Posted on October 21, 2022 by Libby Castillo
The College of Education and Human Development at UTSA is excited to announce Alonzo M. Flowers III, Ph.D, as the new chair of the Department of Education Leadership and Policy Studies Department (ELPS) – the department from which he earned a master’s degree in 2005.
With a strong record of scholarship in educational leadership and diversity in STEM education, Dr. Flowers has big plans for the future of the ELPS department at UTSA.
“I think having a clear framework around equity, justice, and change, people will want that. At the end of the day, if I accomplish anything, it’s making sure that that foundation, that framework is what ELPS is known for.”
“I think my ultimate goal is to have a nationally recognized department that advocates for justice, community engagement and educational change,” he said. “I think having a clear framework around equity, justice, and change, people will want that. At the end of the day, if I accomplish anything, it’s making sure that that foundation, that framework is what ELPS is known for.”
Since his days as an undergraduate student at UTSA, Dr. Flowers realized the impact that education could have on one’s future. Though he lived in San Antonio, he opted to live on campus in the dorms to receive the full “college experience.”
“I come from SAISD (San Antonio Independent School District), I was at Thomas Jefferson High School class of ‘97, and back then, going to college was not the norm,” he said. “And so just coming to UTSA and having that opportunity, particular as an undergrad, was an amazing experience. I literally lived maybe like 20 minutes from UTSA, but I still lived on campus because I knew the importance of those experiences. And an important part of that was also the level of support provided at the time, I think that led me to where I am today.”
One of these experiences was meeting Leticia Duncan-Brosnan, Ph.D., who at the time worked in the Tomás Rivera Center providing programming and advisement of incoming students and as Dr. Flowers recalls, particularly students of color.
“I met Leticia when I was 18 years old – fresh out of high school – and she is still a mentor today,” he said. “Just to have someone who understood my experiences, who just cared and had kind of this natural nurturing mentality, but also was a cheerleader. No matter what I wanted to do, my long-term goals, she was always just a general cheerleader for me.”
Dr. Duncan-Brosnan’s influence made a lasting impact, one that Dr. Flowers still carries on today.
“She always made sure that I always had a five-year plan – I still do five-year plans – and then also making sure that I was always reaching back to the community and not just doing it for myself,” he said. “That experience helped facilitate the kind of person I became, who I am, and what I see as really important in my professional role even today as a department chair. A teacher really did get me to where I am today.”
While Dr. Flowers is experiencing a full-circle moment, the path to his new position was a windy one, paved by life experiences, connections and mentors.
Knowing that I can impact change at a local level, a ground level with students and then later on, through research, and later through my scholarship.”
“I got into this field a long time ago thinking that I was going to be a lawyer, I wanted to be an environmental lawyer, I was going to change the world through law,” he said. “When it came down to my career trajectory, I think my interaction with Leticia and other career advisors really put me on the pathway of education. Knowing that I can impact change at a local level, a ground level with students and then later on, through research, and later through my scholarship.”
Throughout his education at UTSA, Dr. Flowers continued to meet influential individuals who helped guide him and introduce him to new opportunities and career avenues. One experience happened while Dr. Flowers was receiving his master’s degree at UTSA in the very department he would end up chairing.
While earning his master’s, Dr. Flowers was serving as academic dean of a Rick Hawkins high school, and as his career progressed, he learned that his next step would be to become principal. However, his passion and interests were geared more towards the educational future and higher education of students.
“Dr. Fred Bonner also changed the trajectory of my life,” he said. “When I had my first conversation with him to get my master’s, he said ‘you want to focus on higher ed, you really want to know about the theories that are impacting student experiences in higher ed that way you can better support them when you’re in your K-12 space,’ And so from that moment on, I really became a P-20 advocate.”
After receiving his master’s, Dr. Flowers was once again guided by Bonner.
“After I graduated with my master’s degree he asked ‘what’s next?’” he said. “I said ‘I don’t know, maybe go work in a college?’ and he said ‘how about you get a Ph.D.?’”
With that guidance, Dr. Flowers quit his job and went to Texas A&M University for four years on a full scholarship where he earned a Ph.D. in Educational Administration. Most recently, he served as associate dean of Drexel University’s Graduate College, where he was also an associate professor in the School of Education.
Looking back, Dr. Flowers’ career was guided by the faculty and advisors of the very institution he serves today. With big goals for the ELPS department, Dr. Flowers is once again leaning on the five-year plan from which he learned from his mentor Dr. Duncan-Brosnan.
...You never know we're going to end up and the people that you interact with, particularly really strong mentors, will have a real impact on the directionality of your life.”
“I think having a five-year plan is great, but I think the flexibility of knowing that life is going to change based on different experiences is also an important part of having a five-year plan and then making adjustments when it's necessary,” he said. “I think telling students that you may have an idea where you think you're going to end up, but you never know. I started (my education) thinking I was going to be a lawyer and now I'm a department chair at a university. So, you never know we're going to end up and the people that you interact with, particularly really strong mentors, will have a real impact on the directionality of your life.”
-Libby Castillo
— Libby Castillo
