As the North Texas entertainment industry booms<\/a>, the University of Texas at Arlington is hoping to attract film students with the appointment of an accomplished Hollywood director to its faculty.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rachel Raimist rolls into the classroom this fall as the university\u2019s Morgan Woodward Distinguished Professor of Film and Video in the Department of Art and Art History. She will teach advanced cinema production and capstone courses in short film production.<\/p>\n The television director said the university\u2019s growth and commitment to students, as well as the \u201cenergy of the Dallas-Fort Worth creative community,\u201d drew her in.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWith 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,\u201d she said in a news release.\u00a0<\/p>\n Raimist is the latest holder of the professorship established through a 2010 endowment by Arlington-raised actor Morgan Woodward to support the College of Liberal Arts film studies. Woodward, who died in 2019, was known for his roles in the 1967 movie \u201cCool Hand Luke\u201d and the longrunning Western TV show \u201cGunsmoke.\u201d<\/p>\n Raimist previously directed episodes of television series such as \u201cBel-Air,\u201d \u201cElsbeth,\u201d \u201cCSI: Vegas,\u201d \u201cSex\/Life\u201d and \u201cThe Spiderwick Chronicles.\u201d She currently serves in leadership roles with the Directors Guild of America and teaches at the Sundance Institute and the American Film Institute.\u00a0<\/p>\n Before joining the UT Arlington faculty, Raimist served as academic director of Elon University Los Angeles and as a tenured associate professor at the University of Alabama.<\/p>\n Because North Texas has film and television opportunities that didn\u2019t exist a decade ago, Raimist views her role as giving students the practical experience needed to thrive in the competitive market, she said in a Q&A with the UT Arlington media relations department<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI also want students to understand that success in this industry depends not only on creative talent but also on professionalism, having an entrepreneurial spirit, being adaptable, having good communication and working well as a crew,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n August Jordan Davis, chair of the Department of Art and Art History, said Arlington students will benefit from Raimist\u2019s fresh ideas on filmmaking, new modes of storytelling and her established industry networks.\u00a0<\/p>\n UT Arlington\u2019s investment in cinema dates to the establishment of its first film program in the late 1960s. More than 120 undergraduate students are pursuing art degrees with a concentration in cinematic arts, according to university spokesperson Jeff Caplan.<\/p>\n The university\u2019s recent push to attract new industry experts comes as other North Texas organizations are also supporting the next generation of filmmakers.<\/p>\n Tarrant County College operates a Fort Worth Film Collaborative Certificate Program<\/a> in partnership with the city\u2019s film commission and 101 Studios, the entertainment company that produced Taylor Sheridan\u2019s \u201cYellowstone\u201d and \u201cLandman.\u201d The program equips students with the foundational skills needed to work in the film industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n