Dr. Paula Smith-Hawkins, with over 30 years of experience in higher education, serves as Associate Professor of Sociology at AUBH and was appointed as Director of the AUBH Center for Teaching & Learning Excellence earlier this year. She has a well-established career in the field of sociology and owns a higher education consulting firm.

Prior to taking on the role at AUBH, Dr. Smith-Hawkins spent decades gaining valuable experience in areas such as collegiate teaching; educational leadership; policy engagement; international experience; administrative leadership; while creating spaces for innovative teaching and learning.

Dr. Smith-Hawkins earned her Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the University of Missouri. She completed her Degree in History and Comparative Women’s Studies at the University of Arizona, where she also completed her Doctorate at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Arizona. Her research focused on faculty; technology; curriculum; and universal design for learning.