I am pleased to announce that Dr. Lisa Rochman has been appointed dean, School of Continuing Education (SCE). Her initial five-year appointment takes effect on June 5, 2023. Dr. Rochman will hold a concurrent appointment as a professor in the school.

An experienced administrator, Dr. Rochman is currently vice-dean in the Faculty of Skills and Foundational Learning at NorQuest College, where she has held a variety of appointments over the past 15 years. She has a wealth of practical experience, herself, in foundational programming in Continuing Education. She has graduate degrees, including an earned doctorate, from Ben Gurion University in Israel, as well as an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Rochman will play an important role in guiding the School of Continuing Education as we continue our pursuit of Teaching Greatness: Strategic Vision 2023. She has done a great deal of work with credit and non-credit programs, including microcredentialing, and is an expert in inclusive student experiences. She has had success in collaborating across and between post-secondary institutions, in engaging with government partners and in securing external funding to support operations.

An extensive, nationwide search was conducted by the recruitment firm Janet Soles and Associates. My most sincere thanks go to the members of the search committee, which I chaired, for their assistance in providing Dr. Trimbee with their recommendation:

Jane Duffy, librarian; Dr. Allan Gilliland, dean, Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications; Suzanne LeBlanc, director, Finance and Business Operations; Terry McLean, English as an Additional Language, SCE; Helen Ngan-Paré, associate vice-president, Human Resources; Richard Pereschitz, university preparation and chair, SCE; Kimberly Tavares, academic advisor, SCE.

I am grateful to Dr. Heather McRae, founding dean of the school, for her many accomplishments over her two terms. She will step down on June 30, allowing for some overlap with the incoming dean. I look forward to every opportunity we will have to celebrate Dr. McRae’s tenure over the next few months.