the scenes, especially after the university achieved Tier I recognition. He hopes to also support new and existing initiatives in the college to improve and expand graduate studies.
“With my extensive background in construction and consulting businesses, coupled with my accounting background, the fellowship will provide me the opportunity to utilize my skills and experiences to refine the graduate programs to benefit our college and the university alike,” shares Liu.
Linda Vaello and Marco Villarreal will work with Mark Leung on undergraduate and student success initiatives.
“I am looking forward to working with the fellows to explore opportunities and support the learning experience for everyone involved. The fellows will capture useful career assets, and in the future, use this wonderful experience and additional knowledge in their own advancement while aiding their departments and other faculty within the college as well,” said Leung.
Vaello, an assistant professor of practice in accounting, will work with the Alvarez Student Success Center to help raise the profile of the programs and services available to support student success.
“This new role has exposed me to a higher level of accountability. It will make me more aware of how decisions I make as an instructor impact the leadership in the college,” said Vaello.
Vaello plans to facilitate outreach to ensure that students and instructors know about the numerous resources available to help students flourish. She is also working on an initiative for students to work on missed or low-scoring assignments for a reduced amount of credit. The goal of this initiative is to help improve student grades without increasing the work for instructors. 
Villarreal, an associate professor of practice in information systems and cyber security, is ecstatic to start his journey as a faculty fellow. He will focus on the undergraduate core curriculum, student success activities and working with students in experiential learning endeavors. He will also work with Leung on initiatives to improve retention and graduation rates, as well as a transfer student success initiative.
“As I gain knowledge and additional skills, I will be able to serve the students and the university in a much more thorough and insightful manner,” stated Villarreal.
— Rebekah Alegria
