Ala Qubbaj

Ala R. Qubbaj is Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs & Diversity at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). He is also Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Prior to this position, he was Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at The University of Texas - Pan American (UTPA), a position he founded. Between UTRGV and UTPA, Qubbaj created a New Faculty Support Program, a Second Year Faculty Support Program, the Academic Affairs Leadership Program, a Summer Writing Program, a Faculty Excellence Awards Program, and a Faculty Travel Support Program.
One of Qubbaj's major professional achievements has been his role as the lead Co-Principal Investigator and Project Director of the UTRGV/UTPA ADVANCE Program on Attracting and Nurturing Women at a Hispanic-Serving Institution funded by the National Science Foundation through an ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant. The PI is Havidan Rodriguez, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. This Program has a series of integrated components and initiatives related to faculty recruitment, retention, and advancement, including the ADVANCE Leadership Institute, the ADVANCE Associate to Full Professor Program, and the Women's Faculty Network. Qubbaj has overseen a variety of coordinated activities and collaborations with other institutions that have NSF ADVANCE Programs, including the University of California Davis, and Jackson State University.
Due to his efforts to promote faculty and ensure faculty governance, in its final act before being consolidated into UTRGV, the UTPA Faculty Senate recognized and honored Qubbaj through a unanimously-passed resolution on April 29, 2015.
Education
Ala Qubbaj earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.

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