New Faculty Fellows Announced

The Office of Academic Affairs is pleased to announce Jonathan Santo, Ph.D., professor of psychology, and Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo, D. Ed., as the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s newest Leadership Faculty Fellows (LFF).

As LFF, Santo and Arroyo will support the development of diverse faculty leadership across the UNO campus, working collaboratively with the Office of Academic Affairs and across the colleges to develop or build capacity in areas of need.

“I am delighted to have Dr. Rodriguez-Arroyo and Dr. Santo joining Academic Affairs as Leadership Fellows,” said Candice Batton, Ph.D., Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs. “Both bring deep knowledge of the faculty experience and an understanding of UNO’s engaged metropolitan mission to the project areas in which they will be leading."

The LFF program allows faculty to develop leadership skills while working collaboratively on campus initiatives in ways that expand capacity within the Office of Academic Affairs in areas such as program assessment, general education curriculum changes, civic engagement, and more.

Santo, who earned his Ph.D. in 2009 from Concordia University in Quebec, serves as the director of the graduate developmental psychology program and associate director of UNO’s Office of Latino/Latin American Studies. His research focuses on individual and peer characteristics’ impact on peer acceptance and friendships.

He will be working with the Office of Academic Affairs and Academic Planning Council to reimagine the academic program review process.

“I'm excited to participate in UNO's academic fellowship program and eager to begin working on academic program review,” Santo said. “I think we have an opportunity to highlight the strengths of our various programs while making the review process as streamlined as possible."

Rodriguez-Arroyo earned her D.Ed. from Penn State University and currently serves as an associate professor of ESL/Bilingual Teacher Education. She is active with the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies and UNO’s Service Learning Academy. Her research focuses on educational opportunities for English Language Learners in Nebraska and preparing future teachers as the number of ELLs in the state continues to grow.

She will be working with the Office of Academic Affairs, the Faculty DEAI Advisory Committee, and Center for Faculty Excellence to advance DEAI-related initiatives and professional development.

“Including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as part of my role as an Administrative Faculty Fellow shows UNO’s commitment to address these aspects at the institutional level,” said Rodriguez-Arroyo. “Through this fellowship, I intend to develop and participate in initiatives that keep fostering a culture of inclusive excellence at UNO.”

The LFF program was originally launched in the 1990s as Administrative Leadership Academies and re-launched in 2012 as Administrative Faculty Fellows. Since 2012, seven faculty have served as fellows and, in the years following their service, have gone on to hold key leadership positions across the university.