Dr. Rosa Cintrón

Associate Professor of Educational Research, Technology and Leadership, College of Education, University of Central Florida

Educational Background:

Florida State University, Ph. D., 1992
Higher Education Administration

University of Puerto Rico, M.A., 1982
Clinical Psychology

University of Puerto Rico, B.A., 1975
Psychology (Honors Program)

By Aurélio Manuel Valente, June 2007

The higher education program at Florida State has produced a long list of accomplished alumni who hold many significant administrative positions throughout the United States and beyond. In addition, the program has also produced many accomplished faculty members, including Dr. Rosa Cintrón, who currently serves as Associate Professor in the department of Educational Research, Technology and Leadership at the University of Central Florida (UCF). After serving on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma since 1992, Dr. Cintron came back to Florida in 2006, where she has been teaching such courses as Career Exploration in Higher Education, History and Philosophy of American Higher Education, College Community and the Student, Capstone Seminar in College Student Personnel, and Practicum in Student Personnel Services. Dr. Cintrón enjoys serving as a faculty member and describes it as “an unique position of honor and privilege in a free society.” However, serving as a faculty member is Dr. Cintrón’s “third career.” Dr. Cintrón had a second career in higher education administrative positions, and her first career was a psychotherapist in various institutional and clinical settings.

Dr. Cintrón was born, raised and educated in Puerto Rico prior to moving to the U.S. to pursue her doctoral work at Yale. There she also served as a Psychotherapist at the Yale University & Connecticut Mental Health Center where she explored issues of race, social class and mental illness. During her time at Yale, Dr. Cintrón became discouraged about the manner in which psychology as a science was addressing mental health issues, especially in the Latino community and decided to return to the environment in which she felt most comfortable – the University setting. This realization served as the stimulus to shift careers from the clinic setting to SUNY at Old Westbury, where she served as counselor, and where mentors, such as Myrna Adams, then Vice President of Student Affairs, encouraged her to become involved in higher education beyond her work as a counselor. Through this encouragement, Dr. Cintrón became involved with such areas as Housing and Judicial Affairs. These experiences motivated her to consider positions in higher education outside of counseling, which is how she ended up as director of University Resources for Latinos at Northern Illinois University (NIU).

It was at NIU that she decided to complete her dream of earning a doctorate and applied to FSU, in large part because her sister was also enrolled as a Ph.D. student in Criminology, and Dr. Cintrón thought it would be a great opportunity for them to reconnect. At the time, she was unaware of the national recognition of the program or the prominence of the faculty. She felt fortunate to study with Drs. Allan Tucker, Melvene Hardee, John Waggaman and Louis Bender, who would serve as her major professor. Dr. Cintrón remembers attending national conferences and having fellow graduate students ask her what it was like to take classes with such prominent faculty.

Dr. Cintrón recalls taking Women in Higher Education with Dr. Hardee and being originally intimidated by the anticipation of meeting her. As Dr. Cintrón stated, “Dr. Hardee’s expectation was that she was not just producing graduates, but leaders in the profession and she did not want anything less than that from us.” In reality, Dr. Hardee, like all the faculty in the program, turned out to be very approachable. In fact, Dr. Cintrón recalls trying to decide on a topic for her dissertation with Dr. Bender when he pulled out his contacts and arranged for her to spend the summer in Atlanta with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Eventually, Dr. Cintrón researched the role of governing boards in SACS accreditation.

Thanks to wonderful colleagues in her cohort, Dr. Cintrón describes her time at FSU as some of the most “wonderful years in [her] life.” She recalls classmates, and now dear friends such as Drs. Cheryl Lovell, Emily Santiago, and Beverly Bower, all who have become accomplished scholars and are tremendous colleagues. They served as a strong support system for her during her time at FSU and after.

Beyond obtaining a terminal degree and meeting close friends and mentors, Dr. Cintrón also found her husband during her time at FSU. Tom Owens, a fellow student in her program evaluation course, was pursuing his Ph.D. in Sociocultural and International Development Education Studies (SIDES). Tom also currently works at UCF, where he serves as the interim director of the Center for Education Research and Development. Dr. Cintrón has thoroughly enjoys her time as a faculty member at UCF, an institution she describes as entrepreneurial, she continued, at UCF you see things happening that other places are simply talking about.” Dr. Cintrón also cites UCF’s diversity and state-of-the-art facilities as distinguishing factors that make it a special place to teach and work.

Dr. Cintrón’s current research interests include adding to the body of literature on responding to student deaths on college campus. “Every year, 6,000 students die, and I don’t think our campuses are prepared to respond.” she stated. To that end, she along with Drs. Erin Taylor Weathers and Katherine Garlough have edited a book published by ACPA entitled College Student Death: Guidance for a Caring Campus. The book provides support to university staff in the immediacy of student death, guides the design of policy before a crisis occurs, and provides instructional considerations for faculty. Future research considerations include the construct of motherhood on faculty tenure and promotion. Her interest in this topic is partially motivated by her own experiences. “At FSU, the faculty always spoke to me as if I was going to be a president of a Hispanic serving institution,” commented Dr. Cintrón, but a faculty position at the University of Oklahoma and the arrival of two children served to refocus her career plans.

For those interested in the professoriate, Dr. Cintrón thinks the path is very clear, “you research, publish, and present at regional and national conferences.” Dr. Cintrón continued, saying, “A faculty position affords you a great deal of autonomy and control over the quality of your life, but also demands a great deal of discipline in terms of balancing your teaching and research.” For students pursuing administrative roles, she advises them to “establish a sense of balance and remember that after all is said and done, your family and significant others always come first.” She also reminds her students, who will be future leaders in higher education, that “administration without compassion is dangerous.”


				Dr. Rosa Cintrón Associate Professor of Educational Research, Technology and Leadership, College of Education, University of Central Florida Educational Background: Florida State University, Ph. D., 1992 Higher Education Administration University of Puerto Rico, M.A., 1982 Clinical Psychology University of Puerto Rico, B.A., 1975 Psychology (Honors Program) ## By Aurélio Manuel Valente, June 2007 The higher education program at Florida State has produced a long list of accomplished alumni who hold many significant administrative positions throughout the United States and beyond. In addition, the program has also produced many accomplished faculty members, including Dr. Rosa Cintrón, who currently serves as Associate Professor in the department of Educational Research, Technology and Leadership at the University of Central Florida (UCF). After serving on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma since 1992, Dr. Cintron came back to Florida in 2006, where she has been teaching such courses as Career Exploration in Higher Education, History and Philosophy of American Higher Education, College Community and the Student, Capstone Seminar in College Student Personnel, and Practicum in Student Personnel Services. Dr. Cintrón enjoys serving as a faculty member and describes it as “an unique position of honor and privilege in a free society.” However, serving as a faculty member is Dr. Cintrón’s “third career.” Dr. Cintrón had a second career in higher education administrative positions, and her first career was a psychotherapist in various institutional and clinical settings. Dr. Cintrón was born, raised and educated in Puerto Rico prior to moving to the U.S. to pursue her doctoral work at Yale. There she also served as a Psychotherapist at the Yale University & Connecticut Mental Health Center where she explored issues of race, social class and mental illness. During her time at Yale, Dr. Cintrón became discouraged about the manner in which psychology as a science was addressing mental health issues, especially in the Latino community and decided to return to the environment in which she felt most comfortable – the University setting. This realization served as the stimulus to shift careers from the clinic setting to SUNY at Old Westbury, where she served as counselor, and where mentors, such as Myrna Adams, then Vice President of Student Affairs, encouraged her to become involved in higher education beyond her work as a counselor. Through this encouragement, Dr. Cintrón became involved with such areas as Housing and Judicial Affairs. These experiences motivated her to consider positions in higher education outside of counseling, which is how she ended up as director of University Resources for Latinos at Northern Illinois University (NIU). It was at NIU that she decided to complete her dream of earning a doctorate and applied to FSU, in large part because her sister was also enrolled as a Ph.D. student in Criminology, and Dr. Cintrón thought it would be a great opportunity for them to reconnect. At the time, she was unaware of the national recognition of the program or the prominence of the faculty. She felt fortunate to study with Drs. Allan Tucker, Melvene Hardee, John Waggaman and Louis Bender, who would serve as her major professor. Dr. Cintrón remembers attending national conferences and having fellow graduate students ask her what it was like to take classes with such prominent faculty. Dr. Cintrón recalls taking Women in Higher Education with Dr. Hardee and being originally intimidated by the anticipation of meeting her. As Dr. Cintrón stated, “Dr. Hardee’s expectation was that she was not just producing graduates, but leaders in the profession and she did not want anything less than that from us.” In reality, Dr. Hardee, like all the faculty in the program, turned out to be very approachable. In fact, Dr. Cintrón recalls trying to decide on a topic for her dissertation with Dr. Bender when he pulled out his contacts and arranged for her to spend the summer in Atlanta with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Eventually, Dr. Cintrón researched the role of governing boards in SACS accreditation. Thanks to wonderful colleagues in her cohort, Dr. Cintrón describes her time at FSU as some of the most “wonderful years in [her] life.” She recalls classmates, and now dear friends such as Drs. Cheryl Lovell, Emily Santiago, and Beverly Bower, all who have become accomplished scholars and are tremendous colleagues. They served as a strong support system for her during her time at FSU and after. Beyond obtaining a terminal degree and meeting close friends and mentors, Dr. Cintrón also found her husband during her time at FSU. Tom Owens, a fellow student in her program evaluation course, was pursuing his Ph.D. in Sociocultural and International Development Education Studies (SIDES). Tom also currently works at UCF, where he serves as the interim director of the Center for Education Research and Development. Dr. Cintrón has thoroughly enjoys her time as a faculty member at UCF, an institution she describes as entrepreneurial, she continued, at UCF you see things happening that other places are simply talking about.” Dr. Cintrón also cites UCF’s diversity and state-of-the-art facilities as distinguishing factors that make it a special place to teach and work. Dr. Cintrón’s current research interests include adding to the body of literature on responding to student deaths on college campus. “Every year, 6,000 students die, and I don’t think our campuses are prepared to respond.” she stated. To that end, she along with Drs. Erin Taylor Weathers and Katherine Garlough have edited a book published by ACPA entitled College Student Death: Guidance for a Caring Campus. The book provides support to university staff in the immediacy of student death, guides the design of policy before a crisis occurs, and provides instructional considerations for faculty. Future research considerations include the construct of motherhood on faculty tenure and promotion. Her interest in this topic is partially motivated by her own experiences. “At FSU, the faculty always spoke to me as if I was going to be a president of a Hispanic serving institution,” commented Dr. Cintrón, but a faculty position at the University of Oklahoma and the arrival of two children served to refocus her career plans. For those interested in the professoriate, Dr. Cintrón thinks the path is very clear, “you research, publish, and present at regional and national conferences.” Dr. Cintrón continued, saying, “A faculty position affords you a great deal of autonomy and control over the quality of your life, but also demands a great deal of discipline in terms of balancing your teaching and research.” For students pursuing administrative roles, she advises them to “establish a sense of balance and remember that after all is said and done, your family and significant others always come first.” She also reminds her students, who will be future leaders in higher education, that “administration without compassion is dangerous.”