After 13 years at the helm, Dr. Maria C. Santana-Rogers has stepped down as Director of UCF’s Women’s and Gender Studies program, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, social change and student-centered learning.
Santana-Rogers has been director of Women’s and Gender Studies since 2009. During that time, she built a nationally-recognized program that reaches across academic disciplines and colleges and into local and global communities. She extended student engagement into surrounding communities through partnerships with organizations including Florida Farmworkers Association, American Association of University Women, Planned Parenthood, Harvest Food Bank, and Orange and Seminole County Public Schools.
She created seven scholarships for students that are granted annually, and developed ongoing funding opportunities for UCF faculty.
Students, faculty and staff have looked to Santana-Rogers for her outstanding leadership, inspirational outlook on life and dedicated mentorship. Her infectious positive spirit, laugh and commitment to social justice have made an enduring impact on the Women’s and Gender Studies community, as well as the UCF community at large.
Santana-Rogers, who is tenured in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, will be focusing her attention on intersectionalities related to that discipline.