Deans named for Arts, Grad Studies

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

Effective July 1, 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 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.

In addition, Neuman served on many of the University of Alberta’s senior
administrative committees including the Research Policy Committee, the
President’s Advisory Committee of Chairs, the Academic Planning Committee, the
General Faculties Council and Senate.

She is a past president of the Association of Canadian College and University
Teachers of English and of the Canadian Association of Chairs of English. She
also served as vice-president of the Aid to Scholarly Publications Program and
as an executive member of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities.

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

The 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 from 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.


At UBC, Granot has worked with the PhD and MBA committees, was a member of the
new MBA Core Committee and chairs the Faculty of Commerce committee on research
development. She has successfully chaired the Faculty of Graduate Studies
fundraising committee and serves on the faculty’s long-range planning committee.