Dr. Colleen Rua appointed as Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives
On behalf of Interim Dean Jennifer Setlow:
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Colleen Rua as the College of the Arts Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives, effective July 1, 2026.
Since July 1, 2024, Colleen has served with distinction in the acting associate dean role, providing strategic leadership that has strengthened the college’s research opportunities and successes, and expanded opportunities for faculty and students.
As COTA’s Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives, Colleen’s administrative duties include:
- Leading, expanding, and coordinating the college’s body of research and grant funding by managing current research, supporting new research and grant opportunities at the school level, and leading grant writing at the college level.
- Managing workflows for college-level projects.
- Assisting with strategic initiatives, accreditation, and program reviews.
- Overseeing all faculty support programs and awards.
- Overseeing college strategic planning and implementation, including facilities and capital planning.
- Managing and overseeing assessment at the college level.
- Representing the college internally and externally on committees, in national dialogues, and at meetings and events.
In addition to her role as associate dean, Colleen is an associate professor in the School of Theatre and Dance, and affiliate faculty in the Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship, the Center for Arts in Medicine and the Center for Latin American Studies.
While serving in the role of Acting Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives, Colleen has been an exceptional leader and an enthusiastic, collaborative partner in efforts to expand research opportunities and partnerships, as well as the visibility and recognition of COTA faculty and students’ work and scholarship.
The College of the Arts Proposal Studio, overseen by the Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives, serves as a central resource supporting COTA faculty and students in identifying and pursuing internal and external research funding, grants, fellowships, residencies, and awards, while also helping arts researchers connect with and navigate the University of Florida research network.
Since being appointed to the acting associate dean role in 2024, Colleen has worked closely with the Proposal Studio team to implement a multi-pronged strategy that has strengthened the volume, quality, and competitiveness of faculty research proposals, both internal and external.
“We want faculty to be well-educated around the support we offer while also empowering them to navigate aspects of the proposal and post-award management processes independently,” Colleen says. “Being nimble and being prepared for a range of opportunities is essential, particularly in an unpredictable funding landscape.”
Under Colleen’s leadership, the research team has streamlined workflows to support faculty throughout the full lifecycle of their proposals, beginning as early as the project ideation phase, and has strengthened operational structures to improve efficiency and faculty support. In collaboration with COTA’s fiscal and HR teams, the Proposal Studio has also developed and implemented a new salary savings policy that allows faculty to apply grant funding received during their nine-month appointments toward summer research projects.
COTA’s proposal review process has also been updated to an overlapping review model, creating opportunities for more in-depth evaluation and feedback. In addition, the research team is developing a Faculty Research Advisory Committee with faculty and staff representatives from each of the college’s six units.
“We want to make sure that committee members have time to really dig in and discuss proposals, and to offer thoughtful and meaningful written feedback that faculty can use to strengthen their future submissions,” Colleen says.
One area that has seen a significant increase in proposal submissions is the Creative B Summer Program, which in 2026 received the highest number of proposals in the program’s more than 15-year history — an indicator of growing research engagement across the college. Creative B has also seen an uptick in projects from other UF areas including upcoming projects from the UF Libraries, the College of Medicine, and the College of Engineering this summer.
“We are excited for the potential for Creative B proposals and projects to serve as foundations to pursue external funding in future. Ultimately, we would love for the Creative B space to be one where folks can seed a project, ideate and experiment, and then have a really viable project that can advance,” Colleen says.
Because Creative B is a student-focused program, it also provides meaningful opportunities for students to engage directly in faculty research, offering insight into the experience of working within a Research 1 university environment.
A primary focus of Colleen’s role is to expand the arts’ footprint and engagement in the broader University of Florida research community.
Building on this priority, under Colleen’s leadership, the College of the Arts has initiated a series of research mixers with colleges across UF, beginning with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Journalism and Communications this spring. An upcoming mixer with the College of Engineering is planned for the fall. The college aims to host four to five research mixers in 2026–2027, with the goal of reaching every UF college in the coming years.
At the college level, Colleen has also been instrumental in planning COTA mini-grants to incentivize external funding proposals and is currently working with the Proposal Studio team to develop the application process.
Looking ahead, Colleen says, “I am excited to continue supporting faculty in developing their knowledge-generating, practice-based work. I’m also excited about supporting them through residencies, exhibitions, performances, and to potentially connect them with opportunities they weren’t aware of.”
In her role, Colleen is committed not only to expanding COTA’s interdisciplinary collaborations with researchers across UF and on national and international stages, but also to celebrating the college’s vibrant artistic community and creative output.
“Let’s come together as an artistic and intellectual community, to highlight and celebrate the work — the books being published, the performances, the exhibitions,” Colleen says.
“The arts change people. They change people’s lives. They help people think in different ways, find new solutions to problems, and bring us the joy that we need to survive. Artists are serving the most essential needs of what it means to be human. We are going to support that work.”
As the College of the Arts looks ahead to its next chapter, I am confident that Colleen’s leadership as Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives positions COTA to further elevate the visibility, impact, and reach of our research and creative activity across the university and beyond.
Please join me in congratulating Colleen and welcoming her to her new role.
Jennifer Setlow
Interim Dean
UF College of the Arts