Penton, Rachel

UNC Service

I am currently a member of the Faculty Council seeking election to another term. I have also served on the Educational Policy Committee (EPC), which I chaired for one year. I am a member of the UNC Study Abroad Advisory Board, and a Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program (C-STEP) Faculty Mentor. Within my department, I am Director of Undergraduate Neuroscience Advising and have been on multiple departmental committees. In addition, I am a member of the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Self-Study Committee.

Candidate Statement

Much of my work focuses on providing the best education possible to our undergraduate students. Since arriving at Carolina, I have had the opportunity to participate in trainings (Equity in Teaching Institute, UndocuCarolina, Safe Zone Ally, HAVEN, and Mental Health First Aid) & course development opportunities (Study Abroad Faculty-Led Program, Research-Related Skills, CURE, Makerspace) that have strengthened my ability to provide an outstanding education to our students and have increased my dedication to fulfilling the missions of Carolina as the flagship research university of the state. As a member of the EPC, I served in an advisory role to the Faculty Council about academic regulations and I would be honored to continue on the Faculty Council as a representative of non-tenured faculty in Natural Sciences and Mathematics.