AMES, Iowa -- An agricultural educator from Tennessee has been named the new assistant dean for diversity at Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Theressa Cooper, director of Academic Success Programs and Outreach Initiatives at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will begin Feb. 1.
The assistant dean for diversity is a new position that was created to coordinate, manage and implement the college's existing diversity programs, such as the George Washington Carver Summer Internship program and Graduate Assistant Research Match (GRAM) program; lead efforts to identify new opportunities to enhance diversity goals to benefit students, faculty and staff; and connect with minority serving institutions nationwide in terms of teaching, research and outreach/extension activities.
"We are very excited to have Dr. Cooper join the college and oversee our diversity programs," said Joe Colletti, senior associate dean. "We are confident that she has the skills, knowledge and abilities to lead our diversity programs to achieve new levels of success and impact."
Cooper joined the University of Tennessee in 2003 as program coordinator for Retention and Diversity Initiatives after earning a master's degree in agricultural education in 2002 and a bachelor's degree in agricultural development in 2001 from Texas A&M University. She earned a doctorate degree in education from the University of Tennessee in 2010, the same year she took her present position.