Dedman College announces two new faculty leadership appointments

SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences has announced new leadership appointments for Brian Zoltowski, PhD, and Elizabeth Russ, PhD. Zoltowski has been promoted to Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Graduate Affairs while Russ has been appointed as the inaugural Associate Dean for Partnerships and will also serve as the Director of the Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute ad-interim. “These appointments reflect where we are headed as a college and the areas where we see significant opportunities for growth,” said Janarthanan Jayawickramarajah, Elisabeth Martin Armstrong Dean of Dedman College.

In his new role, Zoltowski will provide leadership across faculty affairs, graduate education, facilities, and IT, working closely with the dean, department chairs and faculty across the college. A central focus will be supporting faculty throughout their careers at SMU, from recruitment and onboarding to development, promotion, tenure and recognition. Zoltowski will also lead efforts to strengthen faculty mentoring and increase nominations for prestigious awards. “My immediate goals are to help our faculty succeed and to help build an environment conducive to faculty excellence,” Zoltowski said. His responsibilities also include the oversight of graduate affairs, including recruitment, program development, and student support, as well as collaboration with college leadership on research infrastructure, facilities, and space. For Zoltowski, the role builds on what initially attracted him to SMU: the University’s commitment to both research and teaching. “I originally came to SMU because the University has a dual emphasis on research and teaching,” Zoltowski said. “Being at an institution of like-minded faculty who are passionate about working with the next generation of leaders is inspiring, and I look forward to helping cultivate an environment that continues our upward trajectory without losing focus on this core mission.”

Russ’ new role will focus on building partnerships and expanding opportunities for Dedman College students to apply their knowledge through internships, research, community engagement and other work-integrated learning experiences. She will lead efforts to develop relationships with Dallas-area institutions, nonprofits, government, and industry and serve as Dedman College’s liaison to the newly created SMU Dallas Office. One of Russ’ first priorities is understanding what already exists across the College. “My top priority is to have conversations with departments and programs to learn about the kinds of partnerships and internship opportunities we already have in place, identify areas of potential growth and understand how I can support my colleagues across Dedman College.” Russ served as chair of the Department of World Languages and Literatures from 2019 to 2025. For more than a decade, she has also co-taught The Greater Dallas Experience, a course examining the city alongside colleagues from across SMU. She sees the new role as an opportunity to put that knowledge of Dallas to work for students. “I am especially excited about using the academic knowledge I have gained about our city to engage in real-life relationships that can have transformative impacts on Dedman College students,” Russ said.

These two positions are integral for Dedman College. Faculty excellence is central to everything we do–from teaching and research to student mentorship. On the other hand, building partnerships, especially with Dallas Institutions, will provide Dedman College students with the experiential learning required to thrive in their future careers,” said Dean Jayawickramarajah.

Together, the appointments strengthen Dedman College’s leadership capacity in areas central to its academic mission while creating additional support for faculty, students, departments and programs across the College.