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