Early Bird

Sam Jay appointed as director of Faculty Affairs

The role will focus on expanding and implementing programs designed to support faculty members at all levels.

By Lindsey Coulter

December 1, 2021

The Metropolitan State University of Denver Office of Faculty Affairs has announced that Sam Jay, Ph.D., associate professor of Communication Studies, will assume the role of director of Faculty Affairs beginning in January. In this role, Jay will expand and implement various programs designed to support faculty members, department chairs, directors, associate deans and deans.

“Under Dr. Jay’s leadership, our efforts to engage faculty and academic leaders in deep and meaningful professional development will become deeper, more extensive and more robust,” said Bill Henry, Ph.D., vice provost for Faculty Affairs. “Faculty and leaders within Academic Affairs will benefit from Dr. Jay’s experience as a tenured faculty member with a long relationship with the University.”

Jay first joined the MSU Denver Communication Studies Department in 2011 as an affiliate faculty member, having previously taught at Regis University, the Community College of Aurora and Red Rocks Community College. He was promoted to a Category II lecturer in 2014 and to associate professor in 2015. In 2018, he became the department’s associate chair and affiliate coordinator and later served as associate director of the MSU Denver Honors Program.

In January, Jay was selected as the University’s first Presidential Faculty Fellow, a role in which he has collaborated with senior leaders on Covid-19-related strategic planning and decision-making; supported the interim vice president of University Communications and Marketing; consulted with President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., on internal and external communications; and supported efforts to build a diverse and equitable campus workplace.

“My central goal is to collaborate with Dr. Henry and Provost Alfred Tatum, Ph.D., to design and facilitate professional-development opportunities for those faculty members who want to play a role in the deployment of the University’s 2030 Strategic Plan as well as in creating and implementing policies that strengthen the meaningful work done by employees here at MSU Denver,” Jay said.