The TCU College of Fine Arts has named Lori Diel, Ph.D., its new associate dean for research and faculty development. In this role, Diel will work to support undergraduate, graduate and faculty research and creative activity, as well as provide faculty-oriented programming in the College.
Diel has extensive experience in academic research, grant writing and mentorship. She has been a TCU School of Art faculty member since 2001 and has served in her current role as professor of art history since 2018. She is the author of three books, including the groundbreaking The Codex Mexicanus: A Guide to Life in Late Sixteenth-Century New Spain. She has published articles in several professional journals.
As associate dean, Diel will provide strategic leadership for the development, innovation and implementation of programming that supports research and creative activities, including serving as liaison to the Honors College and the TCU graduate dean. She will administer the College’s student grant programs and collaborate with the dean to administer faculty grants. She will also coordinate the College’s tenure and promotion policies and procedures, as well as work to strengthen junior faculty mentorship, DEI programming and ongoing professional development for faculty in the College.
“I am excited to take on this new role for the College of Fine Arts to advocate for our faculty and to support their research and creative activity. I look forward to contributing to and expanding upon the College’s already impressive DEI initiatives and to working with junior faculty on mentorship programs to guide them through the promotion process,” said Diel. “This is a difficult moment for the arts, and in this new position, I hope to help our faculty meet these challenges and to grow from them.”
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Diel has served TCU through a number of committees and leadership roles, including as the coordinator of both the undergraduate and graduate art history programs and the College’s current diversity advocate.
Diel earned her Ph.D. in Latin American studies with a concentration in Latin American art history from Tulane University. She also earned a master’s degree in Latin American studies from Tulane University and a bachelor’s degree in art history and anthropology from Emory University.