Respected researcher and academic leader Dr. Lisa Starr has been appointed dean of the Faculty of Education, bringing extensive experience as an educator across Canada and internationally to her new role at the University of Lethbridge.
Dr. Lisa Starr joins ULethbridge after nearly a decade at McGill University in Montreal.
Starr joins ULethbridge after nearly a decade at McGill University, most recently serving as the Department Chair for Integrated Studies in Education within McGill's Faculty of Education. Her experience in post-secondary education also extends to the west coast, where she worked within the Faculty of Education and earned her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (Education) at the University of Victoria.
"I am excited to begin my mandate as dean for the Faculty of Education and to be part of the University of Lethbridge community," says Starr. "I am also delighted to return to the prairies with perspective gleaned from working across Canada and worldwide."
The prairie homecoming for Starr comes 30 years after completing a Bachelor of Education at the University of Regina. Her post-undergraduate K-12 work experience then took her to British Columbia and eventually abroad, where she lived and worked in Pakistan, Kuwait and Mongolia from 2001 to 2008.
"My time overseas was a significant period of personal and professional growth that directly contributed to my approach as a leader," says Starr. "I place great value in the perspectives of others and considering voices that are less typically heard in our decision making."
Backed by an impressive resume of research spanning the last decade, Starr is currently the principal investigator for two Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded projects, with the first engaging in educational reform in three Quebec high schools, and the second examining how pedagogical strategies can be implemented to address sexual and gender-based violence in teacher training colleges in Mozambique.
Her background also includes training teacher educators in cross-curricular learning, techniques for classroom assessment and educational leadership, and she is a past president of the Canadian Association for the Study of Women and Education (CASWE).
"Dr. Starr is a well-respected academic leader who will bring a wealth of experience to her new role as dean," says Dr. Erasmus Okine, provost and vice-president (academic). "The Faculty of Education's emphasis on field experience and research-based best practice continues to produce the most sought-after teachers in the industry, and her proven track record as a relationship builder and forward thinker will be a great asset to the Faculty."
Starr's placement is one of four new dean appointments that will be filled this year, in addition to the recent announcements of Dr. Digvir Jayas as president and vice-chancellor and alumnus Terry Whitehead as chancellor.
Dr. Starr will officially begin her role as dean on July 1, 2023.
