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Call for Nominations – Advisory Committee for the Dean, Faculty of Information (PDAD&C #9)

From: Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President & Provost
Date: August 12, 2020
Re: Call for Nominations – Advisory Committee for the Dean, Faculty of Information (PDAD&C #9)

On June 30, 2021, Professor Duff will complete her term as Dean of the Faculty of Information. Professor Duff will be transitioning to retirement as originally planned, having kindly agreed to defer her retirement and continue as Dean in January 2020.

Professor Wendy Duff was appointed as Dean of the Faculty of Information in 2016 (PDAD&C #78, 2015-16). During her tenure, she has led substantial improvements in the Faculty’s operating budget, enrolments, programs, and space. She has championed a new program for the iSchool: the new Bachelor of Information degree, a second-entry undergraduate program that focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to exploring data and society. Under Professor Duff’s leadership, the Faculty has made significant changes to its existing Master of Information (MI) program to better support the Faculty’s academic mission, renovated its space with an emphasis on student engagement, and developed a new model for technology-enabled classrooms that provide a forum for teaching innovation. Professor Duff has also taken the lead on developing new strategic partnerships with the University of Toronto Libraries, as well as other cognate Faculties, to enhance the iSchool’s administrative operations and create new opportunities for scholarly collaboration.

Professor Duff has positioned the Faculty for continued success into the future. In her final year, Dean Duff will lead the iSchool in a self-study process and an external review under the U of T Quality Assurance Process framework.

In accordance with Section 60 of the Policy on Appointment of Academic Administrators, I am writing to call for the nominations of individuals to serve on the Committee that will advise on the appointment of a Dean.

The Policy mandates the composition of the Advisory Committee as follows:

  • The Vice-President and Provost (Chair);
  • Three to five members of the teaching staff of the Faculty;
  • One to three students of the Faculty;
  • The Dean of the School of Graduate Studies or representative;
  • A librarian, where appropriate;
  • Two or three other qualified scholars from within or outside this University, but outside of the Faculty;
  • In addition, the Committee may include an alumnus/a, a member of the administrative staff, and a senior member of the appropriate professional community.

The Advisory Committee will begin meeting in the coming months. Nominations for the Committee should be submitted to the Office of the Vice-President & Provost by August 26, 2020, via the online form.

Questions about this search process may be directed to Assistant Provost Archana Sridhar at archana.sridhar@utoronto.ca.