This spring convocation, the Faculty of Arts, along with each of our departments, schools, and undergraduate programs, are proud to celebrate the Departmental Awards for Distinguished Academic Achievement, and the Governor General’s and Alumni Gold awards. Congratulations to our talented graduates!
Earning a doctoral degree is a testament to an individual's academic commitment and perseverance. It is a journey marked by countless hours attending seminars, conducting research, teaching courses, and dissertation writing. Each step taken by our PhD students reflects their dedication and intellectual rigour.
Dr. Palmer Patterson, retired Professor of History at the University of Waterloo, passed away on May 17, 2023. He was a scholar of the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada, and later in his career of the American South during the post-Civil War period.
Dr. Patrick Harrigan, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and former two-term chair in the Department of History, passed away on 13 May 2023. Dr. Harrigan had a long and distinguished career at the University of Waterloo that began in 1969 and continued long after his regular retirement in 2007 as professor emeritus.
It’s official. Arts has a new strategic plan: A Future for Humanity: Faculty of Arts Strategic Plan 2023–2030. After several years of development and pandemic disruptions, the final — and now, strongly endorsed — plan features three Priorities for Change: Building Connection through Interdisciplinarity; Effecting Social Impact; and Fostering Student Agency.
The Department of Political Science shares that Will Coleman, Professor Emeritus, passed away at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton on March 24, 2023. He will be remembered by friends, colleagues, and students as deeply ethical, academically innovative and fearless, a supportive and collaborative researcher, an exceptional teacher, and a very kind and generous friend.
The Office of the Vice-President, Academic & Provost announced this month that Dr. Christine McWebb has been appointed as Associate Vice-President, Faculty, Planning and Policy. Founding director of our Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, McWebb was instrumental in developing the School’s strategic vision and set the stage for its continued growth and success.
The National Killam Program announced that Dr. Naila Keleta-Mae (Communication Arts) has won a 2023 Dorothy Killam Fellowship that provides support for dedicated research time to scholars “whose superior, ground-breaking, best-in-class research stands to have significant impact on a national or global scale.”
The Theatre and Performance program presents Portia’s Julius Caesar by Kaitlyn Riordan in Theatre of the Arts, March 22 – 25. Co-directed by professors Sorouja Moll and Andy Houston, the play is a radical adaption of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and focuses on the voices and perspectives of its female characters.
Congratulations to Dr. Martin Cooke, our current Associate Dean, Undergraduate Students, on his appointment as the first Assistant Vice-President, Academic – Leadership and Strategic Initiatives.