The UAB Honors College has selected Kevin Fontaine, Ph.D. as its new assistant dean.
Dr. Fontaine joins the Honors College with over 30 years of experience in higher education. He is the Antoine Lavoisier Endowed Professor of Energetics and Healthy Lifestyle in the School of Public Health, where he is a full professor in the Department of Health Behavior and previously served ten years as the department chair. Before coming to UAB in April 2012, he was associate professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and faculty at the University of Maryland.
As assistant dean, Dr. Fontaine will play a central role in achieving the strategic vision, mission, and goals of the Honors College. He will help lead the teaching and engagement mission of the college, facilitate the success of our honors students, and work collaboratively with others to enhance the honors experience at UAB. As an active faculty member, he will contribute to the intellectual life of the Honors College and the university.
“I am excited by Dr. Fontaine’s passion and commitment to helping students reach their goals and succeed at the highest levels,” said Shannon L. Blanton, Ph.D., dean of the UAB Honors College. “I look forward to the many ways in which Dr. Fontaine will contribute to the continued excellence of honors education at UAB and the innovative contributions that he will make to offering an outstanding Honors College experience where students are prepared and supported so that they can achieve their goals and, per our UAB Honors College mantra, set their world on fire.”
With an expansive record of scholarly work, Dr. Fontaine has over 170 academic publications related to obesity, diet composition, fibromyalgia, and chronic disease. For the past decade, he has regularly taught courses in the Honors College, with his honors seminar Comedy, Health, and Wellbeing becoming highly popular among honors students. He has repeatedly served as the featured faculty speaker at the college’s annual Coffee & Connections event for students and their families and has tremendous experience mentoring students. Dr. Fontaine brings extensive administrative experience to his new role as assistant dean from his prior years as department chair and service to the university.
“I am blessed and so excited to have this opportunity to serve as Assistant Dean of our Honors College,” Fontaine said. “I plan to do whatever I can to enhance the student experience so that they graduate with a range of marketable skills and an appreciation for the importance of their role in making lasting contributions to our society. I also hope that I can bring some levity to help our high-achieving students manage the stress and pressure they often put themselves under. It should be fun!”
Dr. Fontaine will also oversee high-impact experiential learning experiences for the college that enhance students’ professional development and career planning, deepen their community engagement and volunteer/service experiences, advance Honors research and creative endeavors, and foster student leadership development. He will also administer the college’s Honors Faculty Fellows program and other high-impact extra-curricular learning experiences.
Dr. Fontaine will begin his new role in the UAB Honors College effective August 1.
