The UCF College of Arts and Humanities announces the appointment of Dr. Melody Bowdon as the chair of the Department of Writing and Rhetoric beginning August 8, 2025.
While new to the role of chair, Bowdon is a familiar face at the university. She brings many years of teaching, research, and administrative experience at UCF to this position.
Bowdon joined the UCF English Department as an assistant professor in 1999 and was an inaugural faculty member of the Department of Writing and Rhetoric when it was founded in 2010. During her time at UCF, she has served in several university leadership roles, including Interim Vice Provost of the Division of Teaching and Learning, Interim Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Vice Provost of Student Learning and Academic Success, Associate Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies, Executive Director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, director of SACSCOC decennial reaffirmation of accreditation and director of several graduate programs.
She has served on a wide range of committees, mentored numerous colleagues and has provided leadership on state and national levels, particularly in the arenas of student civic engagement and faculty professional development.
Jeff Moore, dean of the UCF College of Arts and Humanities recognizes the unique skillset that Bowdon brings to the position.
“As UCF continues to lean into its roots as a technological university, writing and rhetoric will have increasing opportunities to incorporate innovative teaching and research methodology into its practices, and Dr. Bowdon has the acumen and desire to lead us in that direction,” says Moore. “She has demonstrated interest in collaborative work, transparency, compassionate leadership, and not least of all, humor – attributes that will be critical for success in the role.”
Bowdon sees this role as an opportunity to serve students and faculty during an era when technology is transforming education and research. “I’m excited about this opportunity to support my colleagues in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric,” said Bowdon. “Our faculty is committed to ensuring that our students receive instruction and guidance in a variety of areas that will be crucial to their success. I also look forward to championing the faculty and students as they conduct critical research in our field.”
Bowdon is co-author of Service-Learning In Technical and Professional Communication (2002 with UCF colleague J. Blake Scott), co-editor of four edited scholarly volumes: Scholarship for Sustaining Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (2008), Higher Education, Emerging Technologies, and Community Partnerships (2011), Best Practices for Flipping the College Classroom (2015), and Ethical Considerations of Virtual Reality in the College Classroom (2023); and several articles about rhetoric and writing, innovative pedagogies, and institutional leadership in a variety of scholarly venues. Her disciplinary scholarship focuses primarily on professional communication in the government and nonprofit sectors. She has made many national and international conference presentations and served as senior research fellow for Florida Campus Compact for more than a decade, during which she led research and curriculum development initiatives with higher education colleagues around the state.
Bowdon received her B.A. in English Literature from Oklahoma City University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Sherry Rankins-Robertson, who has held the administrative position of chair of the Department of Writing and Rhetoric since 2020, will return to the faculty, where she will be teaching undergraduate and graduate-level courses and continuing work on her significant funded research projects. During her tenure, Rankins-Robertson has provided visionary leadership and transformative service. She secured over $311,000 in external funding to support community-based research with the Seminole Tribe of Florida and co-led, alongside Weaver and Wood, UCF’s contribution to a $7.6 million NISS federal grant to enhance student learning in first-year writing. She guided the department’s transition to robust online writing instruction and moved the department forward toward writing with emerging technologies.