College Dean's Message

Dear College community,

As we near the end of the Winter term, I want to recognize the efforts of our dedicated and hard working staff and faculty whose efforts contribute so much to supporting our students in their pursuit of excellence. I also wanted to sincerely thank those who chose to support the United Way through our university campaign. I know that when there’s a request to help, our College community steps up to the challenge and helps to support those in need.

Last week brought us tremendous news from the Faculty of Arts as both Kisha Supernant and Temitope Oriola received Dorothy Killam Fellowships! What makes this achievement all the more outstanding is that typically only five to eight fellowships are awarded annually across the entire country. To have two awards in one faculty is truly fantastic. I cannot overemphasize the importance of Kisha and Tope’s research, and the significance of this recognition. I encourage you to take a moment to read more about this momentous occasion: Projects bring diverse perspectives to archeology and the justice system | Folio (ualberta.ca)

Finally, I wanted to thank the many individuals who reached out expressing their appreciation for last month’s first edition of this College newsletter. As always, I welcome any feedback you may have that will improve communication within our College. In this edition we spotlight members from our Offices of Education and Research, focusing on their roles in support of the College’s academic mission, and our shared goals for One University.

Sincerely,

Joseph Doucet

Office of Research

Getting to Know... Joanna!

The first feature in our new "Getting to Know" series (where have brief conversations to get to know members from our College), we had the chance to chat with Associate Dean, Research Joanna Harrington and learn about her role, her goals and her favourite getaway thus far:

How long have you been with the University of Alberta?

19 years, but with 2 of those years in Ottawa on a university-to-government secondment to serve as a legal adviser with Global Affairs Canada on matters of human rights, international crime, and corporate social responsibility.

What are your responsibilities as the Associate Dean, Research?

In brief, I'm responsible for the College research strategy to increase external research funding and interdisciplinary research. But this work only gets done in collaboration with a great team, consisting of the four faculty Associate Deans Research, the Senior Research Partner for Social Sciences and Humanities, our Research Partner (soon to be two), and now a College Director of Research.

In regards to your responsibilities, what are your goals for the Office of Research over the next year?

As we build the college, I've focussed on people, with a view to ensuring the College provides added value. We've now got grant assistance, editing assistance, and internal peer review in place to support researchers across the college. Next, we'll want to enhance the showcasing of our research impact in the social sciences and humanities, and we'll be looking to support larger multidisciplinary grant applications.

Where was the best vacation you have ever taken?

Malta in July, with the International Jazz Festival, but with a close tie to Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands. Both also have WW2 tunnels to visit, which appeals to my interest in history.

Office Updates

Upcoming Boot Camp: SSHRC Insight Grant Applications

The Research Partner Network will be providing a boot camp for continuing faculty applying to the SSHRC Insight grant competition in October 2023. The Boot Camp will take place in the month of June, with meetings (likely in person) on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Applicants need not have started their proposal, but by the end of the boot camp can expect to have a robust outline, and clear plan for finalizing a draft by August. The boot camp will be led by Dr. Craig Taylor, with appearances by Dr. Heather Young-Leslie, and Lan Chan-Marples.

Space is limited, but faculty can expect to see a notice for expressing interest forthcoming soon in the <sshrcUofA> listserv.

Office of Education

Getting to Know... Karsten!

We had the chance to chat with Associate Dean, Education Karsten Mündel and learn about his role, his goals and his coffee shop go-to.

How long have you been with the University of Alberta?

Since 2004

What are your responsibilities as the Associate Dean, Education?

In this position, my responsibilities include: fostering relationships and connections between the Faculties in the College and across campus; providing leadership in educational program development and implementation (including cross-Faculty multidisciplinary initiatives for both undergraduate and graduate programs); and encouraging the development and delivery of initiatives aimed at enriching experiential learning opportunities for students in collaboration with CSSH faculty academic leadership.

In regards to your responsibilities, what are your goals for the Office of Education over the next year?

One key goal is to clarify College participation in formal and informal governance processes. Our office would also like to see the development of more robust institutional data for work-integrated learning and experiential learning in collaboration with the Office of the Provost and other Colleges and stand-alone Faculties. Lastly, our office is committed to identifying and developing interdisciplinary initiatives within the College and contributing to initiatives across the university.

When you visit a coffee shop, what is your go-to order?

A cappuccino!

Office Updates

New Reporting Form for Suspected Academic Misconduct Cases

Beginning March 15, the College implemented new software called Advocate to aid in the administrative aspects of Academic Misconduct cases. Suspected academic misconduct violations should now be reported using this form.

Note: As this is an internal form, please do not share the above link with anyone that is not an instructor at the University of Alberta, or post this link on any public facing websites.

An overview of the form and how to complete it is also available here.

College News

Are you keeping up with the latest College news? Please visit our College News and Notices page as we highlight some of the amazing people, research and success stories in our College.