From September 20 to 24, Dal News presents a series of profiles of new folks on campus. Today, Dal News introduces you to Robert Summerby-Murray, new dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
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| Robert Summerby-Murray is the new dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. (Danny Abriel Photo) |
With more than 200 faculty members and 3,019 full and part-time students, the faculty that Robert Summerby-Murray presides over is larger than some entire universities. As the new dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, he鈥檚 excited by the challenge.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity to do things on a bigger stage,鈥� says Dr. Summerby-Murray, 48, the father of three teenage boys. Before coming to H漫画 on July 1, he was the Dean of Social Sciences at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.
Born in New Zealand, Dr. Summerby-Murray grew up on a sheep farm in North Canterbury. Surrounded by big open spaces, he developed a love of geography, which he studied at the University of Canterbury. He earned his BA in 1984 and his聽master's degree聽two years later, then arriving at the University of Toronto with a Connaught scholarship to continue his studies in geography. After graduating from U of T with his PhD in 1992, he went to teach historical geography at Mount Allison, where he's been based until recently.
While he鈥檒l miss being in the classroom 鈥� he鈥檚 proudest of the teaching awards he鈥檚 won over his career, including a 3M National Teaching Award in 2007 鈥� he鈥檚 excited by the prospect of forging a new strategic plan for FASS, fostering interdisciplinary research among faculty members and getting students more engaged with the faculty.
Another goal is to forge more international collaborations, for research and so students can take advantage of more opportunities to study abroad. 鈥淏ut the financial barriers (for studying abroad) are huge,"聽he says. "We have to find ways to overcome those barriers that students face.鈥�
Although he鈥檚 in an administrative role, he doesn鈥檛 want to be chained to his desk, shifting papers from one pile to another.聽鈥淚 see it as a people-oriented position,鈥� he says.