Rosilie Hernández named next dean of the UIC Honors College

Dear faculty, staff and students,

I am pleased to announce that following an internal search, Rosilie "Rosie" Hernández, PhD, has been named dean of the University of Illinois Chicago Honors College, effective Aug. 16, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

Hernández first joined UIC in 2001 as an assistant professor before rising to the rank of professor in 2019. With more than 30 years of professional experience, Hernández is a deeply respected professor of early modern Hispanic studies who began serving as the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' associate dean for student academic affairs in 2017 and was promoted to the senior associate dean for student academic affairs in 2025. Prior to this, she served as the inaugural associate director of the School of Literatures, Cultural Studies and Linguistics and, subsequently, as its director.

As a scholar, Professor Hernández has published two books, "Bucolic Metaphors: History, Subjectivity, and Gender in the Early Modern Spanish Pastoral" (North Carolina UP, 2006) and "Immaculate Conceptions: The Power of the Religious Imagination in Early Modern Spain" (Toronto UP, 2019); co-edited an award-winning volume, "Women's Literacy in Early Modern Spain and the New World" (Ashgate/Routledge, 2011); published numerous articles in highly ranked journals; refereed and reviewed articles, chapters and monographs for an array of publishers; and has been invited to and presented at dozens of conferences and symposia. She is also a three-time recipient of the LAS Dean's Award for Faculty Research in the Humanities, was a faculty fellow at the Institute for the Humanities and has directed multiple PhD student dissertations over the last two decades. Finally, she has demonstrated her commitment to the profession by organizing several international conferences, being elected as a two-term President of GEMELA (Grupo de estudios de la mujer en España y América Latina) and serving as a board member of the Cervantes Society of America and the Society for Renaissance and Baroque Hispanic Poetry.

Professor Hernández's passion for student success extends far beyond her unparalleled skills in developing and strengthening interdisciplinary systems and programs and centers the student experience above all else. As a seasoned leader at UIC, Professor Hernández has been central to the development of undergraduate student success programs and has actively advocated for and supported curricular changes for students across a variety of disciplines. Professor Hernández founded First-at-LAS, a program designed to support the academic success of first-generation and underrepresented students, and collaborated with the College of Engineering to oversee the development of the CS + Linguistics, CS + Philosophy and CS + Economics programs. Notably, Professor Hernández has secured more than $1 million in funding for her student success work from individual donors as well as grants from renowned organizations such as the Chicago Community Trust.

Among an excellent pool of finalists, Professor Hernández's extensive experience developing curricula and creating and securing funding for student success programs as senior associate dean for student academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, UIC's largest college, uniquely positions her to lead the Honors College into its next chapter. I have the utmost confidence that the appointment of Professor Hernández as the next dean will be transformative for both the Honors College as well as our university as a whole, and that, as dean, she will lead the Honors College to reach new levels of excellence.

I want to take a moment to thank Dean David Eddington for his critical leadership as chair of the search committee, as well as each member of the committee for their time and dedication to this critical search.

Hernández will succeed Dean Ralph Keen, who has led the Honors College exceptionally for more than a decade, and will return to the faculty in August.

Please join me in congratulating Professor Hernández and welcoming her as the new dean of the UIC Honors College.

Sincerely,

Karen J. Colley, PhD
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

For more information, please contact:
Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
[email protected]