'Behind the Blue': Dean Ana Franco-Watkins discusses UK’s College of Arts and Sciences
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 23, 2023) — The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest college at the University of Kentucky, at the heart of the university’s mission to educate students and create knowledge in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematical and natural sciences.
Home to 19 academic departments that offer major degrees in 29 disciplines and 37 minors, the College of Arts and Sciences provides education in fundamentals to nearly every undergraduate student at UK and builds foundations for advanced study in every field. Central to undergraduate and graduate education at UK, the College of Arts and Sciences accounts for teaching 85% of general education credit hours and almost half of all undergraduate credit hours, and produces the most doctoral degrees at UK.
On July 1, 2022, Ana Franco-Watkins, Ph.D., became the new dean of the college, coming to UK from her post as interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University. A first-generation student originally from the Portuguese islands, the Azores, Franco-Watkins holds a doctorate from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree from The College of William and Mary and a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
On this episode of "Behind the Blue," Franco-Watkins discusses adjusting to her new role as dean of the college, how being a first-generation student with a background in psychology informs her approach to working with members of the university community, her hopes for the future of the college, and more.
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