Dean Alexie Tcheuyap is pleased to announce the appointments of two new associate deans (AD), effective July 1, 2025:
Bradley Pomeroy, Assoc. Professor in the School of Accounting and Finance, will become Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, replacing Anna Esselment who completes her five-year term.
Anindya Sen, Professor in the Department of Economics, will become Associate Dean, Co-operative Education and Planning, replacing Robert Park who has been in AD roles for multiple terms since 2004.
Fond farewell
“Anna Esselment and Bob Park have both been outstanding associate deans for the past several years, and you have all witnessed first-hand how dedicated they are to our students. They can never be thanked enough for their exceptional service,” said Dean Tcheuyap.
Dr. Esselment began as AD, Graduate Studies in July 2020 and was immediately thrown into pandemic pivoting. Together with each program’s Graduate Officers and Coordinators, she worked hard to help graduate students through the challenges to their research and academic progression. “So many of these students have now successfully defended their dissertations – it’s amazing to be part of those accomplishments,” says Esselment. Among other achievements, she led the creation the Wicked Problems interdisciplinary courses taught by cross-faculty PhD candidates, and she co-led the growth of the Lupina Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships. Reflecting on her AD years, Esselment said: “I’ve had the distinct pleasure of meeting and working with amazing colleagues across the Faculty and the university – and I’ve loved every GAG (Graduate Affairs Group) meeting where even hard issues are made easier because of our team atmosphere.”
Dr. Park has served in AD portfolios “on and off” (but mostly on) for more than 20 years. “I may have actually beaten Emanuel Carvalho’s record” for longest serving AD, he says. With a broad leadership portfolio including Arts IT services, Co-op and work-integrated learning, Faculty budgeting, and space allocations, Park’s accomplishments are diverse too. He oversaw the creation of the computer rollover program (currently paused due to budget), the expansion of Co-op to all Arts programs, and helped navigate Faculty budgeting challenges. It’s also important to note Park’s remarkable double and triple duties, on and off, over his AD years as chair of Anthropology and as a globally recognized researcher “helping find the Franklin Expedition stuff.” The Faculty is lucky to have had such a dedicated senior administrator and research star in one.
Warm welcome
The Dean called for expressions of interest in the two AD roles during the fall term. "I look forward to welcoming Brad and Anindya into the Dean’s Office this July," he says. "And I must also add how grateful I am to these colleagues for stepping up, and to the impressive number of colleagues who expressed interest in the AD positions. Thanks to all for your dedication to our Faculty’s mission and strategic vision – particularly in such challenging times for universities."
Dr. Pomeroy is currently serving as SAF’s Graduate Officer and member of Graduate Affairs Group. As incoming AD, Graduate Studies, he observes that with the wide range of graduate programs in Arts (more than 40 distinct degree options), it can be difficult to see how they are connected. “All share a commitment to providing exceptional research and professional training and experiences for their students,” he says. But along with supporting all graduate programs in meeting their commitments, Pomeroy sees his AD role as an opportunity “to identify goals and challenges that our programs share and can potentially be met by strengthening the connections between them.”
Dr. Sen is not new to the AD, Co-op Education and Planning role as he served as that portfolio’s Acting AD in 2021-2022. He also brings senior administrator experience back to the Dean’s office, such as his recent role as Acting Executive Director of Waterloo’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute. "It is my privilege to be asked to serve as associate dean,” says Sen, “and I look forward to working with members of Arts to understand how we can continue to equip our students for co-op and keep building our brand as the country's only fully co-op Faculty of Arts.” Areas of particular focus for Sen include co-op students’ AI/digital skills - “a certain level of proficiency is becoming increasingly important for labour market success” – as well as “understanding how we can move forward in addressing the fiscal challenges that are facing all faculties.”
With Faculty of Arts reorganization planning underway, the Dean has made AD terms two years until the new Faculty organization informs any potential adjustments to senior administrator portfolios.