New Deans Appointed for UBC Faculties of Arts, Graduate Studies

The Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Graduate Studies have appointed
new deans for concurrent six-year terms.

English Prof. Shirley Neuman, from the University of Alberta, and
UBC Prof. Frieda Granot are the deans of arts and graduate studies
respectively.

“I know that in Dr. Neuman and Dr. Granot we have outstanding advocates
for the faculties of Arts and Graduate Studies and for the university.
I am certain they will maintain the tradition of strong leadership
and will work with others to advance both disciplinary and interdisciplinary
learning,” said Dan Birch, vice-president, Academic and Provost.

Neuman, who chaired the English Dept. at the University of Alberta,
successfully undertook several new initiatives there including the
introduction of full funding for PhD students, the creation of team-taught
interdisciplinary modular graduate courses and the expansion of
undergraduate studies. She was also responsible for developing,
implementing and chairing the university’s Women’s Studies Program.

Neuman currently is the president of the Academy of Humanities
and Social Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada.

A founding editor of Canadian literary presses NeWest and
Longspoon, Neuman’s research interests include autobiography,
Canadian literature and women’s writing. She is presently beginning
work on a biography of Canadian poet and novelist bpNichol.

Granot joined UBC’s Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration
in 1975 after completing an interdisciplinary PhD in mathematics,
computer science and business administration at the University of
Texas at Austin.

An associate dean of Graduate Studies for the last five years,
Granot’s own research covers both theoretical and applied aspects
in areas such as discrete mathematics, mathematical programming,
game theory and network flows. In 1986, she was awarded the Advisory
Council Chair Professor in Management Science in the Faculty of
Commerce and Business Administration. Granot is also a member of
UBC’s Institute of Applied Mathematics and is associated with the
research unit Forest Economics and Policy Analysis.

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