Divisional Dean Robyn Driskell Named Executive Director and President’s Chief of Staff

June 10, 2016
Robyn Driskell

Robyn L. Driskell, Ph.D., President's Chief of Staff

Interim President David Garland praises Driskell’s strong leadership

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WACO, Texas (June 10, 2016) — Robyn L. Driskell, Ph.D., Divisional Dean for Humanities and Social Sciences in the College of Arts & Sciences, has been named Executive Director and President’s Chief of Staff by Baylor University Interim President David Garland, Ph.D. In this role, Driskell will be responsible for strategic communications from the President’s Office, collaboration on leadership initiatives, coordination of Board relations and representing the President in a variety of official capacities.

“Robyn has had lengthy experience with issues important to faculty and in meeting educational goals from her work as Divisional Dean in Arts & Sciences,” Garland said. “She has demonstrated strong leadership, is an excellent administrator and has good relationships with the Regents. She has so many gifts, and I am most grateful that she was willing to accept this new assignment.”

“I am so excited and honored to be a part of the President’s office during this time in Baylor’s history,” Driskell said. “I am privileged to work with Dr. David Garland and look forward to working with all groups across campus and beyond. My experience at Baylor has provided a great foundation as I move into this new role. We have some important steps to take in order to move us forward and continue fulfilling Baylor’s mission. I know that Baylor’s future is bright.”

Driskell, a professor of sociology, has served in various capacities at Baylor, including as the Executive Associate Dean, Graduate Program Director, Interim Director of the Institute for Church State Studies and the Coordinator of Academic Assessment for SACS Accreditation.

As Divisional Dean, she oversaw 14 departments in the College of Arts & Sciences: art; classics; communication; English; history; journalism, public relations and new media; modern foreign languages; museum studies; philosophy; political science; religion; sociology; film and digital media; and theatre arts.

Her responsibilities included faculty issues, faculty interviews and hiring, tenure reviews, annual performance reviews, annual faculty raises and the college budget. Additionally, she has worked closely with departmental chairs, overseen departmental matters, departmental budgets and difficult personnel issues and conducted chair annual evaluations and raises. Her main goal was to support and advise faculty for their advancement and success.

Her scholarly research interests include community, demography and Latino studies. She has written several peer-reviewed journal articles on these topics.

Driskell is co-author of “The Community in Urban Society” (2012) and “The Discourse on Applied Sociology” (2007). She was awarded the Outstanding Professor Teaching Award (2002) and the Outstanding Graduate Program Director Award (2008) at Baylor, plus several competitive summer sabbaticals and research leaves. She has served her sociology professional society in a variety of roles and was president of the Southwestern Sociological Association in 2008.

Driskell received her Ph.D. in sociology from Texas A&M University in 1997 and her B.A. (1991) and M.A. (1993) from Baylor University.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.