I am pleased to announce that the Board of Governors has approved the appointment of Dr. Jennifer Tupper as Dean of the Faculty of Education, for a five year term, effective July 1, 2017. Dr. Tupper is currently the Dean of Education at the University of Regina.
Dr. Tupper’s appointment marks a return to her roots, as she earned both her BEd (with Distinction) in Secondary Social Studies and her PhD in Secondary Education at the University of Alberta. She attended the University of British Columbia for her master’s degree and has spent much of her academic career working with the University of Regina’s Faculty of Education, where she has been a faculty member, Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Human Resources, and Dean. She currently serves on the editorial board of Canadian Social Studies and is on the Review Board of the Journal of Social Studies Research, two roles she has held since 2010.
A specialist in treaty education, Dr. Tupper brings a passion and commitment to excellence in teaching and research, as well as a strong commitment to responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action. She has advocated for the implementation of the Calls to Action locally, provincially, and nationally. She worked with members of the Faculty of Education Indigenous Advisory Circle at the University of Regina to draft a response on behalf of the faculty, which was fully endorsed by the Faculty Council and key stakeholders and is currently a member of an institutional steering committee tasked with drafting a university-wide response to the Calls to Action. Dr. Tupper’s research in treaty education has also informed the work of national and international scholars, including in New Zealand where treaty education is a curricular mandate.
At the University of Regina, Dr. Tupper has established a reputation as an excellent scholar and administrator, with outstanding communications and relationship-building skills. She has developed strong networks among key educational partners, government, and other stakeholders throughout and beyond Saskatchewan. These include directors of education, the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation, the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, the League of Educational Administrators and Directors, and staff at the Ministry of Education. She has consistently advanced the vision of teacher education to school divisions and has often secured Ministry of Education support for important curricular, pedagogical and/or research initiatives, including truth and reconciliation education.
We warmly welcome Dr. Tupper back to the University of Alberta and look forward to working with her.
As we prepare for this transition, I would like thank Interim Dean Randy Wimmer for his leadership of the Faculty of Education over the past two years.
I would also like to thank those individuals who have helped in the selection process, extending a special thanks to the members of the Dean Selection Committee for their hard work and commitment to the process.
Steven Dew, Provost and Vice-President (Academic)