New dean of UTA College of Education is Purdue expert in special education, faculty development and technology literacy

Doughty was selected through a national search and brings more than 30 years of experience as an educator, faculty member and university administrator, and as teacher to children with disabilities in Alabama and Georgia before moving into faculty positions at Georgia State University, Oglethorpe University in Georgia, and Purdue in Indiana.

Doughty is a past President of the Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children and is the organization's current executive director. During her 17-year career with Purdue, she represented the university on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education's Statewide General Education Transfer Core Task Force, the national Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation Board of Visitors and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Board of Examiners. 

Doughty has contributed to research that examined effective instructional strategies leading to increased community participation for individuals with severe disabilities and autism, assistive technology, stimulus control and transition planning. Her research has earned nearly $2.5 million in external funding and numerous awards, and she is the author or co-author of more than 50 publications. In 2013, she was inducted into the Purdue Book of Great Teachers, Center for Instructional Excellence.

At UTA, Doughty will lead a college of almost 2,400 students, 43 faculty members, and robust campus-based and online education programs offering bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and certificates for aspiring principals and superintendents. The College of Education's online graduate education programs are ranked No. 30 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, and the College's overall graduate programs are ranked No. 120.

"Dr. Doughty is a national scholar and proven leader who, through research, scholarship and teacher preparation, has helped to shape and enhance instruction for thousands of students across top-ranked institutions. I am confident that she will bring that same blueprint for success to UTA," President Vistasp M. Karbhari said. "Dr. Doughty will provide clear direction for an established college that has to date produced many of the public school leaders across North Texas and is prepared for even greater achievement that aligns with UTA's Strategic Plan and the state's 60x30TX higher education plan."

Dean Maryann Santos of Purdue's College of Education said, "As Associate Dean for Learning at Purdue, Dr. Doughty was able to move her programs, the college, and the campus forward in exceptional ways. Working in concert with her co-chair and committee, she successfully united faculty and colleagues around the idea of a core curriculum in just one year. She will bring demonstrated leadership skills and a strong national network to the University of Texas at Arlington and we at Purdue will miss her greatly."

Doughty said she will assess the needs and priorities of the College of Education faculty while looking strategically to expand current initiatives, doctoral programs, and to perhaps introduce new instructional pathways.

"I plan to build relationships with the North Texas community and P-12 schools to ensure greater access to the College's existing programs," she said. "Faculty and staff have positioned the College of Education to be at the forefront of technology, and we will place great emphasis on technology literacy as well as articulate the value of a college education as a research learning institution. The focus should be on impact and on helping to shape and improve instruction across the institution."

Doughty earned her undergraduate degree in special education from Auburn University in Alabama and her master's and Ph.D. from Georgia State University. A dedicated advocate for community service, Doughty said she plans to remain involved in community leadership activities.

Doughty said that because of her experience at elite research institutions, both as a professor, administrator, graduate and undergraduate student, she will be thinking in terms of growth and development when she joins the University.

"UTA is in its first year as a Carnegie R1 institution, and I am very impressed with the level of accomplishment, experience and energy of the faculty and staff," Doughty said. "Together, I believe that we have the leadership to move forward and to establish the college as an even more valued entity."

Doughty is the mother of three adult children. She and her husband, Randy, also have three young grandchildren.

About the UTA College of Education
The UTA College of Education offers nationally-ranked degree programs in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership, as well as three dynamic centers: Bilingual and ESL Education, K-16 Education Policy and Research, and the Southwest Center for Mind, Brain and Education. For a second consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has named the College of Education's online graduate programs among the nation's best, and Value Colleges ranked the College No. 2 among the Top 50 Best Value Online Graduate Education programs of 2016. With more than 800 graduates last year, the college is one of the state's leading producers of highly educated teachers and administrators.  Accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, the College offers baccalaureate degrees in Elementary Education (with certification in Bilingual Education and teaching English as a Second Language), a Middle-Level Education (4-8), Secondary Education (7-12 and all-level), 8 master's degrees including Literacy Studies, and an innovative K-16 Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Visit www.uta.edu/coed/ to learn more.

About The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a Carnegie Research-1 "highest research activity" institution of about 55,000 students in campus-based and online degree programs and is the second-largest institution in The University of Texas System. U.S. News & World Report ranks UTA fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. The University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times' 2016 Best for Vets list. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more, and find UTA rankings and recognition at www.uta.edu/uta/about/rankings.php. 

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SOURCE The University of Texas at Arlington