Dr. J. Michael Coleman Named Associate Provost

And Given Other Expanded Responsibilities at UTD  

 Undergraduate Education Has Made Great Progress Under His Leadership

    RICHARDSON, Texas (April 27, 2001) ­ The University of Texas at Dallas announced today that Dr. J. Michael Coleman has been appointed to an expanded portfolio of responsibilities as associate provost and dean of undergraduate education.  Coleman, who joined UTD’s faculty in 1978 and currently holds the rank of professor in UTD’s School of Human Development, has served as UTD’s dean of undergraduate studies since Sept. 1, 1997.

    Undergraduate education at UTD has made dramatic progress on many different fronts under Coleman’s leadership.  Freshman enrollment has grown from 607 for the Fall 1997 semester to 924 for Fall 2000.  The scholastic excellence of the UTD Freshman class has been sustained during this growth, with the UTD class ranking along with UT Austin as one of the two most selective public universities in Texas, according to Time Magazine (November 2000).

    Along with stimulating, guiding and managing this exceptional growth, Coleman has led the creation of a comprehensive and intensive program of academic advisement for undergraduate students that has yielded major benefits in terms of student retention and academic success.  He also has been the key administrator in expanding the breadth and depth of UTD’s intercollegiate academic competition programs.  Over the last year, UTD’s Chess team has become the National Collegiate Champion, its Debate Team has finished first at the National Junior Division Debate Tournament and its Creative Problem Solving Team has taken first at the Destination ImagiNation Global Competition.

    Coleman has made major contributions to university advancement through his administration of the UTD Redman Scholars Program.  Thanks to his leadership, the Redman Foundation has increased the number of UTD students supported under this program from 13 in FY 1997 to 32 for FY 2001.  He also supervised the creation of the Polsky Scholarship Program, and has played a key role in the creation and implementation of the McDermott Scholars Program that commences in Fall 2001.

      Over the last few years, Coleman has taken responsibility for leading UTD’s efforts in designing Articulation Agreements between UTD and community colleges, most recently the path-breaking agreement between UTD and Collin County Community College.  These agreements encourage and facilitate the progress of students from the community college curricula to the demanding UTD upper-division curriculum, to the benefit of the students and also to both the originating institutions and to UTD.  He also is currently representing the UTD administration in ongoing consultations as the UT System and its component institutions study the issue of learning assessment.

      UTD Provost Dr. Hobson Wildenthal said that Coleman’s appointment as associate provost and dean of undergraduate education reflects the broad and diverse set of high-level responsibilities that have devolved to him over these years of growth in the size and complexity of undergraduate education at UTD.  It will further enhance his ability to represent the university in the important negotiations with other institutions and in interactions with friends and supporters of the university, areas in which he has already demonstrated great effectiveness, Wildenthal said.

    About UTD

      The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls approximately 6,500 undergraduate and 4,500 graduate students.  The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores.  The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs.