Dr. Melike Schalomon has been appointed for a second term as MacEwan University's dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, through June 30, 2031.
"I am thrilled that Dr. Schalomon has been reappointed for a second term as dean," says Dr. Craig Monk, provost and vice-president, Academic. "Through her time at MacEwan, Dr. Schalomon has modelled Teaching Greatness, leading the way in her own commitment to students. I look forward to her further accomplishments as MacEwan's largest faculty continues its deliberate growth under her leadership."
During her first five years as dean, Dr. Schalomon has grown the Faculty of Arts and Science across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. She has prioritized teaching and scholarship, encouraged collaboration with other MacEwan faculties and schools, and helped lead the recruitment of her faculty's first Canada Research Chair.
As dean of a faculty experiencing tremendous growth, she has confronted space issues head-on by facilitating a scheduling approach for hybrid courses that maximizes flexibility for students and faculty.
"This reappointment gives me an opportunity to finish ongoing projects that simply wouldn't be possible to complete in a single term," says Dr. Schalomon. "Growth is a theme that we know will continue - we've seen very healthy increases in our student body, especially in the Bachelor of Science program, that I am really very proud of, and I look forward to being able to serve our growing student body well."
Dr. Schalomon has been a faculty member at the university since 1996 when she taught as a sessional instructor in the Department of Psychology while completing her graduate studies. Today, she continues to teach and conduct behavioural neuroscience research, holding an appointment as professor alongside her role as dean.
Over the past 28 years, she has witnessed an incredible amount of change - in her faculty and at MacEwan.
"We're reaching the critical mass in our faculty to form research groups that I never would have imagined possible 25 years ago," says Dr. Schalomon. "By the end of my second term, I would really hope that we will have achieved a commitment to create more space for students in our faculty that aligns with Teaching Greatness and MacEwan's vision to reach 30,000 students by 2030."
