Appointment of Vice-Dean, Faculty of Arts

Good afternoon,

It is my pleasure to announce that I have appointed Erin Gibbs Van Brunschot to the position of Vice-Dean for the Faculty of Arts for a period of 12 months beginning today, September 1, 2022.

Erin previously served as Vice-Dean between 2009 - 2012 under Kevin McQuillan and later served as co-chair on the steering committee for the creation of the 2017 – 2022 strategic plan for the Faculty of Arts. More recently, she was Head of the Department of Sociology and she is currently Director of the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies.

As Vice-Dean, Erin will serve as a deputy to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and is a member of SLT. Erin’s extensive leadership experience within the Faculty means she has an excellent understanding of the University’s and Faculty’s processes, policies and plans, which will be invaluable to me during my first year with the Faculty of Arts.

Erin will contribute to the development of academic policies and strategic plans. She will advise on human resources matters and on financial resources, particularly those related to sustaining the faculty’s academic programs -- a critical role in our challenging financial landscape. She will work closely with Department Heads, School Directors and Associate Deans to provide support, advice and mentorship as needed; lead unit reviews; work with the dean on promotions and tenure as well as new faculty and headship searches; and will retain oversight of teaching resources and approve requests for sessional funding.

An important responsibility in the context of the recent administrative restructure is the oversight of the Faculty’s administrative structure and resources. Erin will continue the Vice-Dean’s role of providing primary support to the Director of Administrative Operations and meet regularly with the team of administrative managers. Other commitments include regular meetings with Dean’s Office staff (including Finance and HR Partners, HR Advisor, Director of Communications and Marketing, Director of Development, and Senior Research Advisor).

During Virginia Tumasz’s tenure, the Vice-Dean provided leadership to the Faculty in the area of Indigenous engagement and equity, diversity and inclusion. I share the Faculty of Arts’ commitment to this work and will take on that leadership for the Faculty, including chairing the Faculty of Arts Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and supporting academic and non-academic units in advancing EDI and Indigenous engagement initiatives.

I want to welcome Erin to the Dean’s Office and I also want to thank Virginia Tumasz for extending her term as Vice-Dean during the transition period over the summer months.

Sincerely,
Aoife Mac Namara
Dean, Faculty of Arts