UT Tyler Associate Vice President to Serve on Moroccan Education Council
December 14, 2022
By Hannah Buchanan
The University of Texas at Tyler announced that Kouider Mokhtari, PhD, associate vice president for research and associate dean of the UT Tyler Graduate School, has been appointed by the King of Morocco as one of 20 experts to serve on Morocco’s Supreme Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research. The council will work to promote education, training and scientific research to improve Moroccan schools and provide quality education for all.
“Dr. Mokhtari has been a great expert in literacy research and training, a passionate advocate for the value of education, and an ambassador of hope in education arenas,” said Amir Mirmiran, PhD, UT Tyler provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “His selection by the King of Morocco provides an opportunity for him to expand his valuable impact to his home country – something that makes us all the more proud of him.”
Mokhtari is also the Anderson-Vukelja-Wright Endowed Professor of Literacy Education at UT Tyler, where he engages in research, teaching and service initiatives aimed at advancing literacy instruction and increasing students’ literacy achievement outcomes.
“This is a prestigious appointment that speaks to Dr. Mokhtari’s remarkable stature,” said Steven Idell, MD, PhD, UT Tyler senior vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School. “His input is most appropriately sought and welcomed by this austere council, which is a testament to his experience, communication skills and carefully-crafted perspectives.”
Mokhtari’s research focuses on the acquisition of language and literacy by first and second language learners, with particular emphasis on children, adolescents and adults who can read but have difficulties understanding what they read. His research has been widely published in books, academic journals and reports.
He holds a Master of Arts in applied linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) as well as an interdisciplinary PhD in applied linguistics, cognitive psychology and curriculum and instruction with a specialization in reading, both from Ohio University.
With a mission to improve educational and healthcare outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate programs to 10,000 students. UT Tyler recently merged with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (now known as UT Tyler Health Science Center). Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center (HSC) and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.