STU Names André Loiselle Dean of Humanities

An accomplished scholar and academic leader will be joining St. Thomas University’s leadership team as the university announced today that following a national search, André Loiselle has been appointed dean of humanities for a five-year term beginning July 1, 2018.

Loiselle is currently a professor in the School for Studies in Art and Culture at Carleton University where he has taught courses on horror cinema, film theory, and Canadian cinema. He has extensive administrative experience serving at Carleton University as Assistant Vice-Present (Academic), Associate Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, Director of the School of Canadian Studies, and Acting Director of the School for Studies in Art and Culture.

“Andre has a thorough understanding of the decanal role, including the importance of fostering a positive academic culture with an emphasis on professional relationships, communications, and innovation. His collegiality, judgment, and problem-solving skills were evident in his resume and our interview process,” said Dr. Kim Fenwick, Vice-President (Academic and Research). 

“We were very impressed with his combination of scholarship and leadership skills that emphasized collegiality, and our committee’s recommendation was unanimous.”

As the dean of humanities, Loiselle will be a member of the senior academic administration and responsible for providing academic and administrative leadership in collaboration with full and part-time faculty, students, and staff.  He will lead academic programming, curriculum development, and the recruitment, development, evaluation, and retention of chairs and faculty.

“I am delighted to be joining St. Thomas University. As a human-scale university, STU can truly put students at the centre of its teaching and research enterprise, and provide them with a meaningful and memorable learning experience. As a professor and an academic administrator, I deeply share this commitment to students,” said Loiselle.

Loiselle’s scholarly interests have been in Canadian and Québécois cinema, the horror film, and theatricality on screen, and he has written more than 50 articles, book chapters, and books. He has received awards of excellence recognizing his teaching, research, and service. He holds a BA in Arts Dramatiques from the Université du Québec à Montréal and an MA and PhD in Theatre and Film from the University of British Columbia.

 “As someone whose scholarly background is in theatre and film, I am intensely committed to the fundamental principles of the liberal arts. At a time when adaptive and generative creativity, ethical reasoning, and design thinking are increasingly in demand, it is essential to promote the importance of the humanities in providing students with these critical skills,” he said.