It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Angela Booker, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, as the inaugural Provost of Eighth College, effective January 3, 2023.
Professor Booker has been a member of the Communication faculty for the last 10 years. Her scholarly work explores the intersection between communication, learning, community engagement, social justice and undoing structural racism. She is co-editor of the book, “Power and Privilege in the Learning Sciences: Critical and Sociocultural Theories of Learning,” with Indigo Esmonde, and has published extensively on the topics of learning theory and technology, civic practice and engagement, and social change. She is an active, long-time member of the Democracy Lab in the Department of Communication and is also the co-director of the Black Studies Project.
In addition to her research and writing, Professor Booker has repeatedly demonstrated her teaching excellence and commitment to students. She has been the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Communication since 2021. An active member of the Thurgood Marshall College faculty, she has served on the executive committee and is the Faculty Director of the Public Service minor. She was selected for the Outstanding Faculty Award by the Black Resource Center and was a Hellman Fellow in 2014-15.
Through the many facets of her work, Professor Booker has demonstrated a deep commitment to student success and the vision of Eighth College and its theme of “Engagement and Community,” through which students can develop an understanding of their own identities’ vis á vis broader communities. Booker’s work in areas including access to math learning as a civil rights issue and her long-time partnership with the Town & Country Learning Center in Southeast San Diego, as well as her research and writing in the areas of social justice, community service and organizing for policy change, and the inclusion of young people in civic participation make her uniquely suited to leading UC San Diego’s newest college. As the inaugural Provost, Professor Booker will spearhead the implementation of Eighth College’s Academic Plan, provide oversight on the hiring process for the college’s staff and leadership team, and oversee preparations for the brand-new Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood, which will become the home of Eighth College.
We are delighted to have Provost Booker at the helm of Eighth College during this exciting time. Please join us in congratulating her on her appointment and in wishing her every success as she embarks on this next chapter.
