Mottet named dean of Fine Arts and Communication

Posted by University News Service

April 12, 2011

Timothy Mottet has been named dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Texas State University-San Marcos, effective July 1.

Mottet currently chairs the Department of Communication at the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) and holds the Henry and Margaret Hauser Endowed Chair in Communication there.  

Mottet’s appointment at Texas State represents a homecoming of sorts for the new dean. From 1998-2007, Mottet was a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies at Texas State. He earned tenure in 2003 and was promoted to professor in 2007. He received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Service in 2005, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Research in 2004, and eight College and Department teaching awards throughout his nine years at Texas State.

“During his time at Texas State, Tim Mottet was one of our most respected and highly honored professors,” said Texas State President Denise Trauth. “It is a pleasure to welcome him back to our university. I am confident that he will be a strong and effective leader for the College of Fine Arts and Communication.”

At UTPA, Mottet is responsible for leading a department with three undergraduate areas of academic study including Theatre/TV/Film, Journalism/Mass Communication, and Communication Studies. His duties also include coordinating two graduate programs (Communication and Theatre), directing a research lab, and overseeing student publications, radio/television studios, a summer film program, and a main stage and studio theatres. 

Mottet serves as a co-principle investigator on a Title 5 grant from the Department of Education promoting post-baccalaureate opportunities for Hispanic Americans and co-authored an initiative to develop a Center of Excellence in Latino Health Communication and Literacies on the UTPA campus.

The Texas State College of Fine Arts and Communication contains the School of Music and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the departments of Art and Design, Theatre and Dance, and Communication Studies.

Mottet has co-authored four books, published 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and presented over 45 competitively selected conference papers at regional, national, and international conferences.  His research appears in Communication Education, Communication Quarterly, Communication Research Reports, Journal of Psychology, and Psychological Reports. Between 2002 and 2008, Mottet was listed among the top 20 most prolific researchers in Communication Studies.

Mottet earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from William Jewell College, a Master of Science degree from Boston University, and an Ed.D. from West Virginia University. He is a 2010 graduate of Harvard University’s Management Development Program for higher education leaders.

Mottet will replace Richard Cheatham as dean. Cheatham joined the Texas State faculty in 1978 and has served as dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication since 1985.