Jacqueline Melvold Announced as Compton Chair

Visiting Associate Professor of Practice Dr. Jacqueline Melvold has been named the new Compton Chair for Intelligence and Innovation. This endowed faculty position was established through a generous $3.2 million gift made to the W.A. Franke Honors College last fall by Dr. John Lee Compton. 

Joining Franke Honors from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Dr. Melvold has spent the last several years teaching and building up the future-focused Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII & CII) degree program at UTS. The BCII, now offered in the Franke Honors College, is a dual-degree program that prepares students to face society’s present and future challenges through experiential learning, engaged critical thinking, and transdisciplinary study. 

Dr. Melvold was a key partner in bringing the BCII to the W.A. Franke Honors College in 2023 and teaching the inaugural course, Problems to Possibilities, that summer. Now, as Compton Chair, she aims to continue the work she began last year, collaborating with students, faculty, staff and industry, government and community leaders. 

“Engaging with the vibrant academic community at the W.A. Franke Honors College will be an enriching experience, and I am eager to contribute to a culture that values curiosity, interdisciplinary exploration, and forward-thinking innovation,” she said. 

Part of Dr. Melvold’s role will involve fostering new community partnerships within the University of Arizona campus and beyond, creating platforms for students to engage with real-world challenges, and amplifying the visibility of BCII as a leader in creative intelligence and innovation. Her work will position BCII as a pivotal space within the Franke Honors College where creativity meets impact, preparing students to be future leaders and changemakers, no matter their discipline. 

“In the next year, I hope to see a thriving community of students actively engaging with innovative projects that have tangible social, environmental, and economic impacts,” said Melvold. “I hope to leave a legacy of inspiration and action, encouraging students and faculty alike to continually push the boundaries of what’s possible through creative intelligence and innovation.”