Paula Amad

Associate Professor, Department of Cinematic Arts

PhD, University of Chicago

Joined UI faculty in 20024

Graduate students are a critical cornerstone of a vibrant research university. At a moment when graduate education faces significant challenges, I am committed to helping the University of Iowa not only sustain but thoughtfully reimagine its support for graduate students in innovative, collaborative, and humane ways. For more than twenty years, I have worked closely with graduate students as a mentor, instructor, Director of Graduate Studies, and Chair, leading substantive reforms of our graduate programs in partnership with students, faculty, and staff. Most notably, I established our now-required Success in Graduate Studies course—developed in response to student and faculty requests —which integrates rigorous academic writing instruction, professional development training, and preparation for diverse career pathways. In my graduate seminars more broadly, I have had the privilege of witnessing the transformative research that emerges when the arts and humanities are given space to interact creatively and rigorously. A central component of both this course and my broader graduate teaching is sustained attention to student wellbeing, grounded in an awareness of the complex and often competing roles graduate students inhabit as both students and employees. As a former international student myself, I am especially attentive to the distinct needs of international graduate students and to fostering structures that strengthen their sense of belonging and opportunity. Working within a department that supports M.A., Ph.D., and M.F.A. students has also given me a strong appreciation for the varied structures, expectations, and professional trajectories across graduate programs, and I am committed to serving this full spectrum of graduate education at Iowa. Finally, I believe that even complex institutional challenges can yield productive solutions when stakeholders are empowered to collaborate rather than compete. I would bring that spirit of constructive partnership to my work on the Graduate Council.

Paul Kalina

Associate Professor, Department of Theatre Arts

MFA, University of Idaho

Joined UI faculty 2009

Under current funding restrictions and outside scrutiny, graduate training in the arts is having to reexamine itself and how it functions within academia. As the head of the MFA Acting program in Theatre Arts for the past eleven years, I work closely with the graduate faculty to adapt to changes in funding and a general reduction in graduate population, while still prioritizing a high level of training and the needs of our graduate students. I’ve worked to restructure curriculum, mentorships, funding, and teaching assistantships to prepare our graduate students to enter the profession upon graduation, whether that be in the industry or academia. One of my goals has been to ensure a wide range of populations are represented in our cohort so that the other programs, such as our renowned playwriting program, benefit from various perspectives and have access to a wide range of actors to tell their stories. This helps our programs thrive, while many others around the country are shuttering. I know the struggles in the arts are mirrored in other programs across the College.  I welcome the opportunity to work with other CLAS faculty and administrators to address the diverse challenges our programs face, while at the same time finding ways to strengthen and enliven the caliber of our graduate education.