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CSSH Newsletter
March 2026
College Dean's Message
tân'si, nitôtêmak,
For those of you who were able to attend my CSSH dean public presentation in August of 2025, you may recall that part of my talk was about the importance of building a storytelling infrastructure. As I approach six months(!) in this position, I and the college team are starting to build out that element of the presentation.
And part of this involves the fashioning of a “sensemaking infrastructure.”
If you will forgive the mildly obnoxious phrasing, I am using “sensemaking” to refer to how organizations make sense of and handle change – especially in complex environments like universities where no single perspective defines problems or solutions. The idea is often associated with Karl Weick’s work from the 1990s, but is now widely used across different fields. In practice, sensemaking is about how people share and interpret accounts of their work and experiences. These accounts — formal or informal — aren’t just an add-on to analysis; they are one of the main ways we understand change, align actions and build shared understanding.
If we are seeking to “coordinate across difference” — which is part of what the college structure is there to do — we need to work with how existing forms of expression are taken up into broader narratives, rather than trying to replace or impose them.
CSSH has no shortage of important work or compelling accounts of that work. Our college brings together people working at the cutting edge of major challenges facing society: social, legal, environmental, economic, educational, and political (and you’ll likely have your own ways of describing these). This teaching and scholarship take many forms, including empirical research, theoretical argument, creative practice, policy analysis and teaching innovation.
The issue is not, therefore, a lack of value or insight, but that these accounts are usually developed and shared within disciplinary or faculty-specific contexts, which can limit how far they travel.
The college model at the U of A is meant to address this fragmentation. It’s not there to direct or replace discipline-specific work, but to create conditions for greater alignment, coordination and collective impact across faculties. In practice, this means helping to connect different kinds of work — linking shared questions, concerns or approaches and making those connections easier to see and engage with.
Without this layer, accounts often stay within departments or faculties — valuable in their own right but less connected to wider, cross-faculty avenues for collaboration. The college model helps bring these accounts into broader, shared narratives that can support more coordinated responses to complex challenges.
I have often heard that the U of A already tells too many “stories.” I must admit that I do not share that concern, though I would put it a bit differently: most of what we call stories are simply accounts of our work and experience. The issue isn’t the volume, but how those accounts are interpreted — and from a strategic perspective, how seldom they have the opportunity to connect to broader, CSSH-wide themes.
One way the CSSH college can help is by developing a small set (i.e., 4-5) of “shared narrative themes” to bring these accounts into conversation with each other. These themes aren’t meant to categorize or constrain the work, but to serve as shared interpretive lenses that help different kinds of work resonate across disciplines.
Group facilitation is key to this process, helping themes emerge from participants rather than being imposed. In doing so, it creates space to identify commonalities across teaching, scholarship and service – while still acknowledging their differences – and supports a more connected view of our collective work.
Building on previous work led by Dr. Joanna Harrington during her time as CSSH ADR, we will be working over the next four months with a small team of trained facilitators to host a series of group sessions across the College. The goal of these sessions is to bring together the wide range of work already happening in CSSH and support its interpretation into a smaller set of shared narrative themes. CSSH is already home to many of the university’s most powerful storytellers; the aim is to connect that capacity so it can do more collectively than it does in parallel. This aim here, in other words, isn’t to artificially impose coherence, but to create the conditions for connections to emerge across disciplines, grounded in participant insights. I will share more as this work takes shape.
Pishshapmishko,
Chris Andersen
College Updates
The University of Alberta ranks second in SSHRC funding across Canada
In the 2025 SSHRC competition, U of A researchers were awarded a record number of new grants, outperforming the national average in every category. Nearly $9 million in funding supports 64 projects across the university – many of which are based in the faculties of Arts, Business, Education and Law.
Office of Access, Community and Belonging & Indigenous Initiatives
Welcoming Disrupted and Displaced Scholars and Students
The U of A will welcome 14 scholars this spring and summer through its Disrupted and Displaced Scholars and Students initiatives, including the Disrupted Ukrainian Scholars and Students (DUSS) and Disrupted and Displaced Palestinian Scholars and Students (DPSS) initiatives.
This work reflects the University’s commitment to helping displaced scholars continue their academic work and stay connected to global communities, while advancing priorities in Changing the Story.
To learn more or support these initiatives:
Office of Education
Teaching Squares
Looking to connect with other instructors from our college to exchange ideas, refine teaching skills and explore pedagogical approaches? The Office of Education invites you to join the next cohort of Teaching Squares in Fall 2026, an initiative aimed at enhancing teaching development, strengthening collegiality and building interdisciplinary connections through structured peer engagement.
For those interested in learning more, reach out using this form by
June 1.
Office of Research
Research Sharing Conference
The 2SLGBTQI+ (Rainbow) Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (REKH/CSEA) works to create a clearer picture of the entrepreneurship landscape for the 2SLGBTQI+ community. Their March 14 Spring Research Spotlight brought together community members, project teams, partners and collaborators for a day of discussion, learning and knowledge sharing. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the event impactful.
Research Administration Education Series
The Research Partner Network strives to support researchers and administrators in managing funds by providing education and training. Our Research Administration Education Series (RAES) continues with the following webinars:
Series 1, Session 3: Project Types (via Zoom)
Date: April 22
Time: 11a.m. - 12 p.m.
Register
Series 2, Session 2: Tri-Agency Guide to Financial Administration (via Zoom)
Date: April 28
10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Register
Research Administration Pop-Up
Members of the Research Partner Network will be in-person to answer your research administration questions. These could include questions about different research policies, working in the Researcher Home Page, eligibility of expenses, applying for funding, etc. Come by to say hello even if you don't have a question. Registration is not required.
Date: April 21
Time: 1 - 3 p.m.
Location: 1-26 Assiniboia Hall
Not able to attend this pop-up? We are happy to meet at your convenience in person, via telephone or virtually. Please email rsoinfo@ualberta.ca to confirm your availability.
Performance Corner
Department of Drama: Deserters a new play by Kenneth T. Williams
No one gets to be a civilian when a nation is at war with itself. Studio Theatre presents the world premiere of Deserters, directed by visiting artist Carmen Aguirre and featuring the BFA Acting graduating class of 2026.
Date: April 1-11
Location: Timms Centre for the Arts
Learn More
Department of Art & Design: I have an idea | 2026 Bachelor of Design Graduation Exhibition
All it takes is one spark to turn a concept into reality. Featuring work by the Bachelor of Design graduating class of 2026.
Date: March 31 - April 11
Location: FAB Gallery
Learn More
Department of Music: From Paris to the New World, with Love | Saint-Saens' mighty Organ Symphony
The U of A Symphony Orchestra, Madrigal Singers and Concert Choir perform Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony, Poulenc's Gloria and Gershwin's An American in Paris. Featuring guests Jeremy Spurgeon on organ and Miriam Khalil, soprano.
Date: March 28
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: All Saints’ Anglican Cathedral, 10035 103 St NW, Edmonton
Learn More
College News
Five years on, the Sustainable Development Goals matter more than ever at the University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is deepening its commitment to the SDGs across teaching, research and student experience, including through the Peter Lougheed School of Politics and Democracy’s focus on leadership and governance.
Reimagining inclusive education
With the second term of her Canada Research Chair in Deaf Education underway, education professor Joanne Weber continues to pioneer the emerging field of deaf aesthetics.
Triple triumph: sociology PhD grad credits family, friends and faith for overcoming setbacks
Amid an emotional “roller coaster” of grief, pandemic and pregnancy, sociology PhD grad Bridget Alichie persevered to earn her doctorate and pursue her passion for helping women and children in Nigeria.
College of Social Sciences + Humanities
Expanding the boundaries of knowledge and understanding to foster a creative, equitable, inclusive, just and democratic society, with opportunity and well-being for all.
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