The Director of Multicultural Affairs, Mrs. Melanie Sheppard, has been awarded the inaugural Student Success Champion Award for her contributions in creating and delivering the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) curriculum in first-year seminar courses. The Division of Student Success selected Mrs. Sheppard for this award based on her demonstrated dedication to create a culture of belonging for new students at UTA. “Melanie’s tremendous efforts to ensuring delivery of this new curriculum could be executed on time and in a quality manner were nothing short of heroic,” said Ashley Purgason, Associate Vice Provost for Student Success. Danielle Klein, Director of New Student Courses, shared that “She understood what our students needed and was intentional and committed in providing all these different resources to them. Her contributions are invaluable.”
Melanie continues to make an impact today, leading programming in the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Her innovative spirit and tenacity for service to students make her a Maverick to look up to. “I am extremely proud of Melanie and honored to have her expertise and passion for students in the Division of Student Affairs. She embodies what it truly means to be a Maverick. This honor is well deserved and is representative of her exemplary service to student success and our campus partners,” said Lisa Nagy, Vice President for Student Affairs.
As the Director of Multicultural Affairs for almost three years now, Sheppard has worked to “cultivate inclusive and equitable engagements within the UTA campus community through intercultural dialogue, social justice education,” as the Multicultural Affairs webpage says, “and build collaborative relationships through transformative learning.” Congratulations to Melanie on this well-deserved recognition!
About the Student Success Champion Award
The Division of Student Success selects deserving individuals each year to receive the Student Success Champion Award, including a monetary award and recognition at an annual event. The award celebrates advancements in student success culture and innovation, retention and completion, service to students, and experiential learning.