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CSSH Newsletter
November 2024
College Dean's Message
Greetings all,
Brrr! Winter sure did come in a hurry! I hope you all are staying warm and are also enjoying the beautiful fresh snow scenery.
November was an extremely busy month for me and the college. Before the busy month began, I spent the end of October at McMaster University as part of their Faculty of Social Science Review team. I was joined by a dean from the University of Saskatchewan and a dean from Carleton University. It was great for me to learn how three different universities are looking at the challenges and opportunities in the social science space.
A lot of my time in November was spent involved in our Built for Purpose strategic plan. We had many different town halls and focus groups, as well as presentations to many different governance groups on campus. While we have ended all of the focus groups, there is still a chance to participate as you can fill out a survey on the Built for Purpose website that closes December 6.
In addition to the Built for Purpose strategic plan, I am now an official member of the University Senate as a Provost’s delegate. My reason for joining the senate is that there are lots of conversations in a variety of different areas around social innovation, community involvement and community engagement. I think instructors and units in CSSH have a strong reputation for being involved in these things and my goal as part of the senate is to make sure CSSH’s voice is being heard in those conversations.
A new documentary on the life and impact of Gordon Hirabayashi can also be found on the Prince Takamado Japan Centre’s YouTube channel. I am not just sharing this because I have a cameo in the documentary, but because I am extremely pleased with not only the production quality of the documentary but also the collective efforts of so many people and areas to get this message out! The goal of the documentary is to not only share Hirabayashi’s amazing story but to also further the dialogue about ongoing racism in Canada and the ever-present need to advocate for human rights.
I had the privilege this month of emceeing a fireside chat with the Honorable Greg Fergus, who is the first Black parliamentarian to be elected Speaker of the House of Commons. The picture below is from that event. Shown from left to right are Elder Terry Coyote Aleck, Christine Turenne, Hon. Greg Fergus and myself. I was also busy attending the PhD research day at the Alberta School of Business, and I was the keynote speaker at the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative Conference on November 26.
One of the key activities that was started this month and will continue during December and the rest of the academic year is preparing budgets for fiscal year 2025/2026. The college has been involved in numerous discussions with faculty deans, and University Wide Services as well as creating our own college budget. On November 25, the deans of our college’s faculties and I also gathered to do some strategic planning, looking for intentional ways to improve performance and identify any potential synergies within the college.
Lastly, I would like to introduce you all to a new feature of the college newsletter: Performance Corner. As you (hopefully) already know, the college is home to some amazing performance units. Each month I want to highlight some of the performances that I will try to mark on my calendar as activities to attend. I hope that if you (or anyone you know) are looking for great performances, you can also plan to attend and recommend them.
For this month, I want to talk about two musical events. One is happening on February 2 at 3 PM Northern Alberta Honour Band Concert in Winspear, conducted by Professor Angela Schroeder featuring the Symphonic Wind Ensemble (SWE) with concerto competition winner graduate student Melvin Picazo, saxophone soloist.The other event is the University Symphony Orchestra USO in Winspear on February 9 with Jacques Despres piano soloist in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto and student soloist cellist Matthew Craig. Keep an eye on the Department of Music’s website for more information and more performances.
I also want to mention one drama production. Studio Theatre’s Wildfire by David Paquette and directed by Jovanni Sy (of recent Stratford success on A Salesman in China) will be played from December 2 to 14. It is a new translation of a French play in French Canadian Gothic style. It has family drama and a dark sense of humour and is performed by students in their fourth year BFA Acting and designed by MFA Theatre Design candidate Payal Jotania as her thesis production.
As I close this newsletter, let me also say congratulations to everyone who is convocating this month! I have to admit, before I became college dean, I never went to convocation. But now that I have started going, it truly is one of the highlights of my year. Seeing all of the students and their families celebrating their accomplishments truly reminds me of the university’s purpose and inspires me to do whatever I can to make sure that we as a university (amid so much noise) keep our focus on ensuring we are doing our best for our students.
Since I will not have a December newsletter, let me also take this time to say that I have three hopes for you: the first is that 2024 was the year you were hoping for, the second is that you have some time to rest and relax over the holidays, and lastly, I hope that you get everything you want in 2025.
Best Regards,
Marvin
College Updates
The college is proud to share that Joanna Harrington, our inaugural associate dean, research (ADR) will join the Faculty of Law as their new vice dean effective February 2025. Please join the college in congratulating Joanna on this well-deserved appointment, and thanking her for all her invaluable contributions as ADR.
Office of Education
Canvas Resources
The U of A is transitioning to Canvas from eClass. Instructors are strongly recommended to use Canvas in Winter 2025. By the end of Fall 2025, eClass will be read-only.
To help you with this transition, a number of resources are available:
Office of Research
Apply for The Strategic Research Initiatives Fund
The Strategic Research Initiatives Fund (SRIF) is accepting applications until January 10. The SRIF will provide support to faculties, colleges and the Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) (OVPRI) for projects that enhance research performance aligned with Forward with Purpose. For more information, visit this page.
Research Administration Education Series
Finding funds to carry out research is already difficult, but managing those funds in accordance with ALL the rules is its own challenge. One of the ways the Research Partner Network is striving to support researchers and administrators is by providing education and training. We have relaunched our Research Administration Education Series (RAES) and continue on with the following webinars.
Series 2: Session 1: Navigating Researcher Home Page (RHP) & eTRA, happening on Tuesday, December 3, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (In Person, In Computer Lab) L1-270 ECHA, Register
Series 1: Session 6: Project Close Out, happening on Monday, December 9, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. via Zoom, Register
Research Administration Pop-Ups
The Research Partner Network invites you to attend a Research Administration Pop-up. Drop by with your research administration questions. These could include questions about different research policies, working in the Researcher Home Page (RHP), eligibility of expenses, applying for funding, correcting over expenditures (O/E), end date extensions, etc. Registration is not required. Sessions are:
Tuesday, December 10, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., 8-222 Donadeo Innovation Centre For Engineering (DICE)
Wednesday, December 18, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., 122 Education Centre South
Not able to attend this month? Let us know where you would like us to pop-up next by emailing rsoinfo@ualberta.ca.
Autism, Neurodiversity & Academic Achievement Lab
Have you heard of the Autism, Neurodiversity & Academic Achievement (AIDAN) Lab? This initiative aims to cultivate a collaborative and mentorship-centered environment that empowers students to proficiently develop the necessary skills for top-notch research. Check out their website and consider joining their next speaker series session on December 10.
College News
In this article, it was announced that Sarah Nickel (Faculty of Arts) has received this national recognition and designation to support her research in Indigenous Politics and Gender.
College alumni and faculty make this year’s Edify Top 40 Under 40 list
12 of this year’s recipients are part of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities community.
Episode 5: Social Entrepreneurship
Tune in as we chat with Canada Research Chair in Social Entrepreneurship Angelique Slade Shantz (Alberta School of Business) about social entrepreneurship, necessity entrepreneurs, field research and community collaboration.
Several CSSH members named 2024 Killam Laureates
Awards honour the academic excellence of doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and professors.
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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