I am pleased to announce that the Board of Governors has approved the five-year appointment of Dr. Brooke Milne as Vice-Provost and Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, effective July 1, 2019. Currently Professor of Anthropology and Associate Dean in the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Graduate Studies, she will bring to the University of Alberta her vision and commitment to meeting the changing demands of graduate education.
Dr. Milne’s passion for research and graduate education stems from her own work as a graduate student, a supervisor, as well as from an extensive record of graduate administrative leadership. As Associate Dean, she oversees a large and diverse portfolio of academic units, including the social sciences, humanities, music, law, business, education, and statistics. In addition, programs based at the Université de Sainte-Boniface and four Joint Master’s Programs with the University of Winnipeg are under her leadership. Prior to becoming Associate Dean, FGS in 2016, Dr. Milne served as Anthropology Graduate Program Chair from 2011 to 2013. In these administrative roles, she has demonstrated her commitment to students and their success, as well as an outstanding ability to build interdisciplinary bridges and partnerships and foster links between teaching and learning. She has an excellent understanding of the needs and demands of research, the service-oriented role of the U of A’s Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, and the roles of graduate students and post docs.
Dr. Milne is an archaeological anthropologist specializing in the analysis of stone tool remains that were made and used by the earliest human populations to live in the Arctic. Since 1996, she has worked on archaeological field projects located throughout Nunavut, five of them under her leadership, and supported by more than $2 million in research funding. Dr. Milne follows a community-based approach in her research, which aims to work with Indigenous stakeholders as equal partners in the planning, execution, and dissemination of research. As principal researcher and head archeologist, she involves graduate and undergraduate students, as well as northern high school and college students in her fieldwork to provide them with the hands-on experience working on remote archaeological sites. Her research programs have provided opportunities to build and maintain lasting inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional partnerships with academics, students, stakeholder communities, and private sector companies across the Canadian north, nationally, and internationally.
I would very much like to acknowledge and thank Interim Vice-Provost and Dean, Debby Burshtyn, for her service and leadership. I would also like to thank the members of the selection committee for their hard work on behalf of the University community.
It is my great pleasure to welcome Dr. Milne to the University of Alberta. Please join me in congratulating her on her new appointment.