York dean comes July 1 to head arts faculty

Douglas Peers (left), currently dean of graduate studies at York University in Toronto, will come to Waterloo July 1 as dean of the faculty of arts, the provost is announcing this morning. Peers will also be a tenured professor in the history department.

He will serve an initial five-year term as successor to the current dean, Ken Coates, says a memo from provost Geoff McBoyle. "The appointment was unanimously recommended for consideration by the nominating committee established under Policy 45 and has been approved by the Board of Governors and Senate." Senate approval was given during the closed session at the February 28 meeting; board approval, in a poll of the board's executive committee last Friday.

Says the provost's memo: "Professor Peers completed his BA (1982) in political science with a minor in history and MA (1984) in history at the University of Calgary, and his PhD (1988) in history at the University of London (King’s College). He served on the faculty of the University of Calgary from 1989 to 2007, followed by York University and was promoted to professor in 2006.

"During his career, Professor Peers has made a substantial commitment to administrative service, including appointments as acting assistant dean of students (2003), associate dean academic (2003-2004), associate dean research and development (2004-2007) and interim dean (2006-2007) of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Calgary; interim vice-president, programs branch of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2004); dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at York University (2007-present) and president of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (2010). An elected fellow of the Royal Historical Society since 1991, his research publications include two monographs, four edited books, 18 refereed book chapters and 20 journal articles on topics relating to British India. He received the Faculty of Social Sciences Distinguished Research Award from the University of Calgary in 2001 and the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1999."

McBoyle's memo continues: "The appointment of Professor Peers as dean received very strong support from faculty and staff constituencies within the Faculty of Arts and from arts faculty within the federated university & affiliated colleges. This confirmed the committee’s strongly held view that Professor Peers should succeed Ken Coates as dean.

"I wish to add my own support for Professor Peers’ appointment. As an experienced administrator and respected scholar, he will strategically direct the Faculty of Arts for the next few years. In addition, his input as a member of Waterloo’s senior administration team will be highly valued. I know that Professor Peers can count on the support of the entire Waterloo community as he takes up his new challenge."

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Turkish-born president helps build links

The university’s president, Feridun Hamdullahpur, will make a trip next week to the land of his birth, Turkey, where he’ll tell potential students how much Canadian higher education can offer them.

He’ll also be signing agreements between Waterloo and three of Turkey’s most prominent universities, meeting government officials to press for Canadian involvement in Turkish scholarship programs, and doing interviews with Turkish state television and a couple of prominent newspapers.

“To be able to connect the two countries that mean the most in the world to me is very emotional,” Hamdullahpur said Monday as he was getting ready for the trip, which starts Saturday night.

His roots in Turkey — which has more than twice the population of Canada, and a fast-growing middle class eager for educational opportunities — and his ability to speak its language give him powerful advantages as a spokesman for Canada. His own education began in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul: he earned his undergraduate degree and his master’s in mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Istanbul, then came to Canada to do a PhD at what was then the Technical University of Nova Scotia (now an arm of Dalhousie University).

Staff in Waterloo’s office of marketing and undergraduate recruitment “asked if I could use my background to help them,” he said. He’ll be hosting a pair of dinners, one in Istanbul and one in the capital city of Ankara, aimed at school administrators and counsellors. Meanwhile, Julie Hummel and Mirjana Radulovic of the MUR office will make a series of school visits, including one to the historic Robert College, founded when Istanbul was still Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Some of the institutions Hamdullahpur will visit are much newer, especially Yeditepe University, a private institution in Istanbul that’s barely 15 years old. There, and at the elite Bilkent University nearby and the publicly supported Middle East Technical University in Ankara (photo above), he’ll sign what he describes as “generic” agreements for academic cooperation such as reciprocal visits by researchers. More specific relationships will develop out of those individual encounters, he predicted.

“We’re not interested in partnering with just any university,” Hamdullahpur stressed, citing Yeditepe, Bilkent and METU as top-ranking institutions. The visit to Yeditepe will be a repeat performance for him: he was there a few years ago when he was vice-president (international) at Carleton University, inking a similar agreement, and he says Turkish officials are eager to see him back on Waterloo’s behalf.

The week will also include a meeting with Turkey’s Higher Education Council, as well as two public lectures aimed at government and university officials, Waterloo alumni, potential applicants and media. Hamdullahpur is expected to speak for about half an hour and said he’ll describe both the value of a Canadian education and “our unique, innovative approach” in particular, including Waterloo’s emphasis on diversity and experiential learning.

“Feridun is a highly recognized individual there,” says Hummel, who’s making some of the trip arrangements along with Drew Knight of Waterloo International. “He’s going to be talking about our ties to Turkey, and Canada as a great destination for higher education in general.” She called Turkey “a market that we’ve been in for a couple of years now.” At the two public lectures, one in Istanbul and one in Ankara, Radulovic will be on hand to provide more detailed information about Waterloo programs for those who are interested. (She is in Turkey already, spreading the Waterloo news at “Education in Canada Fairs” in Ankara, Istanbul, Bursa and Izmir.)

Hamdullahpur said it’s a long time since he has given a speech or a major interview in Turkish, and looks forward to the challenge — although he worries that when a technical term comes into the conversation, he’s liable to come out with the English word.

The trip offers another reason for anticipation as well: he’ll have a chance to visit family members whom he hasn’t seen for a while. In fact, he added, in Istanbul he’ll be staying at the home of his mother — “otherwise she’d never forgive me.”

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Back and forth between 1799 and 1999, it's "An Experiment with an Air Pump" by Shelagh Stevenson, the drama department's last major production of 2010-11. David Morgan, Caitlin Robson and Laura Reitzel are among the cast. A preview production for alumni and other invited guests is scheduled for 7:00 tonight in the Theatre of the Arts; public performances are March 10-12 and 17-19 at 8:00, with tickets on sale at the Humanities box office.

CAR

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