Weatherford, OK – Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) has recently selected three longtime faculty members to lead academic departments. Dr. Eric Paul has been named chair of the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Amanda Evert has been named chair of the Department of Business, and Dr. Amanda T. Smith has been named chair of the Department of Language and Literature.

Each new chair brings a history with the department they now help guide. Paul, Evert, and Smith have worked alongside SWOSU students for years, and their new roles build on that daily experience in the classroom, through student research, and in academic programs shaped around student needs.

Paul has served SWOSU for nearly two decades as a faculty member, researcher, and academic leader. He joined the university in 2006 and became a professor in the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences in 2018. Paul earned a Ph.D. in Biology from Texas Tech University, a Master of Business Administration from SWOSU, and a Master of Technology in Biotechnology from Anna University in India.

His teaching and research areas include microbiology, virology, immunology, and infectious disease epidemiology. Paul’s research has addressed viral pathogenesis, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, wastewater surveillance, bacteriophage therapy, and insect gut microbiota. He has received research and educational grants, published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and mentored undergraduate students whose work has been presented at academic meetings across the region and state. He also served as president of the Oklahoma Consortium of Clinical Laboratory Science Affiliates and as chair of SWOSU’s Institutional Biosafety Committee.

Evert joined SWOSU in 2015 and serves as professor and Everett Dobson Endowed Chair of Marketing in the Everett Dobson College of Business and Technology. She brings 21 years of higher education experience to the role, with seven years in administration and 14 years in the classroom. Her work has centered on student success, faculty and staff support, applied learning, and academic program development.

At SWOSU, Evert has helped students connect classroom learning with real projects, employers, and career-building experiences. She helped research, propose, and implement SWOSU’s Bachelor of Business Administration in Agriculture Business in 2019, creating a pathway for students interested in agriculture, business, leadership, marketing, and rural economic development. She has also worked with faculty on microcredential opportunities that help students build workforce-ready skills and add credentials to their resumes.

“My favorite part of working in higher education is getting to play a role in empowering the people around me to achieve their goals,” Evert said. “Some of my happiest moments are hearing about their successes and knowing that the work we do here really matters.”

Smith joined SWOSU in 2012 as a professor of British literature. She earned her M.A. from the University of Colorado and her Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. Her research focuses on 19th-century women’s literature, with special interests in suffragist writing and humor.

At SWOSU, Smith has served as editor of Westview, a literary journal published by the Department of Language and Literature. She currently co-edits LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory, a peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by Taylor & Francis. Smith has served as president of both the SWOSU Faculty Senate and the Weatherford Arts Council. She also serves on the boards of the DaVinci Institute and Oklahoma Humanities Council.

As chair, Smith will help lead the Department of Language and Literature as it prepares for the forthcoming Master of Education in English program, which will create a new graduate pathway for educators and professionals who want to deepen their work in English education.

“My favorite thing about SWOSU is the people and the sense of community we work together to provide, especially in our department,” Smith said. “In this new role, I look forward to sustaining this wonderful community as we grow to meet the evolving needs of not just our majors but the university as a whole.”

About Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) was founded in 1901 and offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate programs across three locations in Weatherford, Sayre, and Yukon. The university serves over 5,000 students and prides itself on affordability, small class sizes, and over 200 faculty and staff committed to helping students achieve their academic and personal goals.

For more information about Southwestern Oklahoma State University, visit www.swosu.edu.

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