Maura Heyn

Maura K. Heyn has been an Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at UNCG since 2023.  Maura received her BA in History and French (1991) from Loyola Marymount University and her Ph.D. in Archaeology (2002) from UCLA. She served as a Teaching Fellow in the Introduction to the Humanities (IHUM) Program at Stanford University from 2002-2004.  In 2004, she joined the faculty in the Department of Classical Studies at UNCG as an assistant professor; she received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2011 and was promoted to Professor in 2019.  Maura served as the Director of the Archaeology Program from 2014-2017 and as Head of the Department of Classical Studies from 2017 to 2023. She has also chaired the Academic Policies and Regulations Committee at UNCG and the College of Arts and Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee.

Maura’s research focuses on funerary sculpture in the Roman empire, particularly the sculpture from the Syrian city of Palmyra. She is interested in issues of social identity, cultural change, ancient clothing and dress, and the archaeology of the body. Over the last fifteen years, she has published many articles and book chapters on Palmyrene funerary sculpture and has benefited from research collaborations associated with the Palmyra Portrait Project. Other research interests include the mural decoration of the Temple of Bel in Dura-Europos, and the significance of hand gestures in Roman funerary portraiture.

Responsibilities:
Freshman Seminars, Ashby Dialogues, Diversity Initiatives, Student Success, Technology, and Undergraduate Curriculum and Program changes (including new course proposals)