Dr. Z Nicolazzo to Step Into Role of Interim Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs
With an ideal combination of strengths in early career faculty mentoring, professional academic leadership, scholarship, administrative skills, teaching, and theoretical and methodological expertise, Dr. Z Nicolazzo has been selected to be the Interim Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs for the College of Education. Dr. Nicolazzo is an Associate Professor (undergoing review for promotion to Full Professor) in the Department of Educational Policy Studies & Practice with a proven track record of supporting faculty development and publishing.
A nationally recognized researcher and speaker and one of the most prolific and highly cited scholars in our college, Dr. Nicolazzo’s work focuses on how discourses of gender shape educational environments for transgender youth, with specific attention paid to the experiences of trans girls and women in education. She has published widely in top academic journals and also (co-)authored and edited seven books. Her first solo-authored book, Trans* In College: Transgender Studies’ Strategies for Navigating Campus Life and the Institutional Politics of Inclusion, was awarded the 2017 Publication of the Year by AERA’s Division J (Postsecondary Education). She also is co-editor of Weaving an Otherwise: In-Relations Methodological Practice (2022) and the forthcoming text, Becoming Global Trans Studies in Education: Theory, Methodology, Ethics, and Politics. She currently serves as the Executive Editor of About Campus, the scholarly magazine of record for the field of student affairs, as well as the co-hostess of the publication’s companion podcast, ‘Round About Campus.
Having served as an educational administrator at the University of Arizona in sexual assault prevention education and student activities from 2007-2011, she returned to UA as a faculty member in 2018 as a member of the Transgender Studies Research Cluster, a first of its kind national cluster hire focused on growing the field of Trans Studies. During her time as a faculty member, she spearheaded the creation of the Gender & Racial Equity Toolkit for the College of Education. She also organized the Trans Studies in Education Speaker Series, and, in the summer of 2022, co-led the Trans Freedom Summer School with K-12 teachers in Texas and faculty at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Nicolazzo was a member of the 2023-2024 cohort of the Academic Leadership Institute and has been a speaker the last four years at the Curriculum Design Institute. Dr. Nicolazzo is a faculty affiliate with the LGBTQ+ Institute, the Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, the Department of Public and Applied Humanities, and the Education Policy Center.
Most recently, Dr. Nicolazzo’s work has focused on grief and loss, including how grief shapes qualitative research and institutional life. She began this work in 2020 in the wake of losing her mother; however, her focus on grief and loss as animating affects in education have taken on additional significance now as useful frameworks, given the current political and cultural climates related to universities, public schools, and the vulnerable student, staff, and faculty populations who learn and work in them.
Reflecting on Dr. Nicolazzo’s appointment, Interim Dean Regina Deil-Amen shared, “I chose Z after speaking with many faculty, all of whom shared how they had benefitted from her guidance and support. In working with her closely when I was Department Head, I experienced her incredible work ethic, and I know she operates with impressive efficiency, generosity, and administrative talent. She will be an asset to our college and our leadership team.”