Verna’s Vlog is a series in which Verna Yiu, Provost and Vice-President (Academic), sits down with some of the incredible people who are a part of the U of A community to share their stories and learn more about what they do.
In this episode, Verna discusses the vision that Chris Andersen, newly appointed Dean and Vice-Provost of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH), has for the college. Chris, who previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Native Studies, was drawn to the diverse combination of faculties that CSSH contains — Arts, Business, Education and Law — and envisions a future that focuses on cross-departmental, cross-faculty research and teaching initiatives.
He hopes to foster collaboration between experts from different disciplines as they work to collectively tackle key subjects, from climate change to global inequity. CSSH recently hosted their inaugural Celebration of Research, highlighting the diversity of scholarship across the college and setting the stage for relationship building beyond faculty boundaries.
Chris explores the importance of two components integral to the college’s vision: storytelling and community research. Storytelling, he argues, is key to building trust and developing a larger college narrative. Community research, explains Chris, should be considered from the perspective of both how research benefits society as well as what researchers learn from the communities they interact with.
He also discusses the possibilities that arise from the recent establishment of the Lougheed Schools: the Peter Lougheed School of Politics and Democracy and the newly reimagined Peter Lougheed School of Leadership (formerly the Peter Lougheed Leadership College).
Watch previous episodes of Verna’s Vlog.