Beth Pastores-Palffy - Associate Dean

Born and raised in the Philippines of Filipino parentage, Dr. Elizabeth A. Pastores-Palffy was permanently transplanted onto U.S. soil when she decided not to return to her native land upon completion of graduate studies at UCLA. She is a trained historian in Asian history, specializing in Philippine history, and Latin American history, specializing in Brazilian history. Her exposure to various cultures has broadened her view of the world, and because of this she is able to transcend the confines of her cultural world and offer a global and comparative perspective in interpreting history.

Growing up in an economically developing country and having lived in another for a year of dissertation research, Beth has developed a keen sense of "Third World" identity, poverty, and underdevelopment. Living in the United States for more than 20 years now, she experiences first hand the disparity of living between the developed and the underdeveloped world. Her research interest centers around the question of "Third World" underdevelopment and its relationship with colonialism and imperialism.

Like most immigrants who have made the United States their home, Beth defines her identity as being "neither here nor there." However, this feeling of alienation is softened by the universality of the educational world in which she has circulated. Her professional life started at the University of the Philippines, and she found the same niche in the United States, primarily at Union Institute & University. She taught briefly at UCLA and at California State University, Northridge. Although her experience was mostly at traditional institutions, she easily folded into the non-traditional life at Union Institute & University. Her educational goal, bringing learning to the underserved, made this transition easy. She derives a lot of pleasure in helping learners bring discussions to a higher level of discourse and molding themselves into critical thinkers.

Beth devoted most of her academic professional life to university teaching. She has taught undergraduate courses in Asian, Latin American, United States, European, Early and Modern Civilizations. She has served as an undergraduate and graduate advisor to a variety of students. In recent years, her academic life has shifted to academic administration, where she has found new meaning in delivering learner service. As associate dean, she has been able to influence favorable thinking toward adult education in a wider swath of people: fellow administrators, academic staff, learners, advisors, and the instructional faculty. She enjoys working together with them in a collaborative environment and finds that overseeing programs and watching them grow, mature, and succeed brings much satisfaction and reward to her work.

Beth holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of California at Los Angeles.