English faculty chair retires

In June of 2025, Dr. Mialisa Moline, former Chair of the UWRF Faculty Senate and

former Department Chair of English, TESOL, and Modern Languages, announced her

retirement, which has started this 2025-26 school year. Due to loss in her personal life and

changes that are happening across campus, Dr. Moline felt it would be a good time now for

someone younger to “Take up the fight.” Dr. Moline was my advisor and a huge support in

getting me to where I am today. Dr Moline had a legacy she left on this campus. A legacy of

standing up for what she believed in, aiding students and faculty alike, and paving the way for a

better tomorrow.

Dr. Moline first started her career at UWRF in 2006, previously working as a faculty

member of Arizona State Polytechnic University. From the very beginning of her 19 years

working, Dr. Moline has been fighting towards one thing; academic freedom. On average,

doctorates at UWRF take about 6 years to achieve tenure, which means that they have security

with their job and won't get fired or laid off unless for a just cause or situation such as a program

being shut down. To Dr. Moline, professors gaining tenure is a sign of trust between old and new

professors that the new professors are able to commit to research without the supervision of a

more experienced professor. When it came to studies that were either more risky or

controversial -such as the study of stem cells- professors with tenure won’t have to fear the risk

of being fired or being told to put their research in another direction.

Dr. Moline’s fight for academic freedom stems from the weaponization of  “cancel culture.”

From Dr. Moline’s perspective, weaponization of it on both ends of the political

spectrum has left professors stuck in the middle and being told by those with no experience in a

professor’s specific academic field to redirect research away from what is against the norm.

“The tenure protections are more about the freedom to decide what I wanted to study

and research as a professional,” stated Dr. Moline.

Dr. Moline then became a member of the UWRF Faculty Senate in 2012; the legislative

arm for the faculty at UWRF, allowing for the faculty's voice to be heard in the discussion

involving university. Due to her blunt nature and her ability to speak the hard truth, Dr. Moline

was elected as the Faculty Senate Chair. She held this role until 2020, where she stepped down

to become the Department Chair of English, TESOL, and Modern Languages, before returning

to the position in 2024. Dr. Moline commented that part of the reason she was so outspoken

about how she felt on issues was due to the fact that she had more Dr. Moline is still continuing to commit to scientific study and research despite being retired. In fact, she’s currently researching the effects digital spaces have on people's

communication skills. But even though she’s gone, her fight for academic freedom and

willingness to say the hard things in academic conversations has made her a role model for an

entire generation of students at this campus

“Look to the future and don’t be quiet.”