Lisa Young reappointed Dean and Vice-Provost (Graduate Studies)

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Lisa Young has been reappointed for a three-year term as Dean and Vice-Provost (Graduate Studies) effective July 1, 2017.

Earlier this year, Young indicated her willingness to be considered for reappointment. An Advisory Decanal Review Committee was established to consider Young’s performance during her first term as dean and vice-provost and the appropriateness of her reappointment. The committee invited and reviewed commentary from the campus community. The committee also interviewed Dr. Young. Following the process, the committee strongly and unanimously recommended renewal, and Dr. Cannon was pleased to accept that recommendation. Rather than take a five-year renewal, Dr. Young has chosen to take three years.

Lisa Young received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto in 1996. She also holds an MA in Political Science from Carleton University and a BA in Political Science and Economics from the University of Winnipeg. Young first came to the University of Calgary in 1997 as a professor of political science. She served as associate dean in the Faculty of Graduate Studies in 2010-11 before being appointed as interim dean in July of 2011. Young was named Dean and Vice-Provost (Graduate Studies) in May of 2012.

Under Young’s leadership, the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) has undergone significant transformation over the past five years. She has been committed to providing a high-quality graduate educational experience, and creating a more supportive and dynamic environment within FGS for students, supervisors, and staff. The reforms she has implemented to various policies and procedures within FGS have had a positive and substantive impact. Data from the 2016 Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey show an increase across all general measures of graduate student satisfaction between 2013 and 2016.

During her first term, Young has undertaken to reorganize associate dean portfolios, and created an Associate Dean (Student) position to specifically manage student issues and assist in developing student support programs. Recognizing the need to further develop resources for supervisors, Young also created the position of Assistant Dean (Supervisory Development), who supports graduate supervisors by offering workshops, individual mentoring, and enhanced supervisor orientation. Young has also created a Dean’s Advisory Committee to ensure clear lines of communication with the deans in other faculties across campus.

Young has worked to increase scholarship support for graduate students, through targeted scholarships for international students and innovative Eyes High doctoral scholarships, as examples. She led the creation of a Scholarships Advisory Committee of Faculty Council to provide strategic advice and guidance in this area. Young also developed plans to enhance Tri-Council applications and success rates, as well as plans for increasing students’ success in Vanier competitions which has produced consistently positive results since 2012.

Other key achievements during Young’s first term as dean include working with the Provost to increase funding for graduate student internships and entrepreneurship training, establishing a task force to clarify the role of FGS in graduate student recruitment, and enhancing professional development opportunities for graduate students through the MyGradSkills program.

In her next term as dean and vice-provost, Young plans to renew her emphasis on improving the quality of course-based master’s programs and working with faculties to increase the range of offerings of professional master's programs. She intends to work closely with the FGS student success team to develop more focused interventions for graduate students who may be at risk for not completing their degrees. As the university develops and implements the Indigenous Strategy in the coming year, Young is also committed to improve access and supports for Indigenous graduate students.

I would like to thank the members of the Advisory Decanal Review Committee, which I chaired, for their diligent work and contribution to this process. They are: John Reynolds (Vice-President Research representative), Tara Beattie, Michele Jacobsen, Michael Kallos, and Renate Scheidler (representatives of the Faculty of Graduate Studies Council), Lawrence Harder and Sarah McFarlane (representatives of General Faculties Council), Nancy Pollock-Ellwand (decanal representative), Gillian Robinson (MaPS representative), Jamie Pryde (AUPE representative), Steeven Toor (SU representative), Sam Hossack (GSA representative), Sandra Hoenle (Faculty Association representative), and Joanne Cuthbertson (community representative, former Chancellor of the University of Calgary).

Please join me in congratulating Lisa Young on her re-appointment.

Dru Marshall

Provost and Vice-President (Academic)