Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane has announced that Dean Barbara Crow has decided to end her term as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science as of August 1, 2024, and will be commencing her administrative leave.
“I would like to thank Dean Crow for her significant contributions to the university during the seven years she led the Faculty of Arts and Science,” says Principal Deane. “Under her leadership, the Faculty took major strides forward, including the development of its first Strategic Plan, the introduction of new program options in Indigenous Knowledges and Perspectives and Black Studies and opening new learning and gathering spaces to support them, as well as creating new supports for research that have resulted in a notable rise in external funding, to name just a few examples.”
As part of the leadership transition, Principal Deane announced an interim appointment will be filling the position of Dean of Faculty of Arts and Science for the next two years. Dr. Bob Lemieux will be returning to Queen’s from the University of Waterloo from which he will be taking a leave of absence.
Dr. Lemieux recently completed eight years as Dean of Science at Waterloo, where he was well known for his focus on the importance of fundamental science and its intersection with innovation and social impact. During his time in that position, he championed teaching and learning initiatives to help transform the undergraduate educational experience at Waterloo, oversaw the creation of a masterplan for the modernization of science buildings, established a global partnership to support ground-breaking research into vision health, and set the Faculty of Science on a path toward becoming a leader in the indigenization of science education.
Prior to joining Waterloo, Dr. Lemieux was a longtime faculty member at Queen’s in the Department of Chemistry from 1992 to 2015. He served as department head from 2007 to 2011 and was Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Science from 2011 to 2014. During his time at Queen’s, he also received numerous awards, including the Chemistry Graduating Class Award for Teaching Excellence in both 1997 and 2007, the W. J. Barnes Teaching Excellence Award in 2005, the Ontario Premier’s Research Excellence Award in 2000, and the Chancellor’s Research Award in 1999.
“I would like to thank Dr. Lemieux for taking on this important role at Queen’s during what are challenging times across the post-secondary sector,” says Principal Deane. “His previous experience here at Queen’s and, more recently, as dean of a large and prestigious faculty at Waterloo will benefit us immensely as we work together to balance our operating budget over the next year and into the future.”
The search for a permanent dean for the Faculty of Arts and Science is expected to begin summer 2025 and be completed during the 2025-26 academic year.
This story originally appeared in the Queen's Gazette.
