Pamela Sugiman reappointed dean, Faculty of Arts, for five-year term

I am pleased to announce the reappointment of Pamela Sugiman as Ryerson University’s dean, Faculty of Arts, for a five-year term. A highly respected leader, professor, sociologist and researcher, Pam joined Ryerson in 2006 and brings a wealth of experience to this role. Her new term is effective July 1, 2021.

The Faculty of Arts’ success is built on the reputation and energy of its students, faculty and staff, and Pam has guided and supported significant innovation in research and teaching since she was appointed dean in 2016. Her focus on excellence, equity and social justice, and on fostering an environment of collaboration and collegiality, has firmly established Ryerson’s Faculty of Arts as a leader in teaching and learning and faculty research.

Under Pam’s direction and with the support of a dedicated team of faculty and staff, the Faculty of Arts has recruited 56 new faculty members, including nine Indigenous scholars and three Black scholars, representing an authentic commitment to issues of representation, community-based research, curriculum renewal and innovative pedagogies in the humanities and social sciences. With Pam’s firm support, Indigenous scholars in the faculty are undertaking crucial work on Indigenous governance and education, primarily through the establishment of the Yellowhead Institute (external link) .

Under Pam’s leadership, the Faculty of Arts and Ryerson University have also established a strong local, provincial and national reputation as a leader in the study of democracy and promotion of democratic engagement through the Democratic Engagement Exchange, the “Democracy Forum” speaker series, as well as the creation of the Jarislowsky Chair in Democracy and two Canada Research Chairs in Democracy. The Faculty of Arts has also launched the Ryerson Student Workers’ Rights Hub, which is doing groundbreaking work in collaboration with Arts’ students and in partnership with external partners.

Also of note is the faculty’s commitment to students over the course of the pandemic. In partnership with the Ryerson Liberal Arts Student Society and 10 departments within the faculty, the Faculty of Arts established the student COVID-19 Emergency Fund for winter 2020 and fall 2021, exceeding over $400,000. Sensitive to the challenges confronting students, in particular our first-year students, in the face of a global pandemic, the Faculty of Arts also offered at no charge, a special Social Sciences and Humanities course, “Thrive in Action.”

Over the course of her career, Pam has built a reputation for creativity, bold thinking, transparency and vision. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Errol Aspevig Award for Outstanding Academic Leadership, the Marion Dewar Prize in Canadian Women’s History from the National Capital Committee on the Scholarship, Preservation and Dissemination of Women’s History and the Canadian Sociological Association Outstanding Contribution Award. Also, the University of Victoria recently named her both the Lansdowne Lecturer and a Distinguished Women Scholar Lecturer and Trent University named Pam as the W.L. Morton Lecturer in Canadian History.

Prior to joining Ryerson, Pam spent 15 years at McMaster University as a tenure-stream professor. She is currently a member of the board of directors of The Atkinson Foundation and Pathways to Education Canada. She has also served as president of the Canadian Sociological Association. Pam holds both a master’s and a doctorate of sociology from the University of Toronto, where she held a Connaught Fellowship.

I also want to express my sincere gratitude to the students, faculty and staff who served so generously on the review committee for this position, and whose contributions led to the successful outcome of the process:

Saeed Zolfaghari
Interim Provost and Vice-President, Academic (Committee Chair)

David Atkinson
Chair, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies

Lisa Barnoff
Dean, Faculty of Community Services

Jason Boyd
Associate Professor, English

Rabiah Choksi
Undergraduate student, History

Grace-Edward Galabuzi
Associate Professor, Politics and Public Administration

Amy Peng
Associate Professor, Economics

Kathryn Rowan
Manager, Academic Administration

Anne-Marie Singh
Associate Professor, Criminology

Stephanie Walsh Matthews
Program Director, Arts and Contemporary Studies

Please join me in congratulating Dean Sugiman on her reappointment.

Saeed Zolfaghari
Interim Provost and Vice-President, Academic