UTA names Hollywood director to film professorship
As North Texas continues to expand its film and television industry, The University of Texas at Arlington is bringing accomplished Hollywood television director Rachel Raimist into the classroom this fall.
Dr. Raimist has been appointed the Morgan Woodward Distinguished Professor of Film and Video in the Department of Art and Art History. An accomplished filmmaker, television director and educator, she brings extensive experience in network television, documentary filmmaking and higher education, giving students the opportunity to learn from a professional who remains active in the entertainment industry.
Raimist has directed episodes of Elsbeth, Bel-Air, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Sex/Life, Queen Sugar, Nancy Drew, Roswell, New Mexico, Greenleaf and numerous other television series for CBS, Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, ABC, Fox, OWN and The CW. Beyond her directing work, she serves in leadership roles with the Directors Guild of America and teaches through organizations including the Sundance Institute and the American Film Institute, helping mentor the next generation of filmmakers.
"We are so excited for her to bring her vitality and ideas to UTA as our students will greatly benefit from her fresh ideas on filmmaking, narrative series and new modes of storytelling, along with her established industry expertise and networks,” said August Jordan Davis, chair of the Department of Art and Art History.
"As the film and media industries continue to grow across North Texas, this is an important moment for UTA to invest in the future of creative education," said Elizabeth Newman, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. "Rachel Raimist's appointment reflects the College of Liberal Arts' commitment to preparing students with the creativity, skills and real-world experience they need to thrive in this evolving field."
Raimist said UTA's commitment to students and the rapid growth of the region's creative economy made the University an ideal fit.
"I value UTA's commitment to students, the energy of the Dallas-Fort Worth creative community and the momentum the university has right now. It feels like a place that's growing and evolving, and that's exciting to me," Raimist said. "With the region becoming such an important center for media and entertainment, I think there's a real opportunity to prepare students not just to graduate, but to step directly into an industry that's growing in their own backyard."
For UTA students, Raimist's appointment means learning from a filmmaker who remains active in Hollywood. Her ongoing work gives students firsthand insight into the creative, technical and professional demands of today's film and television industry.
Before joining UTA, she held teaching and leadership appointments at Occidental College, Columbia College Chicago's Los Angeles program, the American Film Institute and the Sundance Institute. She previously served as academic director of Elon University's Los Angeles program and was a tenured associate professor at the University of Alabama, where she developed innovative programs connecting students with careers in the entertainment industry.
Raimist said her goal is to help students bridge the gap between the classroom and the professional world while preparing them for long-term success.
"I want students to become stronger filmmakers, artists, media-makers and storytellers, but I also want them to develop confidence in their own creative voice,” she said. “By combining strong technical and creative foundations with meaningful industry engagement, we can prepare graduates who are ready to contribute to North Texas' growing creative economy while also being competitive in the broader film and television industry."
Raimist’s documentary work has also earned national recognition. Her groundbreaking documentary Nobody Knows My Name, which explores the experiences of women in hip-hop culture, screened at festivals around the world and has been acquired by colleges and universities across the country. Raimist is also featured in the upcoming documentary Teenage Wasteland, recently acquired by Netflix.
Raimist earned bachelor's and master's degrees in film directing from the University of California, Los Angeles, before completing master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Minnesota.
Raimist becomes the latest holder of the Morgan Woodward Distinguished Professorship in Film and Video, established through an endowment created in 2010 by acclaimed actor Morgan Woodward to support film studies within UTA's College of Liberal Arts.
Woodward, whose career spanned more than six decades in film and television, was best known for portraying the memorable "man with no eyes" in the 1967 classic Cool Hand Luke. A graduate of what would become UT Arlington in 1948, he was named a UTA Distinguished Alumnus in 1969 before establishing the endowment to ensure future generations of students would learn from nationally recognized filmmakers and scholars.
About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing public research university in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth. With a student body of over 42,700, UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, offering more than 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation’s top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 300,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.