Roberts tapped as Interim Dean of College of Liberal Arts

Dr. Melinda Roberts, Professor of Criminal Justice, has accepted the position of Interim Dean of the University of Southern Indiana College of Liberal Arts, effective Thursday, August 12. She previously served as Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

Prior to her appointment as Associate Dean, Roberts served on a variety of USI committees and advisory positions, including the USI Sexual Assault and Gender Violence Prevention Group, Study Abroad Committee, Student Publications Committee and curriculum review committees for both the Criminal Justice and Gender Studies programs. She has served as faculty mentor to student research projects and helps oversee the annual "Flowers on the Lake" and "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" campus events.

Academically, her research interests are in the areas of courts and law, program evaluation, and gender, race and justice. Recent published work includes peer-reviewed articles on mentorship in offender reentry, body-worn camera effectiveness and a book titled Gender Attitudes and Violence Against Women. She serves on the Evansville Police Department Promotional Board, Aurora Board of Directors and is the Vice-President of the Southwest Indiana Regional Coalition Against Trafficking. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Maryville College and master's and doctoral degrees in criminal justice from Washington State University.

The College of Liberal Arts is one of four colleges at the University of Southern Indiana. It offers more than 30 majors and emphases and a similar number of minors in the departments of Art and Design; Communications; Criminal Justice; English; Global Studies; History; Performing Arts; Political Science, Public Administration and Philosophy; Psychology; Social Work; Sociology; and World Languages and Cultures.