Teaching part time this semester was not in her plans, but when U officials asked Theresa Martinez to take an administrative position, she couldn’t refuse.
“I did not want to be taken out of the classroom, but I couldn’t turn down this opportunity,” Martinez said.
When she announced she would take a position as special assistant to the senior vice president for academic affairs, Martinez upset some students.
Fewer class sections mean less of a chance to have her as a teacher. However, in the fall, Martinez will be back to teaching two class sections.
In her 12th year at the U, Martinez has served in many capacities.
Starting in 1990 as an assistant professor, she made the record books with her appointment as a tenured associate professor in 1996 and the first tenured Mexican American in Utah.
Martinez is an active member of the Chicano/a and Latino/a community both on and off campus. She has conducted cultural sensitivity training for the Salt Lake Police Department and the Utah Bar Association
“Her experience over the past four years with the Academic Senate Executive Committee well qualifies Martinez for the position,” said her new boss Dave Pershing, senior vice president for academic affairs.
Last year, Martinez was Senate president.
“From her experience with the faculty Senate, she knows most of the U’s administration and is also familiar with faculty members from many areas of the U,” Pershing said.
She is “very outgoing, very articulate and well connected to the community,” Pershing continued.
In her new position, Martinez said she looks forward to working with Irene Fisher on the Campus Community Partnership, better known as the West Side Initiative?a program designed to bring more West Side students to the U. She will also work closely with the Student Commission on many issues concerning undergraduate education.
Pershing said he already has a great relationship with Martinez and admires her for her ability to calmly and thoughtfully handle complex faculty issues.
Martinez is not quite sure if her long-term goals include more administrative jobs or whether she prefers to continue teaching full time.
“Right now, I’m really excited to be in this position working with the vice president and his team,” Martinez said.