College of Arts and Sciences names Hawkins associate dean for academic programs
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Media Contact: Elizabeth Gosney | CAS Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-7497 | egosney@okstate.edu
On Aug. 1, Dr. Ty Hawkins officially started as the newest member of the College of Arts and Sciences leadership team at Oklahoma State University.
After a successful nationwide search, CAS hired Hawkins for the role of associate dean for academic programs. He most recently held the position of director for the University of Central Arkansas’ School of Language and Literature.
“Having spent 13 years in academic leadership, I’ve worked with colleagues on a number of projects to revitalize programs, recruit students, increase retention and graduate rates, and create efficiencies,” said Hawkins, who also served as chair of the English Department at UCA and director of the Honors Program at Walsh University of Ohio. “I look forward to collaborating with colleagues here at OSU on those same sorts of initiatives across the many CAS departments.”
In his new role, Hawkins will be responsible for overseeing curriculum development, program assessment and accreditation processes for OSU’s largest academic college. He will also coordinate scheduling, implement policies and collaborate with department chairs on programmatic decisions.
“With our 23 departments and 150 major options, it is no small feat to manage the College of Arts and Sciences’ academic programs,” CAS dean Dr. Melinda Cro said. “Yet, in the three short weeks Ty has been at OSU, he has shown a level of expertise, professionalism and enthusiasm that reinforce what we saw during the interview process: that he is indeed equal to the task.
“As we begin this school year, Ty is an integral part of our college’s renewed commitment to serve students, faculty and staff as we strive to fulfill OSU’s land-grant mission.”
Hawkins’ vision for serving CAS includes capitalizing on the transdisciplinary nature of the college, which spans the arts and humanities, social sciences, math and natural sciences.
“The piece of the ADAP role that excites me most is working with stakeholders across CAS to eliminate barriers that prevent our programs from working together for the benefit of all stakeholders — particularly faculty doing multi- and interdisciplinary research, as well as students whose studies cut across more than one department.
“Perhaps more than anything else, I believe the university should be a place where we value the full range of our students’ intellectual, creative and professional interests. I mean that quite literally: we should be working continually to facilitate ways for our students to do many things with their education and to link those experiences to meaningful credentials. Our students should never feel that the diversity of their interests amounts to a problem to be solved. That diversity is to be celebrated and further fostered.”
A native of Missouri, Hawkins earned degrees in English and Spanish from Saint Louis University and Westminster College. He is a scholar of American literature who specializes in 20th- and 21st-century texts. With three published monographs under his belt, Hawkins is currently working on a book that examines contemporary Southern crime fiction, “The New Southern Noir: Surprising Alternatives to Revanchism and Ressentiment.”
Hawkins is married to Devon Hawkins, who is completing her Ph.D. in philosophy from Duquesne University and previously taught in the Honors College at UCA. The couple recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
Ty and Devon have two children: 16-year-old Cora, who plans to attend OSU starting in 2027, and 24-year-old Clay, an Electronic Technician, Nuclear, in the U.S. Navy. Clay and his wife, Tori, are parents to the Hawkinses’ two grandchildren, Scarlett and Silas.
With his relocation to Stillwater, Hawkins noted how "exceedingly warm” the people have been toward him and his family.
“The OSU campus is inviting and inclusive,” Hawkins said, joking that unfortunately Oklahoma is equally as hot and humid as Arkansas. “I am thrilled to be welcomed into the Stillwater and OSU communities.”