Since 2022, Tamara L. Falicov has served as the inaugural Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Dean Falicov came to UMKC from the University of Kansas, where she was associate dean for research in the Arts and Humanities for five years and a professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies and the Center of Latin American and Caribbean Studies for 24 years.
As dean at UMKC, Falicov has worked with faculty to develop a scaffolded internship program for undergraduate students with the help of a five-year grant from the Mellon Foundation. She has emphasized the need for applied humanities and social sciences opportunities for students, particularly the infusion of career development content into course curricula across the school. Dean Falicov has worked closely with the alumni association to strengthen ties with our vibrant community of SHSS alumni. Faculty are encouraged to invite alumni to their courses to spark students’ interest in various careers. Other enhancements to the student experience include expanded opportunities for community-engaged research and creative scholarship, the development of a study-away program that was initiated by students, the addition of a course to the Media, Art and Design curriculum that prepares students to earn a micro-credential as an Adobe Certified Professional, and the recent rollout of PhD programs in Economics and Humanities and undergraduate certificates in Podcasting and Museum Studies.
Falicov is involved in the international studies and health humanities spaces and her grant writing is focused on these areas. A native Spanish speaker, her intentions are to facilitate cultural and academic mobility for both faculty and students. She serves on the boards of the Kansas City International Relations Council, the KC Farm School, the Englewood Arts Center, and a2ru, a national interdisciplinary arts research alliance. Falicov has participated in leadership development programs through the HERS Leadership Institute, the International Council for Arts Deans, and the Kansas Leadership Institute. She has been a Fulbright Specialist in Portugal and a graduate student Fulbright Scholar to Argentina; has won multiple research grants; has trained young filmmakers in Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia; and is the author of two books, Latin American Film Industries and The Cinematic Tango: Contemporary Argentine Film, as well as a co-edited volume, Shaping Film Festivals in a Changing World: Practice and Methods.
Falicov earned her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of California, San Diego. She lives in Kansas City with her husband, Stephen Steigman, and their three children.