Appointments and Renewals
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Dean of Engineering and Applied Science (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2027)
Following a national search conducted according to the provisions of University policy on out-of-scope academic appointments, Dr. Phillip Choi, has been appointed Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. The five-year appointment is effective July 1, 2022. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Phillip Choi immigrated to Canada in 1982 when he was a teenager. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of British Columbia and his master’s and doctoral degrees also in chemical engineering from the University of Waterloo. Dr. Choi started his independent research career in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta in 1997 and has been with the institution till 2022. Over the course of his career at the University of Alberta, he served as Acting Departmental Chair, Associate Chair – Undergraduate, and Associate Chair – Research. He also served on the President’s Review Committee for six years developing and revising faculty performance evaluation standards of eighteen faculties on campus. Dr. Choi’s main research interest is on the design of polymers used for various applications such as the controlled release of drugs and fertilizers as well as food packaging with the purpose of making the society more sustainable. His recent research has focused on polymer solution thermodynamics, polymer dynamics, molecular simulation and non-aqueous extraction of oil sands. Research results are not only useful for his industrial collaborators and funding agencies but also are often published in high impact scientific journals. He is the co-author of 143 referred journal publications and 1 US patent and a widely used textbook entitled “The Elements of Polymer Science and Engineering,” 3rdedition published by Elsevier. Dr. Choi is an active consultant to various multinational organizations on issues related to polymer products development and polymer failure analysis. He is currently a registered Professional Engineer in the province of Alberta and a Federal Court Expert Witness for patent litigation cases in polymer science and engineering. He worked as a visiting scientist at Xerox Research Centre of Canada in Mississauga and Nova Chemicals Corporation in Calgary. He spent his sabbatical at the Institute of Polymer Science at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. Owing to his significant contributions to chemical science and engineering, he is a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada, Engineering Institute of Canada and Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). He was the recipient of the Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award and was named the McCalla Professor for his research contributions while working at the University of Alberta. Dr. Choi is a passionate educator. While at the University of Alberta, he has supervised 19 postdoctoral fellows, 12 doctoral students, 24 master’s students and 42 bachelor’s research projects. He has also participated in 300 master’s and doctoral oral examinations and has served as an external examiner for 16 doctoral oral examinations at major Canadian universities. His dedication to the education of young engineers is recognized by a Faculty of Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award. The Interim Provost would like to recognize the work of the Advisory Committee members (alphabetical order): Dr. Shahid Azam, Ms. Karen Gasmo, Dr. Paul Laforge, Dr. Kathy McNutt, Mr. Jordan McLeod, Dr. Jacob Muthu, Ms. Meigen Schmidt, Mr. Irtaza Haider Syed, Mr. Adam Tilson, Dr. Kin-Choong Yow, and Mr. Chris Yung. Thanks are also due to Ms. Nancy Kazeil (Human Resources), Ms. Bryanna Butz and Ms. Angela Leader (Provost's office) for their support in this search. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Choi on this appointment. |
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Director La Cité (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2027)
Following a review conducted according to the provisions of University policy on out-of-scope academic administrative appointments, Dr. Emmanuel Aito has been appointed to a second five-year term as Director, La Cité effective July 1, 2022. Dr Emmanuel Aito was appointed acting director of La Cité universitaire francophone in August 2016. In 2017, he began his current 5-year term as Director of La Cité, following a national search. He describes La Cité as “l’imaginaire collectif that has thrust the U of R into the orbit of the Francophonie, both in Canada and abroad”. Before his current leadership position, from 2006 until 2016 he had served two consecutive 5-year terms as Head of the Department of French, which was part of the Faculty of Arts until 2015. Along the way, he had also concurrently served as the interim Department Head of International Languages in 2013. Dr Aito came to the University of Regina in 1998. He earned both his MA (1992) and PhD (1999) from Dalhousie University, Halifax. His primary area of teaching and research is French linguistics, with a particular focus on specialized language and terminology. In the past few years, he has developed a body of work in glottopolitics, theorizing the intercultural dimensions of terminology, while also demonstrating the lexical creativity in minority languages. Dr Aito continues to be interested in the intersections of language and democratization. Despite his current busy administrative assignment, he has continued to supervise the work of several MA and PhD students as well as to lead the growth of the graduate program at La Cité. Dr. Aito also spearheaded the diversification of La Cité’s academic programming.These efforts resulted in the embrace of wide-ranging interests in the Humanities and Social Sciences that go beyond the traditional confines of modern language studies. Dr Aito has thus successfully recruited and mentored several graduate students into these programs, some of whom have returned over the years to be colleagues at La Cité. He continues to pursue student recruitment from far and near. Given La Cité’s specific province-wide mandate as the hub of French-Language university-level academic opportunities, Dr Aito has built productive partnerships within our University and in the Fransaskois community. He maintains critical relationships with the leadership and members of the ACUFC, the umbrella organization that supports Francophone institutions outside of Québec. Dr Aito has also developed collaborative relationships with the provincial and federal departments responsible for funding a significant portion of La Cité’s diverse operations. He is also proud of the dedication of his entire team at La Cité. In his personal life, Dr Aito relishes his close friendships and adores his close-knit family, including his several grandchildren. He is also gratified to witness the personal and professional successes of the students he has recruited and mentored over the years. The Associate Vice-President (Academic), Dr. Nilgün Önder, would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Reappointment Committee for their collegial work. They are Michael Akinpelu, Michael Poplyansky, Sylvain Rheault, Alpha Barry, Marie-France Girardin, Denis Simard, Kevin Piel, Rebecca Alao. The Committee was supported in its work by Yvonne Gray of the AVPA's Office. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Aito on this reappointment. |
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Dean of Science (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2027)
Douglas Farenick received his PhD in mathematics from the University of Toronto in 1990 and he held a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Le centre de recherches mathématiques, Université de Montréal, before starting a tenure-track position at the University of Regina. He was promoted to the rank of Professor in 2002. Over the course of his career at the University of Regina, Dr. Farenick has served as Associate Dean (Research) of Science, Head of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, and is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Science. His professional leadership roles have included Vice President (West) of the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) and Chair of the Finance Committee of the CMS. Dr. Farenick is currently President of the Canadian Council of Deans of Science, serves on the Board of the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, and represents the University of Regina on the TRIUMF Members Council. Dr. Farenick’s mathematical expertise is in the areas of operator algebra theory, operators on Hilbert space, noncommutative convexity, quantum information theory, and the theory of operator systems. He has published two books (Springer) and more than 50 peer-reviewed research articles. Dr. Farenick has enjoyed continuous support from the NSERC Discovery Grant program throughout the entirety of his career. He has taught mathematics at all undergraduate and graduate levels, and ranks the teaching of a three-week intensive graduate course at the African Institute for Mathematical Science in Kigali, Rwanda, as a high point in his teaching career. He continues to be inspired by the students and colleagues he works with locally and abroad. Dr. Farenick is an alumnus of the University of Regina, where he studied mathematics and computer science as an undergraduate student. In his spare time he enjoys swimming and cycling. The Interim Provost would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Reappointment Committee for their collegial work. They are Martin Argerami, Lee Aument, Shannon Dea, Garth Huber, Trent Kostelny, Peter Leavitt, Shanelle Puffalt, Renata Raina, Leslie Robbins, Karin Rustad, and Sandra Zilles. The Committee was supported in its work by Yvonne Gray of the Provost's Office. |
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Dean of Nursing (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2026)
Following a national search conducted according to the provisions of University policy on out-of-scope academic appointments, Dr. Cheryl Pollard, has been appointed Dean of the Faculty of Nursing. The five-year appointment is effective July 1, 2021. |
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Associate Vice-President (Indigenous Engagement) (June 1, 2021)
Following a national search according to the provisions of University policy on out-of-scope senior appointments, Interim Provost Gregory has recommended to Interim President Chase that Ms. Lori Campbell be appointed the inaugural position of Associate Vice-President (Indigenous Engagement). Ms. Campbell has accepted the appointment, which begins June 1, 2021. |
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Dean of Graduate Studies and Research (1 January 2021 - 31 December 2026)I am pleased to announce Dr. Aziz Douai will be joining the University of Regina as the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research on January 1, 2021. Dr. Aziz Douai is passionate about graduate education and student success. In his recent role as Associate Dean at the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, Ontario Tech University, Dr. Douai has helped shape the graduate student experience through revamping the graduate professional skills program, expanding the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, overseeing student awards and scholarships, and launching several engagement initiatives. As a graduate Faculty supervisor and educator, Dr. Douai advocates for a holistic approach to graduate education and believes in empowering graduate students. Dr. Douai holds a PhD in Mass Communications from Pennsylvania State University, a Master’s of Science in Advertising from Boston University, and has lectured on global communication issues in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. A recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship, SSHRC and international competitive research grants, he highly appreciates the importance of research funding to graduate student success. Dr. Douai maintains an active research agenda focused on disruptive communication technologies, international communication and conflict, with a special interest in the MENA media and politics. He is the author and co-editor of three books, including recently released Arab media and the politics of terrorism: Unbecoming news. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Dr. Douai is a Founding Member of the Center on Hate, Bias and Extremism, a Senior Research Affiliate at the Canadian Research Network for Terrorism, Security & Society, and a member of the Digital Life Institute. He served as grant reviewer and Chair of the Multi-disciplinary Committee-Social Sciences at the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) between 2017-2020. I'd like to also take this opportunity to thank the search committee members - Dr Raymond Blake, Kishore Bommavaram, Janine Brown, Dr Tanya Dahms, Dr Hussameldin Ibrahim, Dr Tarun Katapally, Dr Gordon Pennycook, Dr Cathy Rocke, Dr Twyla Salm, Darlene Sorensen, Brett Waytuck. I also want to say a special thank you to Nancy Kazeil and Karen Walker who supported the committee throughout the search. |
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University Librarian (1 July 2021 - 30 June 2026)
Since being named University Librarian on 1 July 2016, Brett Waytuck has taken a leading role in establishing the strategic and operational directions of the Dr John Archer Library and Archives, and supporting the network of academic libraries across Canada, and in Western Canada in particular. Prior to joining the University of Regina, Brett Waytuck worked in public, special, government, and academic libraries in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. Most recently he was Provincial Librarian, working with the public library systems of Saskatchewan to support and extend services across the province. He received his Bachelor of Music degree (Music History and Literature/Piano) from the University of Calgary, and his Master of Library Science degree from the University of Toronto. Some notable accomplishments at the Dr John Archer Library and Archives achieved during Brett Waytuck’s term as University Librarian have included: the Textbooks for All initiative established in partnership with URSU; partnering with the Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance to sponsor the Michele Sereda Artist in Residence; launching the Personal Librarian Program; expanding access to electronic resources to U of R Alumni; creating a year-long celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Library and Archives; expanding organizational and financial investments in open educational resources; opening the Archway Gallery and the Archer Alcove; supporting students through extended hours during exam times; and bringing the significant Mary Filer collection to the University Archives. Throughout his career, Brett Waytuck has been active in a variety of provincial, regional, and national associations and advisory bodies including the Provincial and Territorial Public Library Council (Chair), the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies Advisory Committee (Council of Ministers of Education Canada), the Multitype Library Board, the Consortium of Academic and Special Libraries of Saskatchewan, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (Chair, Strengthening Capacity Committee), and the Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (Vice Chair). The Provost would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Reappointment Committee for their collegial work on the renewal process. They are Mary Chipanshi, Brad Doerksen, Alex King, Jamie Kraushaar, Colleen Murphy, Barbara Nelke, Dean Rae Staseson, and Robert Thomas. Please join us in congratulating Brett on his appointment to a second term. |
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