Tusty ten Bensel, Ph.D.

Tusty ten Bensel is Professor of Criminal Justice and Associate Dean for Student Success, Curriculum, and Research in the College of Business, Health, and Human Services at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She brings more than a decade of experience in academic leadership, faculty development, strategic planning, and program innovation within higher education. As an Associate Dean, Tusty has led efforts to expand student success initiatives, strengthen faculty research support, and build meaningful partnerships across higher education and community organizations. Currently, she serves as the Provost’s Faculty Fellow in Accreditation, where she co-leads the university’s accreditation processes and academic strategic initiatives. She also co-chairs several university-wide committees focused on integrated planning, mission alignment, and leadership development. In addition, she is Director of the Justice Research and Policy Center, where she collaborates extensively with state and local agencies to translate research into policy and practice. A central focus of Tusty’s work is cultivating effective academic leaders. She co-developed and co-chairs the Academic Leadership Academy at UA Little Rock, a comprehensive leadership development program designed to support faculty and administrators transitioning into leadership roles. Her experience includes curriculum design, facilitation of leadership cohorts, and mentoring department chairs, associate deans, and emerging academic leaders.

Dr. ten Bensel earned her B.A. and M.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and her Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.