[VPAAEtal] Dr. Ashanka Kumari Selected as New Associate Dean of the Graduate School

[Academic Affairs]

I am excited to announce that Dr. Ashanka Kumari will be joining the Graduate School as the Associate Dean beginning August 1.

Dr. Kumari brings more than a decade of experience in higher education, including time as Interim Assistant Department Head, Doctoral Program Coordinator, and Director of Writing in the Department of Literature and Languages. She is well-prepared to contribute meaningfully to the Graduate School’s commitment to student preparedness, academic excellence, and research advancement. Dr. Kumari is passionate about fostering high-quality graduate programs and supporting both students and faculty in achieving their academic and professional goals.
As Doctoral Program Coordinator for the PhD in English, Dr. Kumari worked closely with faculty and university leadership to enhance curriculum development, streamline admissions and dissertation processes, conduct program reviews, and mentor graduate students. In this role, she led significant revisions to the doctoral degree plan to ensure compliance with emphasis area requirements with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and expanded professional development programming to include discussions on careers beyond academia. This summer she is collaborating with Dean Schroeder and Dr. Curt Carlson on developing doctoral faculty training sessions aimed at strengthening graduate student research mentorship. Beyond her administrative and leadership experience, Dr. Kumari brings a strong scholarly background with a record of peer-reviewed publications and data-driven research on graduate study.

Dr. Kumari earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Bachelor of Arts in English at The University of Alabama. She holds a master’s in English, Composition and Rhetoric and Digital Humanities Certificate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a doctorate in English, Rhetoric and Composition from the University of Louisville.

Please congratulate Dr. Kumari on joining the Graduate School, and the Graduate School on gaining such an amazing associate dean.

Jennifer L. Schroeder, PhD

Dean

Graduate School

P: 903.886.5159



[TAMUC logo]<https://www.tamuc.edu/>



NOTE: As of May 5, 2025, my email changed to Jennifer.Schroeder at etamu.edu<mailto:Jennifer.Schroeder at etamu.edu>. Please make this change in your address book.
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