Dr. Shreerekha Pillai
Shreerekha Pillai has been named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at University of North Carolina Pembroke (UNCP).
Pillai joins UNCP from the University of Houston- Clear Lake (UHCL), where she currently serves as associate dean of the College of Human Sciences and Humanities.
Over her 18-year tenure at UHCL, Pillai has held numerous leadership roles, including professor of humanities and chair of the liberal arts department. She has led initiatives in faculty support, recruitment, curriculum development and academic programming.
A first-generation immigrant from India, Pillai earned a dual honors undergraduate degree in literature and creative writing from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, while working multiple jobs to support her education. After teaching high school in Baltimore through Teach for America, she went on to complete an MFA in creative writing at Syracuse University and a PhD in comparative literature from Rutgers University, where she earned recognition for excellence in undergraduate teaching.
