College Dean's Message

Greetings all,

April often marks a time of transition. On the one hand, many of you have spent the last couple of weeks finishing up your grading as you wind down your winter term. And then, if you are like me, you also spent some time in April celebrating the end of a term. 

One celebration highlight was attending the Women in Leadership Gala and celebrating the wonderful individuals who show leadership on campus and beyond. The PLLC received funding from Telus to support student groups and foster leadership development on campus, and this gala is a testament to that development. 

Next, I had the pleasure of learning about the exciting research happening in the Faculty of Arts’ Department of English and Film Studies during their research celebration day. I also brought greetings at the kickoff of the second cohort of the Black Youth for Social Innovation work integrated learning program and at an excellent networking event for second-year business students, part of their Coffee and Connections series. I wrapped these celebrations up last week by sharing remarks at the inaugural Social Sciences and Humanities Book Launch, now known as the SSH Bookshelf Series, where we celebrated Domale Dube (Arts) and Godwin Dzah (Law) on the launch of their recent books. (Check out a picture of both authors with Temitope Oriola, CSSH associate dean research, below.)

I also wanted to share something else that the Faculty of Arts is celebrating: The International Student Experience video as well as The Impact of a Degree in the Arts video. What wonderful ways to showcase the faculty. Well done to Robert Wood and all those in the Faculty of Arts who helped see these videos to completion. 

While the winter term is ending, for many of you this also marks the relaunch of research activities, especially as those who submitted SSHRC applications are now hearing back about their results. While I didn’t submit a SSHRC grant myself, I am working on some research that I’ll be presenting at the North American Society for Sport Management conference in May, and I’m also trying to carve out some time to get back to a couple of research projects that have been delayed.

This period of the year also represents the calm before convocation season starts in June. If possible, I would encourage all of you to attend one of the many convocations that occurs in June. One of the highlights of my time as college dean is attending  these ceremonies. I try to attend at least one convocation from each faculty as it warms my heart to celebrate with people that have achieved such an important milestone.

I also want to acknowledge that May is Asian Heritage Month, an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the contributions and stories of diverse Asian cultures that enrich our communities — including our U of A community. Please keep your eyes and ears open for inspiring narratives and events that are happening across campus and beyond.

As I write this, I do hope that between all of the endings (grades), beginnings (research) and ongoing work, that you do find some time to relax.  I am always amazed at how nice the weather starts to get in Edmonton as we move along into spring, as well as how pretty the grounds around U of A look at this time of year. Or at least that is what I tell myself, as now I am pushing through a horrible bout of allergies.

Best Regards,

Marvin

College Updates

Festival of Teaching and Learning 2025

Hosted by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, the Festival of Teaching and Learning is the University of Alberta’s annual celebration of teaching excellence and innovation. Happening May 13-15, this vibrant event brings educators from across our university community to engage, connect, and collaborate. More than just a conference, FoTL celebrates creativity, innovation, and our shared commitment to transformative learning experiences. 

BYSI Enters Its Second Year

The college is thrilled to announce the launch of the second year of the Black Youth for Social Innovation (BYSI) program — an initiative that is empowering Black youth to lead a pluralistic society. The number of participants has doubled this summer, with twenty students taking up roles in a wide array of placements that connect their academic passions with real-world impact From research in political culture, education and Black newcomer communities to internships in policy, technology and community development, the 2025 cohort reflects the diversity and depth of Black youth excellence across disciplines.

Highlights of this year’s placements include positions with the Affordable Housing Solutions Lab, the Municipal Development and Administration Monitor (MDAM) project, and leading faculty members across the University of Alberta. Students will also be working alongside community-engaged researchers on projects such as the Common Ground Initiative and the Partnership for Research with African Newcomers (PRAN). Internship placements span from provincial constituency offices and campus-based research teams to private sector employers like Integrated Strategic Partners and Berlin. These experiential opportunities are not only building professional and academic capacity but are also cultivating the next generation of changemakers committed to justice, innovation and community transformation.

Office of Access, Community and Belonging

Getting to Know... Laura!

We had the opportunity to chat with our college's Associate Dean, ACB, Laura Beard, and learn about her role, her goals and where she would go if she had a time machine:

How long have you been at the U of A? 

I have been at the U of A since July 2012. I came in as chair of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies in the Faculty of Arts, then later served as associate vice president (research) for five years in the Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation. However, I had spent a year at the U of A in 2008, when I came to the Faculty of Native Studies as part of the Fulbright Research program. 

What inspired you to enter the role of AD, ACB?

The work of supporting access, community and belonging as well as all the work that has been laid out so powerfully in our new 2025 Integrated Action Plan, Changing the Story, and the work laid out so beautifully in the Braiding Past, Present and Future, the University’s Indigenous Strategic Plan, inspires me. 

There are already lots of amazing people doing great work in the college and I see my role as associate dean (ACB), in part, as lifting up the terrific work already being done and helping to facilitate, connect and inspire more individuals to engage with this work in order to have a university where everyone can flourish. 

How has it been going so far?

I’ve been meeting with the people who are participating in access, equity, community, belonging, and Indigenous initiatives work in the different faculties across the college — both individually and in groups — to hear what they are doing and what ideas or concerns they have, and that’s been great. I am extremely fortunate to work with and have the support of Monisha Vinod (the strategic initiatives officer for the college’s Office of Access, Community & Belonging), who had started her role prior to my coming on as an associate dean. 

I am also involved in the ACB committees and work at the university-level and get to collaborate with and learn from individuals all across campus, including the marvelous vice provost (access, community and belonging), Carrie Smith.

What are some of your goals for the Office of ACB over the next year?

I want to lift up the excellent work already being done in the college while also helping bring more folks together and encouraging more people to get involved in changing the story for us all around access, community and belonging. There are actions laid out for us in the university-level plans I mentioned above, and I look forward to working with individuals across CSSH to reflect on those calls, to have meaningful conversations and ultimately move beyond those reflections and conversations to actions so that we can transform our departments, faculties and college to make them spaces of greater access, community and belonging. That won’t all happen in one year, but some of it can, and it has to, for all of us.

Lastly, If you had a time machine to go anywhere you (past or future), where would you go and why?

Tha mi ag ionnsachadh Gáidhlig (which translates to “I’m learning Gaelic” in Scots Gaelic), so I would go back a few centuries to the small communities in northwestern Scottish Highlands where my Gaelic-speaking ancestors lived. I’d love to be immersed in the language and the knowledge that it carries — of the land, the plants and their uses, the traditional stories and songs.

Office of Education

Grad Student Conference Practice: Expression of Interest Call

It’s conference season! Do you know a graduate student from the Alberta School of Business or the Faculties of Arts, Education or Law who has been accepted to present at a conference this spring? Encourage them to join graduate students from across the College of Social Sciences and Humanities to do a practice run of their presentation. Practice makes improvement, especially with the support of your peers!

This opportunity will happen on May 22 at 1PM (location TBD). For anyone interested in participating and having the chance to refine their presentation, please complete this form by May 7.

Learn More About Teaching Squares

Looking to connect with other instructors from our college to exchange ideas, refine teaching skills and explore pedagogical approaches? Consider joining Teaching Squares, 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 to us using this form.

Office of Research

Getting to Know... Temitope!

Have you had the pleasure of meeting our college's Associate Dean, Research, Temitope Oriola? Read on to learn about his role, his goals and what his superpower of choice would be:

How long have you been at the U of A?

I have been at the U of A for 16 of the last 20 years. My PhD is from the U of A. I began my career in a tenure-track role at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and returned to the U of A in July 2013. 

What inspired you to apply for the role of associate, dean, research?

The opportunity to engage with colleagues across four Faculties was a significant attraction. The fact that this was a research-centred role was also quite inviting. I was quite pleased by the opportunity to promote research in the humanities and social sciences at a time of public discourse about several disciplines. As an individual who had been privileged to be elected president of two Canadian scholarly associations in two different disciplines and a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences for about four years, I believed it was an opportunity to make some contributions to the research climate.   

What are your responsibilities as the associate dean, research?

This role is an exciting and engaging one. Two key aspects of the role include enhancing interdisciplinarity and increasing the college’s success rate in uber-competitive externally funded research grant programs. We also aim to publicize outputs of research in the college through multiple public-facing activities. A lot of research is buried in journals that are not necessarily accessible to the general public, including government departments, law firms and embassies. Our responsibility is to ensure that we provide robust avenues for our researchers to share results of their work with end users. 

What are your goals for the Office of Research over the next year? 

Over the next year and throughout my tenure, we plan to facilitate research support and collaboration in the college, encourage transnational research collaboration, and co-organize research days and events with the faculties with specific attention to undergrads, graduate students and junior faculty. In addition, we aim to maintain the podcast introduced by my predecessor, Joanna Harrington, and enhance the visibility of all forms of research conducted by CSSH scholars. We will also endeavour to celebrate the research excellence and accomplishments of our colleagues.

Lastly, If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

This question came up in a sociology department newsletter in the 2013/2014 session. My response remains the same: Not knowing tomorrow is a source of significant anxiety and confusion. We would be less worried if we had a glimpse of tomorrow. Therefore, my preferred superpower would be to know or at least have an idea of what tomorrow brings and be able to offer encouragement to others.

Introducing the SSH Bookshelf Series

If you're a faculty member in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (i.e. Arts, Business, Education or Law), who has recently published a book, the Office of Research wants to hear from you!

We're launching a new initiative — SSH Bookshelf Series — to help publicize your work and share your research with the University of Alberta community and beyond. As part of this series, our office can help you explore options and point you toward resources to plan a book presentation event where your work can be showcased. 

For more information or to ask any questions, please email the director of CSSH's Office of Research, Oliver Rossier.

Share Your Research Story Media Pitching Workshop

Ready to share your research with a wider audience? On May 1, learn how to transform your complex research project into a captivating story that grabs media attention and develop the skills you need to pitch your work to media outlets like The Conversation. 

Special guest Susannah Schmidt (education + arts editor for The Conversation) will join host Sarah Moore (associate dean, research, at the Alberta School of Business) to guide you through the process of developing a tight and compelling pitch from your research. Plus, hear from our college’s very own Temitope Oriola (associate dean, research) as he shares his experiences writing for this influential platform.  

Bring your questions and story ideas to this interactive Zoom workshop! Open to CSSH researchers, postdocs and PhD candidates.

SSHRC Insight Grant 2025 Pre-Submission Review

Are you planning to apply for a SSHRC IG grant? Sign up for peer review and/or budget justification review by July 15.

To learn more about these reviews and to see more deadlines, please visit this page.

Performance Corner

Department of Art & Design: The Department of Art & Design Sculpture and Expanded Media area's year-end exhibition of Sculpture and New Media, Place Setting runs until May 10 in the Rutherford Library Galleria. You can view their poster HERE. Running May 21-June 21 in FAB Gallery, be sure to take in Oh to Believe in Another World: South African—Canadian Collaboration in Print. Curated by Steven Dixon & Luke Johnson, this exhibition brings together a broad selection of artworks made through the process of photogravure, including works by faculty, students, and alumni of the University of Alberta, as well as artists from across Canada and South Africa. You can learn more HERE.

Department of Music: Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for the Department of Music's 2024-2025 performance season. The 2025-2026 Music Season is already beginning to take shape, and we'll be releasing concert information as it becomes available at uab.ca/concerts. You can also sign up for our Concerts and Events Newsletter at this link.

Department of Drama: Join the Department of Drama for the final two productions of 2024-2025. The Muxe in the Snow, Reyna Alvarez's MFA Theatre Practice thesis project, runs May 3-4 in the Second Playing Space in the Timms Centre for the Arts. You can find out more and book your free ticket HERE. Running May 2-4, Beshel Francis performs the final project of their MFA Theatre Practice, One Too Many, A Thousand as part of the Jublani Festival at the Roxy Theatre. Find more information and purchase tickets at this link. And have you heard? The Department of Drama is hosting a Reunion Weekend May 16-18! Find out more at uab.ca/reunion25.

College News