Texas Tech University named Elizabeth Sharp as interim vice president of the Division of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Community Engagement.
Sharp, associate chair and associate professor of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) within the College of Human Sciences, fills the position previously held by Juan Muñoz, who began a new role April 17 as president of the University of Houston-Downtown. Sharp will begin her role as interim vice president May 1.
“I am honored to be entrusted with the responsibility of this important position, and I very much look forward to working closely with students, staff and faculty to achieve our shared goals,” Sharp said. “In this new role, as in my previous work on campus, I remain committed to the principles of social justice and eager to collaborate with all members of the Texas Tech community in order to engender an even more inclusive, inviting climate for all at the university.”
Sharp has served as chair of the Texas Tech Gender Equity Council since 2014. She joined HDFS in 2003 and also has served as an affiliate faculty member of the Women’s Studies Program. In 2011, she began a two-year service as chair of the Feminism and Family Studies section of the National Council on Family Relations and previously was a visiting scholar in the School of Applied Social Sciences at Durham University in England, where she held an honorary fellowship at the Institute of Advanced Study.
“I am confident that Dr. Sharp will maintain the momentum and excellence of our programs in the Division of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Community Engagement and be a welcome representative for our faculty, staff and students,” Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said. “I appreciate her willingness in accepting this role and look forward to working with her.”
Sharp’s research in HDFS, sociology, psychology and family therapy has been published widely and cited by media worldwide, including the New York Times, the Toronto Star and Women@Forbes, and was featured on the London School of Economics and Political Science website. Recently, she began a collaboration with scholars in the arts and humanities and is writing a book with co-researcher and Associate Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Genevieve Durham-DeCesaro based on transdisciplinary work.
CONTACT:
Amanda Castro-Crist, senior editor, Office of Communications and Marketing, Texas Tech University, (806) 742-2136 or amanda.castro-crist@ttu.edu
(News release from Texas Tech University)
