Professor Kathleen McHugh has been appointed as the associate dean for diversity and equity at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT). Announced by TFT Dean Teri Schwartz, the appointment is part of a campus-wide “diversity responsibility” initiative launched by UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh.
Schwartz’s selection of McHugh, who has been on the faculty of the department of cinema and media studies as well as the department of English since 2002, was made in consultation with film, television and digital media chair William McDonald and department of theater chair Michael Hackett, along with other members of the dean’s leadership team.
“I firmly believe that a strong, excellent and sustainable community must be one built upon fundamental core values of diversity and inclusion,” Schwartz said. “I could think of no one better or more brilliantly qualified to take on the important work of this new position than Kathleen. She will be a great leader for UCLA TFT's diversity initiatives with our goal of becoming a gold standard model of diversity for UCLA. The chancellor and provost have made diversity the top initiative for this year and beyond; we are well aligned with campus goals.”
From 2005-2014, McHugh successfully directed the UCLA Center for the Study of Women, expanding its mission, external funding, research and public programs. She has also been active in campus equity, climate and diversity issues. The author and editor of three books as well as numerous articles, McHugh focuses her research on the blending of affect and politics in film genres, from melodrama to experimental film, and in films made by women such as Jane Campion (“The Piano”), Cheryl Dunye (“Stranger Inside”) and Lourdes Portillo (“Señorita Extraviata”). McHugh is currently researching the role of mental illness in such contemporary genres as police procedurals, political thrillers and science fiction.
This story is excerpted from the TFT website. Read the complete story here.
