Dr. Sharlaine Ortiz is a clinical instructor in the psychology department at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Her contract will end at the end of Spring of 2022, and unfortunately, Dr. Ortiz has been notified that her contract will not be extended. 

We believe that a grave mistake has been made. We, the students of Dr. Ortiz, have been delighted with her as our instructor, and we view her as one of the best faculty members we have had at UAH. Dr. Ortiz has demonstrated steadfast commitment and exceptional performance while instructing us in our psychology courses. We do not believe her current performance is substandard and deserving of termination. Everyone that has taken one of Dr. Ortiz's courses can confirm this. 

Moreover, the College of Arts and Social Sciences and the Psychology Department's decision not to renew Dr. Ortiz's contract speaks to the already limited representation of minorities in the Psychology department. The students yearn to be students of a learning institution where achieving equity, diversity, inclusion, and intellectual excellence are its highest priorities.

Besides being a fantastic professor, Dr. Ortiz is an Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) combat veteran who honorably served as Senior Intelligence Analyst at NATO ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) for the US Armed Forces during combat operations in Afghanistan.

Dr. Ortiz has consistently given her time to her students and placed our academic and personal needs above her own, just as she has sacrificed her life for our freedom and country. Hence we believe she is a vital member of the psychology department and instructors here at UAH. 

President Kerr and Dean Lane, we, the students of this campus, kindly ask you to reconsider the evaluation of Dr. Sharlaine Ortiz's status here at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and extend her contract.