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DEAN'S MESSAGE
Date: December 14, 2011
To:
Deans, Chairs and Directors, University of Alberta
Faculty, Staff and Students, Faculty of Native Studies
From:
Carl G. Amrhein
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
Re:
New Dean Announcement
Dr. Brendan Hokowhitu
It is my pleasure to announce that the Board of Governors has approved the appointment of Dr. Brendan Hokowhitu as Dean, Faculty of Native Studies, for a five-year term of office effective July 1, 2011. Dr. Hokowhitu will leave his appointments as Associate Professor at Te Tumu, the School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies, and as the Inaugural Associate Dean (Māori) for the Division of Humanities, at the University of Otago, New Zealand.
Dr. Hokowhitu holds a Ph.D. in Māori Studies/Physical Education, a Masters of Arts, and two Bachelor degrees. He has built a highly respected national and international research reputation; specializations include Indigenous culture and theory, Indigenous sport/physical education/health, Indigenous masculinity, and Indigenous film and media. He received a Government panellist appointment to the prestigious Tertiary Education Commission Performance Based Research Fund, Māori Knowledge and Development, which oversees all research in the Māori knowledge area and directs State funding to all tertiary institutions. Dr. Hokowhitu is prepared to lead the promotion and support of high-quality research in a collaborative and interdisciplinary manner. His achievements in innovative teaching have reached communities beyond Otago and New Zealand. In one instance, Dr. Hokowhitu developed the first completely online Master of Indigenous Studies program in the world having perceived that many indigenous leaders, already committed to community responsibilities, encountered geographical obstacles to higher education. He is also an inaugural elected officer of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, a key association in the developing field of Indigenous Studies.
Dr. Hokowhitu considers the University of Alberta Faculty of Native Studies to be a leader in Indigenous Studies, with an accomplished faculty and impressive students and alumni, and he would like to be a part of furthering its goals. He imagines his contributions will be to increase recruitment and collaboration, to help in continuing to define what indigeneity is, and to broaden the focus on the plurality of Indigenous Studies. He also aims to advance the relevance of Native Studies to a greater level across the University and in various disciplines. With the ultimate goal of moving society into a more mature space by enabling students to be cognisant of indigenous issues and their collective histories, Dr Hokowhitu hopes to lead and support the Faculty in their efforts to make indigeneity applicable to the studies of all students. Cognizant of the unique issues the Faculty of Native Studies faces, Dr Hokowhitu listens to others with an openness and genuine interest in the stories, traditions and ideas, and is committed to matters of student and research support, relationships with, and service to, various communities. He is admired for his respectfulness and his ability to communicate ideas directly and clearly, qualities that attest to his achievements in relationship-building.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks and appreciation to Dr. Nathalie Kermoal, Interim Dean, for her excellent leadership of, and dedication to, the Faculty of Native Studies. Dr. Kermoal continues as Interim Dean until Dr. Hokowhitu arrives and begins his term.
Carl G. Amrhein
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
University of Alberta
Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) | 2-10 University Hall | Tel: 780-492-3920
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