When Debra Walker King came to UF in 1994, she said she was a "young kid on the block," watching the wheels of administration turn as a new English professor.
Fourteen years later, King, now associate provost for faculty development, said she plans to help UF move to the future with her latest accomplishment: a 2008-2009 American Council on Education fellowship.
She was one of 36 educators selected for the fellowship and the only one from a Florida university.
"I see it as, in many ways, a nod from some of the top leaders in academia," King said.
As part of the program, she will choose a project to work on at UF and visit another university to gain ideas about improving administration.
She said she hasn't chosen a project yet, and she hopes to discuss her prospects with Provost Janie Fouke this week. Some of her proposals include finding a place for cultural studies at a research institution like UF and increasing UF's work in the community.
Although the fellowship requires her to visit another university next year, King said she'd still be able to fulfill her duties at UF through e-mail and regular trips to Gainesville.
King has a doctorate in interdisciplinary studies from Emory University and is also a UF associate English professor. She joined the provost's office in 2003.
"The University of Florida has really been good to me," she said. "I have been given opportunities to explore my dreams."
