Guzmán named Faculty Member of the Year - June 19, 2007

Dr. Michele Guzmán, an assistant professor in the College of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology, was named Faculty Member of the Year at the Hispanic Faculty/Staff Association’s (HFSA) end-of-semester celebration luncheon on June 12. The HFSA also honored Guzmán with the 2007-2008 Faculty Professional Development Award, which included a gift of $500 for use in research, teaching or training pursuits.

Guzmán has been a member of the HFSA for six years and is the second College of Education faculty member in a row to be named Faculty Member of the Year. Dr. Angela Valenzuela - an associate professor and faculty member in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Department of Educational Administration and the Center for Mexican American Studies, as well as director of the Texas Center for Educational Policy – was named Faculty Member of the Year last year.

Guzmán’s primary area of research interest is multicultural counseling, with a focus on ethnic and racial identity issues. Some of her initial scholarly inquiries included an investigation of the connection between ethnic identity and academic achievement among Mexican origin youth. She also is interested in how valid racial identity constructs are when applied beyond the narrow parameters of "black and white" and extended to Asian Americans and to Latinos who are multiracial.

Having taught a multicultural counseling course for several semesters, Guzmán has developed research interests that include training issues within that discipline.

The HFSA was created in 1991 and has been successful at promoting a sense of community, as well as professional development support and networking opportunities, for Latino faculty and staff on The University of Texas at Austin campus.

—Kay Randall, University Communications, 512-232-3910

Related Links:

• Dr. Michele Guzmán's Online Profile