University of Waterloo Appoints New Dean of Arts
Professor Alexie Tcheuyap will join the University of Waterloo as Dean of the Faculty of Arts for a five-year term commencing 1 July 2024. Tcheuyap succeeds Professor Sheila Ager, who has served as Dean since July 2019.
The appointment was strongly supported by faculty and staff and has been approved by the University’s Board of Governors and Senate.
“With many years of experience in relevant academic leadership positions, Professor Tcheuyap is well-equipped to lead this Faculty during this time of organizational and strategic opportunities and beyond,” said James Rush, Vice-President, Academic and Provost at Waterloo. “His input as a senior member of the University administration will be highly valued, given his comprehensive understanding of higher education in Canada acquired at every level, his experience across disciplines in issues of change management, and his leadership as a champion of equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism.”
Professor Tcheuyap completed his BA in Bilingual Studies and his Maîtrise and Doctorat de Troisième Cycle in African Literature at the University of Yaoundé and earned his PhD in French Literature from Queen’s University. He served as an Assistant Professor from 2000 to 2003 and an Associate Professor from 2003 to 2006 at the University of Calgary before joining the University of Toronto as an Associate Professor with Tenure in 2006. He was promoted to Full Professor in 2012. Amongst his many grants, awards, and honours, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2021. Professor Tcheuyap is currently Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost of International Student Experience at the University of Toronto, an appointment he has held since 2021. His previous academic leadership roles at the University of Toronto included Vice-Dean, Academic Life and Equity, Faculty of Arts and Sciences (2019-2021); Chair, Department of French (2017-2019); and Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies, Department of French (2016-2017).
“I am excited to be joining the University of Waterloo and by the opportunity to advance the implementation of the Faculty of Arts’ strategic priorities while ensuring that inclusive excellence principles, collaboration, collegiality, respect and tolerance remain central,” Tcheuyap said.
Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts is home to 15 departments and two schools offering research and programs across the humanities, social sciences, and fine, performing, and media arts. The Faculty’s rich diversity of expertise tackles some of the toughest challenges facing our culturally diverse and technologically driven world.