Faculty Relations
Faculty Relations Manager
Hello and Welcome! I am Mary Coussons-Read, Professor Emerita of Psychology, and I am the Faculty Relations Manager here at UCCS. I am available for folks with faculty appointments to privately listen to and help you navigate whatever career-oriented issues you’re facing in a safe, supportive environment. I have an off-campus office where I’m glad to meet with you and am glad to work over Zoom as well. Please contact me via email (DrMCR89@gmail.com) or schedule an appointment with me (https://calendly.com/coussonsread) to discuss what’s on your mind or even to simply get acquainted.
So who am I, what is my role, and why should you contact me? There is a link to my CV and my LinkedIn on this page, but what follows is some additional background that led me to this position. My hope is that by learning a bit more about me you will understand what this role is, who I am, and why I can be helpful in supporting you as you deal with conflicts, worries, uncertainty, and perhaps feeling a bit lost about how to resolve situations you are facing in your career. To summarize- I’ve been there...
I retired from UCCS effective June 1, 2023, after investing my entire academic career with the CU System. I started at CU as a postdoc at the School of Medicine in 1994, joined the faculty at CU Denver in 1995 as an Assistant Professor of Psychology, got promoted to Full Professor in 2007, and served in numerous administrative and faculty governance roles on that campus. In 2013 I was hired by UCCS as Provost. I learned a great deal about myself, leadership, and higher education in that role, in which I served for 3 years. I joined the faculty in the Psychology department at UCCS in 2016 where I served as a full-time faculty member and was Department Chair for 3 years. In addition, between 2016 and 2023 I served as the President of the UCCS Faculty Representative Assembly, Chaired the CU System Faculty Council, served on the CU System Privilege and Tenure Committee (now the Grievance Committee), and both served on and Chaired the CLAS Dean’s Review Committee. I was also a member of the CU Presidential Search committee and served on numerous other committees. Throughout my career I maintained an active externally funded (NIH) research program. The bottom line was that after nearly 30 years as a CU faculty member, all I wanted to do was retire and reinvent myself.
Although I was a successful faculty member, researcher, teacher, and campus citizen, the challenges facing UCCS, CU, and higher education in general, combined with my own personal challenges, left me feeling disconnected. I realized that these feelings were seeping into my interactions with colleagues and students; the only solution I could envision was to give up my tenure. I am now an Emerita Professor and am developing a life that feeds my intellect, renews my curiosity, and gives me an opportunity to give back to others.
Okay, that’s a bit long-winded but the point is that although I enjoyed success as a CU faculty member, I had many moments of frustration, doubt, and feeling isolated. I had nowhere to turn to get support in navigating these things, and as a result, they accumulated and affected me and my work in ways that could have been avoided if I’d had someone to help me step back, see situations and myself differently, and take a breath. In this role I have the opportunity to be that person for you- to support you when things feel bad and you don’t know what to do.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope to see and/or hear from you soon, even if it’s just to say hello. I am a safe place to even just unload your concerns, and a resource to help address whatever situation you’re facing. I hope you’ll give me a chance to help.
Warmly,
Mary Coussons-Read, PhD, Professor Emerita of Psychology
Education
- Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology, 1994, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Postdoctoral Training, 1994-1996, University of Colorado Health Science Center, Denver
- B.S. in Psychology, 1989, University of Oklahoma
Resume