Keith Akins is ready to facilitate faculty-student engagement to improve relationships and increase in-person learning, as he readies for his term as president of the University of Houston-Victoria’s Faculty Senate.

Akins, a UHV associate professor of criminal justice and director of the undergraduate criminal justice program, was elected as president of the UHV Faculty Senate for the 2024-2025 academic year. This is the third time Akins will hold the role of Faculty Senate president since he joined UHV’s faculty in 2008.

“It’s a great honor, and I appreciate their trust in me,” Akins said. “And like always, I will do my best to fulfill their expectations.”

Humberto Hernandez, an assistant professor of biology, served as the previous president.

Humberto Hernandez

"It has been an honor to serve as president of our Faculty Senate," Hernandez said. "During this time, we have navigated significant challenges and celebrated remarkable achievements. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues for their support and dedication, which has been instrumental in our collective success. I have full faith that the incoming President, Keith Akins, will do a great job at representing the faculty."

For this third term as president, Akins wants to enhance direct engagement to strengthen the relationship between faculty and students, he said. Face-to-face interactions are crucial in the educational experience, and those connections are vital to both personal and academic growth, he said. An equally significant goal is to restore effective working relationships between faculty and administration. Akins wants to return to a more collaborative and cooperative dynamic that benefits the entire academic community, he said.

Keith Akins

“I don’t believe any of the faculty become professors so they could sit in front of a laptop; I think most of us really want to be in a classroom and have vibrant discussions and teach directly,” Akins said. “Secondly, I think students who are in a classroom, are engaged in campus activities and have personal relationships with their faculty are more likely to graduate.”

In addition to Akins, the Faculty Senate members for the 2024-2025 year are as follows:

Executive Committee:

• Vice President: Nadya Pittendrigh, associate professor of English, College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Secretary: Janelle Bouknight, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, College of Education & Health Professions
• Member At-Large: Peggy Cloninger, professor of management, College of Business

Senators:

• Alex Aidov, associate professor of finance, College of Business
• Jonathan Du, associate professor of accounting, College of Business
• Kwan Lee, assistant professor of management, College of Business
• Emmanuel Quansah, assistant professor of management, College of Business
• Mark Ward, professor of communication, College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Saba Razvi, associate professor of English and creative writing, College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Sara Zedaker, associate professor of criminal justice, College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Blake Stricklin, lecturer, College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Barba Patton, professor of curriculum & instruction, College of Education & Health Professions
• Chang Lee, associate professor of kinesiology & sports management, College of Education & Health Professions
• Paul Carlson, professor of curriculum & instruction, College of Education & Health Professions
• Sharon de Martin, assistant professor of special education, College of Education & Health Professions
• Aobo Jin, assistant professor of computer science, College of Natural & Applied Science
• Hardik Gohel, assistant professor of computer science, College of Natural & Applied Science
• Ali Dogan, associate professor of mathematics, College of Natural & Applied Science
• Amy Cuevas, mathematics lecturer, College of Natural & Applied Science