National searches for deans of the College of Social Sciences and the College of Arts and Humanities at California State University, Fresno have concluded.
Provost Jeri Echeverria named Dr. Luz Gonzalez as Social Sciences dean and Dr. Vida Samiian as Arts and Humanities dean. Both had been serving as interim deans of their respective colleges.
“Dean Samiian and Dean Gonzalez were selected during national search processes containing nearly 30 apiece,” said Echeverria. “Each came highly recommended by the faculty search committees, which both did a very good job of providing excellent candidates for us to choose from.
“The campus should be proud of the fact that these two colleagues rose to the top in each process,” Echeverria said.
Gonzalez was named interim dean of the College of Social Sciences in 2003, after serving for two years as associate dean.
Since joining the faculty of the Department of Chicano and Latin American Studies in 1989, she has been active in campus life. In the early 1990s, she became coordinator of the successful Faculty Mentoring Program, a program she directed as a faculty member for about 10 years. During that period, she became chairperson of her Department and held that position for eight years.
In addition to these administrative positions, Gonzalez has been central to the annual Latino Commencement Ceremony since 1994. She also played a leadership role in the establishment of the Cesar Chavez Monument, chairs the President’s Commission on Human Relations and Equity, and has been a strong advocate for students and faculty on the campus.
Gonzalez completed her Ph.D. in elementary education at the University of Arizona in 1991.
Samiian has been serving as interim dean of the College of Arts and Humanities since the retirement of Dr. Luis Costa last year. She had been associate dean since 1994 and served as acting dean in fall 1997.
Her fields of specialization are syntax, first and second language acquisition, sociolinguistics and Indo-Iranian languages. Since joining the faculty member in the Department of Linguistics in 1984, Samiian has served in many capacities on behalf of the college. From 1989 through 1993, she served as chair of the Department of Linguistics.
In addition to her administrative duties, Samiian has played a central role in the development of University High School and the Summer Arts Program. She has also served as liaison to Fresno County Academic Decathlon, and has played a primary role in the solicitation of grants for the college.
A native of Tehran, Iran, Samiian attended UCLA for her bachelor’s degree in psychology and her M.A. and Ph.D. in linguistics, which she earned in 1983.
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