The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASSE) has announced several leadership transitions, bringing experienced faculty and staff into key roles across the college.
Kris McAbee, a 16-year UA Little Rock veteran, is the new associate dean of Operations for the college. Most recently, McAbee served as director of the School of Literary and Performing Arts, and she brings an extensive background in digital humanities, archival systems, and project management to her operations role. Dr. McAbee is a graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where she majored in psychology and English literature. She holds a master’s degree in humanistic studies from New York University and a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Angela Hunter will serve as interim director of the School of Literary and Performing Arts while continuing as a professor of English. Dr. Hunter joined UA Little Rock in 2004 and brings more than two decades of university experience to the interim leadership role, including past terms as chair of both the philosophy and interdisciplinary studies departments. Dr. Hunter is a graduate of Colorado College, where she majored in comparative literature. She holds a master’s degree in French literature from New York University and a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Emory University in Atlanta.
Leadership in the School of Human Inquiry is further strengthened with Kathryn King taking on the role of interim director. With 17 years of service at UA Little Rock, she brings deep institutional knowledge to the position, having previously served as interim co-director of the school for the past three years. She is a biological anthropologist with a variety of research interests, all of which involve studying the influence of cultural behaviors on human biology. Professor King received her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee.