I am pleased to announce that Deric Olsen has been appointed Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications. He will hold a concurrent position as professor in the Department of Design.

Professor Olsen is a filmmaker and teacher who has risen to the top of the academic ranks through both his creative acumen and instructional prowess.

He brings to MacEwan extensive administrative experience, from program development and quality assurance to the focused recruitment and retention of Fine Arts faculty and students. Currently the chair of the Department of Drama at the University of Lethbridge (U of L), he has served as both interim dean and associate dean in the university’s Faculty of Fine Arts, where he now holds the title of full professor, specializing in narrative filmmaking.

I was gratified to see that we had such robust community engagement throughout the search process, and the overwhelming consensus is that Professor Olsen will lead the Faculty with purpose in our shared institutional pursuit of Teaching Greatness.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing dean Dr. Allan Gilliland for his transformational leadership of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications. Over his two administrative terms, the Faculty built and developed further its outstanding programs since moving into Allard Hall. Dr. Gilliland has been very clear that the next stage of his career includes more composing and recording and a return to full-time duties in the classroom, where new cohorts of MacEwan students will have the opportunity to learn from an artist of international renown.

The President received the recommendation to appoint from a committee assembled last summer from nominees and volunteers: Dr. Emily LeBel, Department of Music; Dr. Iain Macpherson, Department of Communication; Dr. Isabelle Sperano, Department of Design; Jayne Ference, Academic Advisor; Sean Harper, Bachelor of Music student; Helen Ngan-Paré, Associate Vice-President, Human Resources; Dr. Edvard Lorkovic, Department of Humanities; and Dr. Christy Raymond, Dean of Nursing.

Professor Olsen’s initial, five-year term will begin on July 1, 2024.

 

Dr. Craig Monk
Provost & Vice-President, Academic

Originally distributed via GlobalMail on March 7, 2024