Dr. Vicki Brittain

Dr. Vicki Brittain retired from Texas State University after 40 years of service in 2020. Dr. Brittain joined Texas State in 1980 as an assistant professor and became an associate professor in 1987. She was promoted to the rank of full professor in 2005. She received her J.D. from Washburn University in 1977 and worked as an associate at a law firm in Wichita, Kansas prior to coming to Texas State. She is an active member of the State Bar of Texas and served as an attorney member of the Paralegal standing committee.  

In the political science department, Dr. Brittain taught primarily in the M.A. in Legal Studies Program. Her primary research and teaching interests are in the areas of civil litigation and in the use of paralegals in the legal service delivery system. She co-authored The Paralegal Handbook as part of the West Legal Studies series. and her articles have appeared in a variety of journals including the Journal of Higher Education Management, Journal of Public Affairs, Legal Assistant Today, and Washburn Law Journal. During her time in the department Dr. Brittain won numerous awards including the “Favorite Professor Award” from Alfred H. Nolle Chapter of the Alpha Chi National Collegiate Honor Society, the American Association of University Administrators’ B. Alan Watson Award for Excellence in Professional-Scholarly Presentation, and CenTex American Society of Public Administration Educator of the Year Award.

During her time at Texas State, Dr. Brittain served the department, college and university in numerous administrative roles. She held the position Director of the Legal Studies program in 1980-1989, Acting Chair of Criminal Justice in 1990-1992, and Associate Dean of Liberal Arts from 2001-2003. From 2003-2014, she served as the Chair of Political Science and from 2015 to 2018, she served as Special Assistant to the President at Texas State University. She also participated in numerous committees, search committees and task forces.