Alumni

The Black Book Fair

Elizabeth Rogers — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:16:14 +0000

The Black Book Fair Elizabeth Rogers Thu, 02/19/2026 - 10:16

Celebrate Black authors, their stories, and their voices!

Join Black Studies in this opportunity to connect with writers, explore new books, and support Black scholarship and creativity.

Happy 65th to Arts!

Wendy Philpott — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 18:12:24 +0000

Happy 65th to Arts! Wendy Philpott Tue, 12/09/2025 - 13:12

Once upon a time, the sugar cube looked more like a layer cake, there was plenty of parking and green space on campus, and Waterloo didn't have a website let alone all the digital systems we use today. We've seen a lot in the past 65 years, and Arts has always been a crucial part of Waterloo's story.

Along with marking the 65th anniversary of the Faculty of Arts, this fall term marked the launch of a significant transformation for one of the university’s largest faculties.

Looking back

Arts was founded as the third faculty at the three-year old University of Waterloo in the fall of 1960 – joining the faculties of Engineering and Science. The university’s Quarterly Report that September quoted President J. G. Hagey speaking about the new Faculty:

“… the provision of arts courses fulfills an urgent need in this progressive section of the province. In addition, we are in a unique position as a new University to plan curricula in keeping with the challenge of living in a changing world."

In those early years, the Faculty of Arts included classical studies, English, French, history, German and Russian, math, philosophy, and Spanish (all of which exist and thrive today). Math was the largest department until it left Arts to become North America’s first Faculty of Mathematics in 1967.

The first decade of Arts at Waterloo saw the addition of social sciences and studio arts. Psychology was established by 1963 and would go on to specialize in six major subdivisions of psychology and become a research and teaching powerhouse. At the same time, the first courses in Fine Arts were introduced, eventually growing into a widely subscribed department by creative students from across the university.

Circa 1965, Political Science became a department whose future members played a lead role in the launch of the Balsillie School of International Affairs in 2007. By 1969 the brand new PAS building provided a brain-inspired home for Psychology, Anthropology (globally noted in the last decade for Franklin Expedition discoveries), Sociology (expanding significantly in the 2010s with Legal Studies), as well as Religious Studies (a department enriched with the faculty from across the creek).

The Faculty’s 10th anniversary saw the birth of Economics as a department – renowned today, along with Political Science, for public policy contributions. A late 70s English breakaway group formed what is today’s dynamic and interdisciplinary Department of Communication Arts.

At 20 years old, Accounting was established and steadily grew into the School of Accounting and Finance, Canada’s leading school for burgeoning accounting and finance professionals. Last, but not least, in 2018, the already booming Stratford Campus became the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, which is bursting at the seams today with 690 students.

At sixty five years old, Arts has graduated a total of 72,169 students!

Looking forward

We’ve come a long way, and we’re still moving forward. Echoing President Hagey’s 1960 sentiment, Arts is restructuring to meet the challenges of today’s changing world. The recently approved Faculty of Arts Reorganization into six schools will enable more opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations to support new programming and research that respond to emerging and future educational, societal and economic priorities.

“I am inspired by the tremendous commitment and work toward the reorganization and I’m confident in our collective capacity to meet the future as a revitalized, energized and vigorous Faculty of Arts,” says Dr. Alexie Tcheuyap, dean of Arts.

A lot has changed in the past 65 years, but one of the things that remains constant in Waterloo Arts is the commitment of students, alumni, faculty and staff to making the world a better place for all.

Arts through the years

First graduates 1962

Arts PhD graduates 2023

An alumni reunion in the Hagey Hall courtyard in the 1970s

Pride rainbow in the Arts Quad

A student studies in Dana Porter in 1966

The "Pickle Forks" were moved to the PAS lawn in 2019

Students walk toward Modern Language in 1968

Arts Orientation 2023

Dana Porter Library partially-constructed in 1964

Since 2016, the Hagey Hall Hub offers more student space

Porcellino sits inside Modern Languages in 1979

DP Library illuminated with Pride

Arts Alumni Ski Days 2026

Victory Okusanya — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:05:50 +0000

Arts Alumni Ski Days 2026 Victory Okusanya Mon, 12/08/2025 - 10:05

The Faculties of Arts, Health and Engineering will be coming together to join in two days of outdoor fun, with the first day being at Craigleith Ski Club and the second day at Osler Bluff Ski Club. So come to ski or snowboard with your fellow alumni and make it a memorable day on the hills to make the most of our beautiful Canadian winter.

A warm thank you to Steve Vokes (BASc ’77), Yeti Agnew (BSc ’75), and the Conway Family - Andrew (BASc '92), Lynda (BASc '91), and Dylan (BASc '20) - for hosting the event in 2026!

Thursday, January 22, 2026 at Craigleith Ski Club

Location Address:
Craigleith Ski Club (Google maps) - The Base Lodge
164 Craigleith Rd, The Blue Mountains, ON L9Y 0S4

The Base Lodge - Home Base at Craigleith Ski Club

Our home base for ski day on Thursday is the Base Lodge! This is where you can pick up your lift tickets, mix and mingle with classmates, access facilities, eat snacks or a meal (cash bar available), and store your gear.

The cafeteria will be open all day for you to purchase breakfast, lunch and snacks at your leisure. Lunch seating times will be assigned when you arrive to avoid long lineups.

Brown Bagging is allowed in the lodge so feel free to bring your own lunch and snacks!

Agenda (for Thursday)

TIME	ACTIVITY
8:30 a.m.	Lift tickets can be picked up at the registration table inside Base Lodge.
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.	Lifts are open. Stay warm!
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.	Food options: The food line in the cafeteria will be open all day for you to purchase breakfast, lunch and snacks at your leisure. To avoid long lineups at peak times, lunch seating times from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. will be assigned when you check-in at the registration table. Cash bar available. Brown bagging is allowed at Craigleith Ski Club so feel free to bring your own lunch.
3:30 p.m.	Lifts close.
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.	Après Ski reception in front of the fireplace in Base Lodge where door prizes will be awarded, and complimentary snacks will be served. Cash bar available.

Check out the snow conditions and access the live webcam at Craigleith Ski Club.

Please note: Half-day lift tickets are not available at Craigleith Ski Club.

Lift Ticket Prices (tax included) - Craigleith Club

Age	Lift Ticket Price
Adult	$115
Student with ID (11-18)	$95
Child (4-10)	$80
Toddler (3 & under)	Free

Interested in a lesson?

Craigleith Ski Club will be offering a complimentary beginner lesson for our group:

10:30 am: Complimentary beginner group lessons. Meet the instructors at the bottom of Little John.

Private one-hour lessons are available. Those interested in a private lesson should contact aaronharrison@craigleith.com.

Friday, January 23, 2026 at Osler Bluff Ski Club

Location Address:
Osler Bluff Ski Club (Google maps) - The Orchard Lodge
795534 The Blue Mountains Clearview Townline
Town of the Blue Mountains (near Collingwood), ON, L9Y 0R7

The Orchard Lodge - Home Base at Osler Bluff Ski Club

Our home base for ski day on Friday is The Orchard Lodge! This is where you can pick up your lift tickets, mix and mingle with classmates, warm up by the wood fireplace, access facilities, eat snacks or a meal (cash bar available), and store your gear.

The Café in the Orchard Lodge will be open all day for you to purchase breakfast, lunch and snacks at your leisure. Lunch seating times will be assigned when you arrive to avoid long lineups.

Brown Bagging is allowed in The Orchard Lodge so feel free to bring your own lunch.

Agenda (for Friday)

TIME	ACTIVITY
8:30 a.m.	Lift tickets can be picked up at the registration table inside Orchard Lodge on the upper level.
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.	Lifts are open. Stay warm!
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.	Food options: The Café in the Orchard Lodge will be open all day for you to purchase breakfast, lunch and snacks at your leisure. To avoid long lineups at peak times, lunch seating times from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. will be assigned when you check-in at the registration table. Cash bar available. Brown bagging is allowed in The Orchard Lodge so feel free to bring your own lunch.
12:30 p.m.	Half-day lift tickets can be picked up from the registration table inside Orchard Lodge on the upper level.
4:00 p.m.	Lifts close.
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.	Après Ski reception in Orchard Lodge where door prizes will be awarded and complimentary snacks will be served. Cash bar available.

Check out the snow conditions and access the live webcam at Osler Bluff Ski Club.

Lift Ticket Prices (tax included) - Osler Bluff Ski Club

Age	Full Day	Half Day
Adult	$145	$105
Student with ID	$105	$75
Youth (7-12)	$92	$66
Child (4-6)	$80	$52
Toddler (3 & under)	Free	Free

Interested in a lesson?

Review the Osler Bluff Ski Club snow school information sheet (PDF) options and rates.

Osler Bluff Safety Rules

Please review the following Osler Bluff rules for your safety prior to attending Ski Day:

Equipment Rental

Each guest is responsible for bringing their own equipment or booking and paying for their own rental equipment. Starting in early December, visit Squire John's to book your ski or snowboard equipment online. When booking equipment online, please use the date "Thursday, January 22" and the location "Craigleith Ski Club" or "Friday, January, 23" and the location "Osler Bluff Ski Club" and group name "University of Waterloo Alumni" (both dates).

Rental bookings need to be completed at least 1 full day before your scheduled ski date. For example, if your ski day is on a Friday, your rentals need to be booked by midnight Wednesday. Equipment cannot be rented the day of the event if it is not reserved by the deadline. See the equipment rental rates and information (PDF) for prices on rental packages or various pieces of equipment.

Indigenous Speakers Series presents Kim TallBear

Olivia Vanderwal — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 18:28:29 +0000

Indigenous Speakers Series presents Kim TallBear Olivia Vanderwal Fri, 12/05/2025 - 13:28

The Indigenous Speakers Series is honoured to present Dr. Kim TallBear, professor, author, and expert in historical and ongoing roles of science and technology in the colonization of Indigenous peoples.

Flesh, Rivers, Sky, Stones: The 100s Method and Multiply Relating

This autotheory talk (autobiographical narrative informed by critical theory) is organized around a series of 100-word vignettes that describe relations with both humans and nonhumans.

Over a decade ago, Kim TallBear began a 100s writing practice to focus on human “nonmonogamous” relating. Being a traveller, her 100s soon began to consider the role of nonhumans in living a daily life connected to place—both home and away. After a decade of practicing “solo polyamory,” TallBear became what Andrea Zanin calls “post-nonmonogamous.” Or did she?

This talk, in part through 100-word poetic vignettes, attempts to break down conceptual binaries between monogamy and nonmonogamy, human and nonhuman relating, and redefines “promiscuity” as abundance, not excess. In an ongoing 100s practice, Kim TallBear works to more faithfully theorize from a Dakota social and geographic standpoint, more-than-monogamous and more-than-human relating.

Dr. TallBear's talk will be followed by a Q & A moderated by Dr. David T. Fortin, Professor in the School of Architecture.

Please note: Registration is appreciated but not required. Everyone is welcome!

Watch online: MS Teams link

About Kim TallBear

Kim TallBear (she/her) is a citizen of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, a Dakota nation in present-day South Dakota. She is a Professor in the Department of American Indian Studies, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities campus. From 2015 to 2025, she was a Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta where she held a Tier II Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience, and Environment, and subsequently a Tier I CRC in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience, and Society.

Dr. TallBear is the author of Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science. She is the co-founder of the Summer internship for INdigenous peoples in Genomics (SING) Canada. She has advised the President of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) on issues related to genomics and Indigenous peoples. She has also advised museums on exhibits related to race and science.

In addition to studying genome science disruptions to Indigenous governance and to Indigenous self-definitions, Dr. TallBear studies colonial disruptions to Indigenous sexualities. She is a regular panelist on the weekly Indigenous current affairs podcast, Media Indigena. She is also a regular media commentator in outlets such as CBC, CNN, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, the LA Times, APTN, and the BBC on topics pertaining to Indigenous peoples, science, and technology; on the politics of self-indigenization; and on Indigenous sexualities. She is a former Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow (2018-2021).

You can follow her on Bluesky @kimtallbear.bsky.social and read her occasional posts on her Substack newsletter, Unsettle: Indigenous affairs, cultural politics & (de)colonization.

Registration

Watch past recordings from our Indigenous Speakers Series on YouTube.

Stratford School student designs illuminate Lights On

Wendy Philpott — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 19:17:01 +0000

Stratford School student designs illuminate Lights On Wendy Philpott Thu, 12/04/2025 - 14:17

The City of Stratford’s award-winning annual winter festival, Lights On, features interactive installations designed by students in the Global Business and Digital Arts (GBDA) program at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business. Their work will be featured alongside international exhibits.

46 students from the course GBDA 412, Special Topics in Digital Culture, were challenged to create large-scale interactive media art pieces for the Lights On festival. Inspired by the Thirteen Grandmother Moons stories, an Indigenous knowledge tradition, the students created installations that explore light as a symbol of knowledge, community, and continuity.

From December 12 to January 18, three student-designed installations from the class will be featured within Destination Stratford’s Welcome Centre:

Healing Currents is an interactive projection installation that transforms reflective prompts into radiant digital sucker fish - symbolizing collective healing through light and renewal.
Ripples Through Time uses interactive digital windows and body-motion tracking to represent how human relationships with water have shifted across generations.
When We Come Together is an interactive light installation that explores reconciliation as an ongoing and cyclical process shaped by movement, presence, and collective participation.

“It is such an incredible honour for our students to be given the opportunity to showcase their creative talent and critical design skills in a festival of this magnitude,” said David Han, an instructor at the Stratford School who led the course.

“This is the second year we’ve collaborated with UWaterloo to create student light art displays, and I continue to be amazed at their creativity and brilliance,” said Zac Gribble, Executive Director of Destination Stratford.

When We Come Together team member presenting design concepts to community members

View "When We Come Together - Documentation Video" on YouTube

Learn more about the collaboration and the ideas behind the installations, or visit Lights On from December 12, 2025 to January 18, 2026, Thursdays to Sundays, 5 PM to 10 PM.

Desmarais Family Summit — Public Exhibition

Elizabeth Rogers — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 15:20:29 +0000

Desmarais Family Summit — Public Exhibition Elizabeth Rogers Wed, 11/19/2025 - 10:20

The Desmarais Family Summit Public Exhibition showcases projects from ARTS 450: The Future of Connection—Platforms, Privacy, and the Public, offered in collaboration with the i-Capstone program.

About the event

Throughout the term, interdisciplinary student teams have explored how digital platforms influence connection, privacy, and public life—asking a central question: Are we more connected than ever, or drifting further apart?

At this exhibition, which is open to the public, visitors can engage directly with students on their research that, overall, imagine more ethical, equitable, and human-centred digital futures. Projects are supported by an interdisciplinary instructional team and our Jarislowsky Fellows, who were a guiding force through the Global Engagement Seminar.

This year’s exhibition features Dr. Heather Suzanne Woods, 2025 Jarislowsky Fellow, an award-winning scholar and higher-education leader whose work examines the social impacts of technology. Dr. Woods will share closing reflections on the future of connection and the role of student-led innovation.

Event Schedule

4:00 - 6:00 p.m. — Public Exhibition: Interactive student projects and displays
6:00 - 6:30 p.m. — Reception & Networking
6:30 - 7:00 p.m. — Awards Ceremony & Concluding Remarks: Featuring Dr. Heather Suzanne Woods and instructors

Dean Tcheuyap elected secretary of RSC Academy of Arts and Humanities

Wendy Philpott — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 18:35:24 +0000

Dean Tcheuyap elected secretary of RSC Academy of Arts and Humanities Wendy Philpott Tue, 11/18/2025 - 13:35

Dr. Alexie Tcheuyap, Dean of Arts, has been elected as Secretary of the Royal Society of Canada’s (RSC) Academy of Arts and Humanities. Serving for a three-year term, Tcheuyap will also become a member of the RSC Council, the organization’s principal governing body.

“It is an honour to be able to serve as Secretary of the Academy,” said Tcheuyap. “I am grateful for the contributions of my predecessor in the role, Professor Sean Caulfield (University of Alberta). And I look forward to working with the Academy and other members of the Council to advance the mission of the Royal Society of Canada.”

In 2021, Tcheuyap was inducted as a Fellow of the RSC in recognition of his body of work on African literature, film and media.

Founded in 1882, the RSC elects leading scientists, researchers, scholars and artists into one of its three academies – of Arts and Humanities, of Social Sciences, and of Science – and since 2014, into the College of New Scholars, Scientist and Artists. The organization of 2,637 fellows and 324 members advises governments and NGOs, and mobilizes the membership to make significant and substantial contributions of knowledge, understanding, and insight through engagement with the larger society.

Tcheuyap is among 12 fellows and members of the RSC currently in the Faculty of Arts – the newest, Dr. Dillon Browne, was inducted to the College of New Scholars, Scientist and Artists on November 14, 2025.

Tcheuyap launches his term with the Academy and Council in a time of particular challenge and opportunity for humanities and creative arts in Canada’s postsecondary institutions. A 2025 RSC statement reasserted the importance of these disciplines and their intersections for enhancing “knowledge of the human condition, ever changing and developing in different periods and cultures,” for cultivating “wisdom and understanding, making people more empathetic, more reflective, better critical thinkers, and effective communicators,” and for “their essential role in the mission of the university: learning and the creation of knowledge.”

Congrats to our 2025 Alumni Award winners!

Olivia Vanderwal — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 17:18:24 +0000

Congrats to our 2025 Alumni Award winners! Olivia Vanderwal Wed, 11/12/2025 - 12:18

Arts is so proud to introduce our three 2025 Alumni Award winners: Avvy Yao-Yao Go (BA ’86 Economics), Susan McKenzie (BA ’96, MA ’98 English), and Eyitemi Popo (MDEI ’16). Awarded each year across the University of Waterloo, Alumni Awards recognize our exceptional graduates and their unique efforts to build a better world through their industries and local communities. A warm UWaterloo congratulations to the 2025 Arts recipients!

Avvy Yao-Yao Go (BA ’86) 2025 Alumni Achievement Award for Professional Achievement

Photo credit: Andrew Balfour

Madam Justice Avvy Yao-Yao Go has more than 30 years of advocacy and litigation experience in support of disadvantaged communities. She holds a BA (Economics) from the University of Waterloo, an LL.B. from University of Toronto, and an LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1991. In 2021 Justice Go became the first Chinese Canadian to be appointed to the Federal Court. In 2022, she received a Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa degree from the Toronto Metropolitan University.

For much of her career, Justice Go worked on behalf of low-income racialized clients, including through her former role as Director of Ontario’s Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic. A first-generation Canadian of Chinese descent, Justice Go was involved in a community-led campaign to redress the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act. The lawsuit and other community actions eventually propelled the Government of Canada to issue a parliamentary apology on June 22, 2006 for the 62 years of legislated racism against the Chinese Canadian community.

In recognition of her support for disadvantaged communities and contribution to the legal profession, Justice Go has received many awards, including the Order of Ontario (2014), the Senate of Canada 150 award (2017), the FACL Lawyer of Distinction Award (2012), and the Women’s Law Association of Ontario President’s Award (2002).

Congratulations, Justice Go!

Susan McKenzie (BA ’96, MA ’98) 2025 Alumni Achievement Award for Community Builder

Susan McKenzie is a communications and fundraising leader whose personal journey as a kidney transplant recipient sparked a powerful movement for patient advocacy and community building.

In 2016, after receiving a life-saving kidney from her sister-in-law, Susan co-founded the Transplant Ambassador Program (TAP), which is now a fully volunteer-led initiative with over 230 ambassadors supporting patients in 27 centres across Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

Susan is also the Founder and President of the Kidney Patient and Donor Alliance Canada, a grassroots organization dedicated to uniting and amplifying the voices of kidney patients, living kidney donors, and their families.

Through education, peer support, and advocacy, Susan empowers others to speak up and drive positive change. A published co-author on 16 peer-reviewed research papers, she collaborates on national healthcare initiatives that improve outcomes and access. Her leadership has built a compassionate, nationwide community transforming care for those affected by kidney disease.

Congratulations, Susan!

Eyitemi Popo (MDEI ’16) 2025 Rising Star Alumni Award

Eyitemi Popo is a visionary entrepreneur and Forbes-listed changemaker whose work is reshaping how women explore and experience Africa. As Founder of Girls Trip Tours and President of the Girls MAP Foundation, she has built a women-led tourism ecosystem that empowers young women through immersive travel and mentorship across Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.

Her ventures have been featured in National Geographic, AfroTech, and Talks at Google, and recognized by Forbes for building community through travel.

A champion of ethical AI, Eyitemi led developer-focused strategy at Mozilla, where she advanced transparency and inclusion in tech. Her leadership earned her a spot among DMZ’s Women of the Year in 2022.

From mentoring startups to co-founding Africa’s first data science academy for women, Eyitemi is a rising force in global innovation. Her work exemplifies the spirit of transformation, inclusion, and impact that defines the next generation of changemakers.

Congratulations, Eyitemi!

Learn more about Arts Alumni Awards, past winners, and how to nominate.

Poetry, Pain, and the Promise of Palestine

Wendy Philpott — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 18:11:47 +0000

Poetry, Pain, and the Promise of Palestine Wendy Philpott Fri, 10/31/2025 - 14:11

The Faculty of Arts is honoured to present guest speaker Dr. Sa'ed Atshan – scholar, Palestinian Quaker, and LGBTQ human rights advocate – on the role of poetry in capturing the realities of contemporary Palestinian life in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and beyond.

Please join us for this unique opportunity to explore how interdisciplinary scholarship can be applied to both understand and address a global crisis which has had such tragic human consequences.

About the speaker

Dr. Sa'ed Atshan is Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies and Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College. He has previously served as an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Emory University, as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Senior Research Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies. He earned a PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies and MA in Social Anthropology from Harvard University, an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School, and BA from Swarthmore College. Atshan is the author of Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique (Stanford University Press, 2020), coauthor (with Katharina Galor) of The Moral Triangle: Germans, Israelis, Palestinians (Duke University Press, 2020), and co-editor (with Galor) of Reel Gender: Palestinian and Israeli Cinema (Bloomsbury, 2022).

Details and proceedings

Registration is required for in-person and online attendance. For those attending in-person, proof of registration is required at the reception area.

Doors open: 6:30 p.m.
Lecture and moderated Q & A: 7:00 to 8:20 p.m.
Reception for the in-person audience: 8:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Paid visitor parking is available in Lot M across from Federation Hall. More parking information.

This lecture is made possible through the generosity of alumni and friends. We extend sincere appreciation to the donors who contributed to the Foundation for Palestinian Studies Fund.

Watch past recordings from our Palestinian Lectures series on YouTube.

Arts receives final approval to reorganize into six schools

Wendy Philpott — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:55:05 +0000

Arts receives final approval to reorganize into six schools Wendy Philpott Tue, 10/28/2025 - 13:55

The Faculty of Arts reorganization proposal has received final approval from the Board of Governors and the transition period officially begins.

The new structure will see the Faculty’s current 15 departments and two schools reorganized into six schools. Board approval comes after a two-year development process, including extensive consultations with all stakeholders.

“The proposal is the culmination of years of effort, consultation and discernment, and it is the fulfillment of aspirations that have been in every Faculty strategy document going back more than a decade,” says Alexie Tcheuyap, Dean of Arts. “I am grateful for all the efforts of the department chairs, the Reorganization Working Group, our staff and faculty leadership, and the many others in the Faculty of Arts and beyond who have contributed to developing this proposal.”

Why is Arts reorganizing?

Reorganization was formally identified as a goal in the 2014-19 Arts Strategic plan and in current strategic plans with the goal of organizing into fewer, larger academic units to improve administrative and operational efficiencies.

In addition, the reorganization positions the Faculty for resilience and renewal across its academic programming and research. It will enable better opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations to support new programming, research and partnerships that respond to evolving educational, societal and economic priorities.

Now that reorganization has final approval, Arts is in a transition period (running fall 2025 to spring 2026) to establish school governance processes, administrative leadership and staffing roles for the two new schools.

The new six-school structure

In the new structure, 13 of the 15 current departments will form two new schools:

The School of Critical and Creative Humanities (provisional name) is composed of the current departments of Communication Arts, English Language & Literature, Fine Arts, French Studies, Germanic & Slavic Studies, Spanish & Latin American Studies

The School of Social, Political and Historical Research (provisional name) is composed of the current departments of Anthropology, Classical Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, Sociology & Legal Studies.

The departments of Economics and Psychology will be renamed, respectively, to the School of Economics and the School of Psychology. And the existing School of Accounting and Finance and Stratford School of Interaction Design & Business will be unchanged.

What is changing – and what isn’t

The reorganization does not involve cutting programs or employees. All current scholarly disciplines and programs have a place in the new structure, and students will continue to choose from the same set of majors, minors, and diplomas or graduate program options. The schools structure is designed for agility to support new and responsive Arts programming, research and partnership opportunities.

In addition, the new schools include roles to accommodate all current full-time staff, with standardized and equitable job descriptions that offer the opportunity for specialization and career development.

“The new structure will better support teaching, research and capacity building to seize new and emerging opportunities in the future,” says Tcheuyap. “With improved administration and operations, Arts will be well positioned for increased collaboration, flexibility and resilience as it continues to deliver world-class academic programs and research that drive economic and social prosperity.”

Want to know more? Read more about the Faculty of Arts Reorganization