As a prolific film historian who works in the field, Dr. Adrienne McLean equips her students by sharing her insight and experience. Teaching film studies at the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, her areas of specialization are film history and theory, women and film, classical Hollywood cinema, and theatrical dance history, among other subjects.
Never an “easy A,” Dr. McLean is known for challenging her students to “actually learn about film” and “apply themselves.” Described as “open-minded, engaging, funny, and incredibly insightful,” she tailors discussions based on her students’ passions providing opportunities for new insight.
After working with her for three semesters, doctoral student Brecken Hunter Wellborn nominated Dr. McLean.
Before joining UT Dallas’ pool of talented TA’s three years ago, Shivika Mathur was an instructor in India.
In her Rhetoric class, Shivika is known for fostering an environment of respect where her students feel safe and free to share their perspectives and connect through analytical discourse. To keep her students engaged, Shivika asks open-ended questions, invites a reply, and affirms their responses as they participate. Dr. Carie S. Tucker King, clinical professor and associate director of rhetoric at UT Dallas, nominated Shivika after observing one of her classes and realizing how much she cares about her students.
To get the job done, the person to call is Molly Dickinson. An experienced administrative leader Molly has served as School Fiscal Officer at UT Dallas for over a decade. As a trusted advisor to leadership, she plays a pivotal role in the organizational operation of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology.
She oversees a talented team of operational administrators who keep AHT running. Together they help 200 faculty, 60 staff, 150 teaching/research assistants, 80 student staff, and balance more than 300 accounts (cost centers.) And they do this with a smile.
Along with her skillset in administration, Molly holds a Juris Doctor degree (cum laude) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MS in Library Science with a focus on Data Management from Texas Women’s University. Molly is the most experienced fiscal officer on campus, making her a knowledgeable advisor to colleagues with similar titles across the university. Those who work with Molly describe her as “light-hearted and a joy to work with.”
As someone whose responsibility includes policy implementation and compliance, she handles her work with compassion, kindness, and grace.
Dr. LaToya Watkins is a renowned author whose debut novel Perish is named “Most Anticipated Book of 2022” by Good Morning America.com, Essence, Esquire, The Root, Bustle, PopSugar, Ms. Magazine, and The Millions.
A lecturer at the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology at UT Dallas, Watkins’ writing has appeared in A Public Space, The Sun, Kweli Journal, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Kenyon Review, and The Pushcart Prize Anthology. She has received grants, scholarships, and fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, and A Public Space (she was a 2018 Emerging Writers Fellow.)
Watkins is a three-time alum earning her PhD in Aesthetic Studies, her MA in Aesthetics Studies/Creative Writing, and her BA in Literary Studies from the School of Arts and Humanities at UT Dallas.
A retired design engineer, Jerry Comer (MS’77) earned his master’s degree in management from UT Dallas during his career at Texas Instruments. But like most Comets, Comer’s passion lies in the arts.
Comer gifts his time, talent, and treasure to the arts at UT Dallas. His generosity and passion have established collections that provide research and educational opportunities for faculty and students. He sponsors an annual guest photographer program to enrich academic experiences for graduate students. He currently serves on the AHT Dean’s Advisory Council, assisting the dean in matters that involve community outreach and fundraising.
He received the Green and Orange Award for Alumni Service in 2018, and he and his late wife Marilyn made the single largest contribution during Comets Giving Days 2021. Their gift of $500,000 created a new endowment supporting the Jerry and Marilyn Comer Photography Collection, an archive of nearly 2,000 photos, books, and periodicals documenting American life from the mid-to-late-20th century.
Visit our Awards page to see all of our recipients from previous years.