Dear Faculty of Arts,

As the long weekend beckons, we hope you are all managing in this heat wave and finding ways to stay comfortable and hydrated!

Thank you, Anna Rucker and Samantha Dutton-Jones! We would like to express our deep gratitude and best wishes to Anna Rucker, former Administrative Coordinator, and Samantha Dutton-Jones, Communications and Events Coordinator, for the Faculty of Arts. Anna has begun an exciting new role as Academic Integrity Strategist with Teaching and Learning, while Sam has accepted an amazing new position with the Vancouver Board of Trade.  Anna and Sam, we will miss you both!  You have been bright lights and wonderfully supportive voices in Arts.  We thank you for all your great contributions and creativity over the past few years, and for your warmth and laughter in the Dean’s office.  We wish you much success and happiness in your new adventures, and we hope you visit us in Arts often!

Please note that if faculty have marketing and events-related queries, you can email the Arts[dot]CommEvents@kpu.ca inbox for marketing and events related things.  Christina Fung will be helping to support the Communications and Events Coordinator position for the time being.  Thank you, Christina, for stepping into the role during this transitional time. Meanwhile, Nadine Siriban has taken up the Administrative Coordinator position. Welcome, Nadine, in this exciting new role!

There have been a number of other staffing changes in the Dean’s Office, as our staff all-stars move forward in their careers and take on new challenges, and wonderful new talents come aboard. We’ll provide a fulsome overview in a future Arts Update.

Going the Extra Mile to Make Convocation Special! Samantha Dutton-Jones and Associate Dean Wade Deisman revel in the joy of celebrating Arts graduates.  In addition to making the day special for Arts, Sam went above and beyond in supporting graduates from other Faculties as well! 

Opportunities for Faculty

Network Project Coordinator Position – time release: Interested in supporting the Arts Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Network?  Consider applying for this position for the fall semester via this link: Position Description (taleo.net) The deadline is fast approaching!

KPU Toonie Brigade in Vancouver Pride Parade

Happy Pride month/season! Please consider joining the KPU Toonie Brigade in the Vancouver Pride Parade on Sunday, July 31! We need about 40 volunteers to help carry the giant rainbow flag along the entire parade route, collecting donations for the Vancouver Pride Society Community Bursary fund. 2SLGBTQ+ KPU community members and allies of all abilities are welcome; again, please email pride@kpu.ca to sign up. Best of all—this year, we’re going to have our own DJ’d dance music! Can’t wait to hear from you!

Upcoming Events & Initiatives

Save-the-date for our upcoming Teaching & Learning event on October 13-14: Appreciating Teaching Excellence. The event will provide an opportunity to reflect on the lessons of teaching and learning through the pandemic, celebrate innovation, learn from one another, and connect with your colleagues across KPU. More details to come.

Supports for Student Success: We are delighted to announce that the Mentoring Network for Youth Aging out of Care – now rebranded as the Supports for Success Program – is slated to resume operations this fall. Faculty members who are interested in becoming mentors to these students can contact Tracy Sherlock Tracy.Sherlock@kpu.ca or Wade Deisman Wade.Deisman@kpu.ca . More information, including dates for fall training will be forthcoming throughout the summer. This is a fabulous opportunity to connect with students and build supportive coaching relationships.

Resources for Faculty and Instructional Staff

Faculty and Instructional Staff Handbook is Moving! New to Pressbook!  The Faculty and Instructional Staff Handbook (FISH) is moving from SharePoint to Pressbook. On August 15th, the handbook will officially launch in Pressbook making it easier for faculty and instructional staff to access without having to login. The SharePoint version of the handbook will be retired and faculty and instructional staff will access the Pressbook version using a new URL. To help make this transition as smooth as possible, we ask that on or before August 15th, please update any handbook links. The new URL is: https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/facultyinstructionalstaffhandbook/.

Stay cool and have a wonderful long weekend!  Happy Pride!

Greg, Wade, Danny, Dana, Billeh, and Shelley