Kyoko Amano, dean of the University of Houston-Victoria School of Arts & Sciences, was recently elected to serve as a board member of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, a national organization that represents hundreds of colleges and universities.
The council is a national association of more than 500 colleges and universities working together to represent the liberal arts and sciences disciplines at a national policy-making level and to improve the intellectual stature and public understanding of those disciplines. At the council’s annual conference in November, the member institutions elected Amano to serve a three-year term on the council’s 12-member board of directors.
“I'm very excited about this opportunity to serve this organization that I believe in,” said Amano, who joined the organization in 2017 when she earned her first position as a dean. “I really value what it has done for me.”
In recent years, Amano has facilitated several seminars, meetings and discussions for the organization and shared experiences and best practices with other deans through the council’s online discussion forum.
“If I have any questions or want to know how other universities are dealing with the kind of situation I’m in, I can always write to them with my question, and then several other deans answer my question,” she said. “So it’s a really supportive organization, and I appreciate all the people who help each other.”
Amano joins the board at an exciting time for the organization, said Amber Cox, the council’s executive director.
“We’re starting our strategic plan for the next five years where we will be doing more on the international scene, as well as expanding our opportunities in the virtual and in-person formats,” Cox said. “We’re going to be doing a whole lot more in coming years, and she is going to be a big part of identifying what the leadership development needs are and establishing the programing that responds to those needs.”
In July, the council’s executive offices were relocated from Williamsburg, Va., to San Antonio, and Texas A&M University-San Antonio will serve as the new host institution for the council. More than 2,000 deans, associate deans and assistant deans represent the member institutions of the association.
Amano said she looks forward to helping the council reach its goals and believes her new role as a board member will benefit the UHV School of Arts & Sciences.
“I want to be able to lead toward the future and meet the needs of diverse students,” she said. “This council, with the group of people and the network it provides, will help me achieve that, and serving on the board will make UHV known to many more people.”