College Dean's Message

Greetings all,

By now, I assume you have heard the news. I am indeed both sad to be leaving our college as dean and vice provost, but I am also happy to be joining Simon Fraser University as the dean of the Beedie School of Business. I have really enjoyed my time working with all of the amazing people who represent the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. As a collective college, we have done some amazing things! And in my last months in this role, I look forward to reflecting on and celebrating those accomplishments

Next month is June, which means it’s National Indigenous History Month. This is a special time to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples and to learn about their histories, cultures and ways of life. I encourage you all to keep your eyes and ears open for an event to attend on campus and to listen to the stories that come across our university’s channels.

June is also one of my favorite times of year as it's convocation month! Even if you aren’t able to attend, if you are around campus towards the end of June, please take some time and help the numerous family and friends who will be on campus trying to take great pictures and reminisce about their time on campus. 

I hope you're all soaking up the ever-improving weather. There’s nothing quite like a breath of fresh air and a bit of sunshine to lift the spirits.

Best regards,

Marvin

College Updates

Office of Access, Community and Belonging

Getting to Know... Monisha!

We had the opportunity to chat with our college's strategic initiatives officer, Monisha Vinod, and learn about what inspired her to join the college, what it means to be the strategic initiatives officer and how she spends her weekends. 

How long have you been at the U of A? 

I came to the University of Alberta in 2021 to pursue my MBA at the Alberta School of Business. In my second year, I served as vice president (student services) for the Graduate Students’ Association and co-sponsored the Student Experience Action Plan. After graduating in 2023, I joined the Provost’s Office to support institutional strategy and planning, and moved into my current role in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities in October 2024.

Having worked both at the institutional level and now within the college, I’ve had the opportunity to support change from different vantage points and see how structure and relationships work best when they align rather than compete.

What inspired you to join the college as its strategic initiatives officer?

I wanted to move closer to the ground and into a role where I could work directly with people, not just policies, and bridge institutional strategy with the day-to-day realities of academic life. 

I was particularly excited to join CSSH for the chance to work across faculties that approach teaching, research and community in very different ways, in a space that is interdisciplinary and intellectually diverse by design.

What does it mean to be the strategic initiatives officer?

It means holding the threads of strategy, relationships and implementation across the four CSSH faculties. I continue to learn from and build trust with. It means asking the right questions to translate creative vision into operational clarity, while surfacing intersections that align college priorities with U of A strategies.

My role focuses on supporting faculty-level progress on institutional strategies like Braiding Past, Present and Future and Changing the Story. I work closely with Laura Beard, the college’s associate dean of access, community and belonging (ACB), and with Indigenous and ACB leads across the faculties. I also collaborate with the Offices of the Vice-Provost (ACB), the Vice-Provost (Indigenous Programming and Research), other colleges, and the Dean of Students to build buy-in, bring forward shared insights, and connect faculty efforts to institutional initiatives already in motion. It’s quiet work: listening, mapping, connecting dots, and shaping conversations. It only works because I do it alongside a leadership team that understands the value it brings. That has made all the difference.

Are there any initiatives that you’re working on (or have worked on) that you’d like to share with us? What are you most proud of?

I supported cross-unit coordination on an evolving response for globally displaced students and scholars, a Provost’s Office initiative that called for a new level of strategic framing. While I didn’t lead the work, I built the scaffolding that helped teams move from concern to action. The experience sharpened how I approach work in CSSH, especially when the path forward is ambiguous.

Since then, I’ve leaned into creating visual frameworks: one-pagers, reflection guides, and strategy matrices that are conversation-ready, not just for reporting but to help faculty witness where momentum is building and where more attention is needed. In a space shaped by nuance and shifting expectations, I ensure efficacy and forward momentum by providing structure without rigidity. One piece of feedback I received from a dean was that seeing their faculty’s work captured in a tailored structure was something they hadn’t seen before, and that it made the work feel more tangible. It confirmed that the work I do is landing exactly as intended.

If we ran into you on the weekend, what would you be doing?

Power-walking into hot yoga, getting curious about biohacking and plotting side hustles with friends over iced matcha, my current caffeine of choice. Evenings are for music, dancing and shaking off the week. It’s a new rhythm (pun intended), and I’m loving this reset as the season shifts.

Introducing CSSH Shout Outs!

In February, the university launched Changing the Story: An Integrated Action Plan for Transforming Our Vibrant and Interconnected University Community. The College of Social Sciences and Humanities is deeply committed to building a university where everyone can flourish by fostering mutuality, reciprocity, respect and responsibility as the foundation of community and belonging. This is work for all of us, not just those with Access, Community and Belonging in our job titles.

The Office of Access, Community and Belonging wants to recognize the everyday contributors and advocates who, through their actions, are making our college and university more accessible and welcoming for students, faculty, staff and visitors. To show our appreciation, we’re excited to launch the CSSH Shout Out program! As part of this initiative, we will be sending out shout-out certificates to folks in the college to say, “Hey, we see what you are doing to build community, to create a sense of belonging, or to broaden access.” 

We will be giving them an extra shout-out in this space, too, so everyone knows about the important role they play in changing our CSSH story. This month, we’d like to recognize:

The Rutherford Library for creating a sense of community and belonging for students and others through the engaging whiteboard in the hallway between Rutherford North and South, where weekly fun questions spark curiosity and shared connection.

The Faculty of Arts’ Department of Drama for staging The Laramie Project in April to help build community and a sense of belonging. Lobby features like the interactive maps where attendees marked places of 2SLGBTQI+ joy and the candlelit space for queer mourning created powerful moments of connection and served as strong ways to claim space each night of the performance.

Office of Education

A Recap of the Grad Student Conference Practice Session

On May 22, the Office of Education was pleased to host a practice session for graduate students to present their conference submissions to a group of their peers. Attendees were treated to the following presentations:

Hussain Alhussainy (MA, Political Science) Barred From Entry: How Inaccessible & Neoliberal Post-secondary Institutions Alienate the Disabled Student to be presented at the Canadian Political Science Association - CPSA

Olesya Kochkina (PhD, Sociology) Is the Canadian National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence Failing Intersectionality? to be presented at the Canadian Sociology Association Conference

We wish all students the best of luck with their conference presentations this spring!

There's Still Time to Learn 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 by July 15.

Office of Research

Getting to Know... Oliver!

Have you had the chance to meet Oliver Rossier, our college's director of the Office of Research? Read on to learn about his role, highlights of his time in the position so far and his favourite place to grab a coffee on campus:

How long have you been at the U of A?

Strange to think about, as someone who grew up on a little farm close to Edson. I’ve been at the U of A since the last millennium — coming up to my 25th anniversary of working here!

Can you walk us through a day in the life of the director of the Office of Research?

My goal is to make research flow as smoothly as possible, to make it fascinating and complex in the diverse set of projects from all across the college. My day begins by surveying the urgency of the requests that come to the office. I generally start with human resource situations because the faster I can help mobilize a person, the faster they can get moving on a project. For example, when the Transforming Research for Social Impact Hub, led by Michelle Maroto, was awarded funding, I moved as quickly as possible to help them move forward with recruiting their project coordinator. 

Throughout my day, I try to create an environment where professors feel supported in their research. For example, when I first started in my role, I kept hearing of issues from our SSHRC Partnership grant holders when they tried to navigate parts of our purchasing systems. I reached out to Phil Webb, director of logistics and business services, and facilitated a dialogue between his SupplyNet team and the research leaders. This created more understanding and a better workflow.

A key part of building a good research ecosystem is listening to the leaders in different areas. Senior research leaders are themselves navigating a set of requests from anywhere between 30 and 330 researchers. The better we support them, the better the whole system works.

What are some highlights so far of your time in this role?

It takes teamwork to make a change in large organizations. I really enjoyed helping Joanna Harrington, former CSSH associate dean, research, produce the SSH Podcast initiative. It’s been such an honour to meet so many research leaders and help raise awareness about their important work.  

When I first started in this role, I set up a series of mentorship and training sessions to help with the training and onboarding of research and administration. The next year, several other units across campus took up that model and rolled out workshops of their own. 

It has also been a real honor to facilitate a set of campus–community initiatives within CSSH. There are several that I’m very proud of helping, such as the Gordon Hirabayashi project, a collaboration with partners from across campus, the Edmonton Japanese Community Association and the Prince Takamado Japan Centre for Teaching and Learning. For me, it really embodies the way the U of A works with community partners to address key social issues. 

I’m also very proud of helping Sandra Bucerius, a professor with the Faculty of Arts, and her team negotiate a financial system for payments to the vulnerable populations they work with in the Reintegration SSHRC Partnership. 

What are you looking forward to in the future?

Our professors are exploring some of the most complicated issues facing society. To fund their research, we’re helping foster a strong output of research applications. I’m looking forward to seeing the results and helping mobilize successful projects. We have some fascinating projects in the works — from designing smartwear to finding ways to improve communication across political divides.

Lastly, where is your favourite place to grab a quick coffee/tea and baked good on campus?

I really like the Daily Grind in SUB. It has great coffee, a nice space to chat with a colleague, and the profits go to students. 

June Research Administration Pop-Ups and Education Series

Research Administration Pop-Ups

Members of the Research Partner Network will be live and 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.  If you do not have a question, come by anyway to say hello.  Registration is not required. 

Thursday, June 12, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. @ 2-125 ECHA (Edmonton Clinic Health Academy)
Monday, June 23, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. @ 1-033 CCIS (Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science)

Would you like us to attend one of your department, faculty or research/finance administrators’ meetings?  Let us know where you would like us to pop-up next by emailing rsoinfo@ualberta.ca.

Research Administration Education Series – June 2025

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.  Our Research Administration Education Series continues with the following webinars:

Series 2, Session 1: Navigating Researcher Home Page (RHP) & eTRAC  (In Person)
Wednesday, June 4, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. @ 2-117 NREF (Natural Resources Engineering Facility)  Register

Series 1, Session 6: Project Close Out (via Zoom)
 Monday, June 16, 11:00 am - 12:00 p.m.    Register

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.

Take Part in the SSH Bookshelf Series

If you're a faculty member in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities who has recently published a book, the Office of Research wants to hear from you! Our college's SSH Bookshelf Series is here to 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 the Office of Research, Oliver Rossier.

Performance Corner

While the Music and Drama seasons have now wrapped up for the year, FAB Gallery's final exhibition of 2024-2025 is on now until June 21. Oh to Believe in Another World: South African—Canadian Collaboration in Print features photogravure artworks from U of A faculty, students and alumni, as well as pieces from renowned South African artist William Kentridge, master printmaking Jillian Ross, and collaborators from across Canada and South Africa. In conjunction with the exhibition, FAB Gallery is also offering lunchtime guided tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning tomorrow, May 29. Tours will begin at 12:15 p.m. and last roughly 40 minutes. Learn more about the show and tours HERE. If you'd like to stay abreast of shows and events happening in the Fine Arts division, we invite you to subscribe to our email newsletter(s) HERE.

College News