Walt Jacobs

Prior to his current appointment, Walt was a university dean for nine years—seven as the Dean of the College of Social Sciences at San José State University (2015-2022), and two as the founding Dean of the College of Social Sciences & Professional Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (2013-2015). Prior to joining UW-Parkside, he was on the faculty of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities for fourteen years, including five years as the Chair of the Department of African American & African Studies (2007-2012). He received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (1990), and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology from Indiana University-Bloomington (1995, 1999). He has received department, college, and university awards for undergraduate teaching.

Walt is the author of Speaking the Lower Frequencies: Students and Media Literacy (State University of New York Press, 2005) and Ghostbox: A Memoir (iUniverse, 2007). He has published 29 journal articles and book chapters and has co-edited several books and journals. Walt is deeply invested in higher education leadership mentoring and coaching activities, and in May 2022, he earned a certification as a Hudson life/executive coach. For six years, he served on the Board of Directors for the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CCAS), a professional organization for university deans. He served as CCAS President-Elect during the 2021-2022 academic year and was scheduled to serve as president in 2022-2023 before leaving the board to become a provost. He was the Co-Director of the July 2015 CCAS Seminar for Department Chairs/Heads, and Director of the October 2015 CCAS Seminar for Department Chairs/Heads.