Professor Joshua Barker will be taking parental and administrative leave from April 16 to December 31, 2018. For the duration of this leave, I am pleased to announce that Professor Luc De Nil will serve as Acting Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Acting Vice-Provost, Graduate Research & Education. From May 7 to December 31, 2018, Professor Charmaine Williams will serve as Acting Vice-Dean, Students in the School of Graduate Studies.

Professor De Nil joined the School of Graduate Studies as Vice-Dean, Students in 2012. In this role, he has developed extensive knowledge of the graduate community from an administrative perspective and invaluable insight into the graduate student experience. He recently led a comprehensive review of the SGS Graduate Supervision Guidelines for both faculty and students, and has also been instrumental in enhancing graduate professional development and facilitating collaborations between SGS and other units in the U of T community, such as Accessibility Services, the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation, and First Nations House. Professor De Nil is a faculty member in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and a registered Speech-Language Pathologist with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario.

An Associate Professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Factor-Inwentash Chair in Health and Mental Health, Professor Williams has brought her extensive knowledge in the areas of mental health, access, and equity to her roles as Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Officer (2003-2004) and Provostial Advisor on Access Programs (2014-2015). From 2009 to 2014, she served as Associate Dean, Academic of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. Professor Williams is an engaged member of numerous committees, working groups, and councils at U of T and beyond, including the University of Toronto Aboriginal Initiatives Advisory Council and Ontario Association of Social Workers, Mental Health Advisory Task Force.

Please join me in thanking Professor De Nil and Professor Williams for taking on these acting roles at the School of Graduate Studies.