Dean Alexie Tcheuyap shares a bit about himself and his vision for the Faculty of Arts
“I come from a culture where it always takes an entire village to raise a child, where the Ubuntu philosophy is central: I am because we are,” says Dean Alexie Tcheuyap responding to the Proustian question about happiness. “You cannot be happy in an ocean of tragedy and despair. Humanities help us to be better and more human.”
The University of Waterloo welcomed Dr. Tcheuyap on July 1 as the new Dean of Arts. An expert in French and African postcolonial studies, he joins Waterloo from the University of Toronto where he was most recently the Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost of International Student Experience.
Amidst his busy summer of orientation to all things Waterloo-Arts, Dean Tcheuyap made time to share a bit about himself, his vision for Arts - and his love for achu.
First and foremost a scholar, Tcheuyap’s research and teaching focus on African literary, cinema and media studies, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Cameroon, the country where he was born and educated. “I’ve investigated, published and taught about issues relating to madness and literature, film adaptation, African cinematic productions, politics and media. My work establishes how contemporary African postcolonial narratives lend themselves to global canons — these narratives do not necessarily have to be categorized as only African,” he explains.
Tcheuyap completed his BA in Bilingual Studies and his Maîtrise and Doctorat de Troisième Cycle in African Literature at the University of Yaoundé. “I was also trained as a high school teacher in Cameroon where I taught for five years while simultaneously doing my graduate studies. Now, since accepting university leadership roles, my teaching has been very limited — I really miss it and will go back to the classroom at my first opportunity.”
In Canada he completed his PhD at Queen’s University and later held faculty positions at the University of Calgary (2000 to 2006) and then at UofT. Among his many grants, awards, and honours, Tcheuyap was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) in 2021.
At UofT, he served in progressively senior administrative roles – first within his own department and then at the institutional level. “In my previous leadership roles, I’ve had the chance to interact with all players in the academic setting. I’ve always viewed myself as a facilitator whose primary role is to support students, staff and faculty to reach their full potential. And I’m ready to share some of that with the Waterloo community.”
Arriving from another university as Waterloo’s new Dean of Arts isn’t a simple transition given the steep learning curve involving programs, processes, institutional culture, and of course, navigating campus. “While there is a lot that I know I will learn, I believe I can bring something of value to my new community,” says Tcheuyap.
“My goal is to work with colleagues, students, alumni and donors to make Waterloo Arts a unique space where graduates will brandish their degree even more proudly and continue to advance the public good for a better humanity.”
He continues, “As we work to build our space in the Global Futures strategic framework – the University’s most important vision—Arts is committed and ready to play its full part while demonstrating the centrality of humanities and social sciences within the key futures,” referring to the framework’s five areas: societal, technological, health, economic and climate.
Reflecting on interdisciplinary research and learning, a strategic priority in Arts and across the university, he adds: “The celebrated Senegalese scholar Cheick Anta Diop had a high school diploma in literature and mathematics, then went on to become a chemist who wrote major books in history, philosophy and anthropology. Studies show that employers are looking beyond technical skill and are seeking graduates with strong communication, critical thinking, and socio-emotional acuity. This is exactly what Arts offers.”
Returning to our very short version of the Proust questionnaire, the Dean of Arts offers this:
What is your favourite food? “My favourite food is achu, or taro sauce jaune."
What natural talent would you most like to possess? “I think I am a very talented soccer player. But none of my children share this opinion. That is their problem. I would like to play a musical instrument. You probably remember this quotation by Nietzsche: ‘Without music, life would be a mistake’. Differently put, without arts, life would be a mistake.”
