Cheryl Dueck appointed senior academic director of University of Calgary International

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Cheryl Dueck, PhD, as the senior academic director (international) of the University of Calgary International (UCI) for a renewable five-year term from Oct. 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 2023.

In this role, Dr. Dueck will be responsible for enhancing the strategic co-ordination of the university’s efforts in international activities, providing academic oversight and enriching the breadth and depth of the university’s international programming. She will also engage in expanding international opportunities, aligning the international department with academic units, and optimizing the learning environment for our students.

Prior to this role, Dueck was the associate dean (scholarships and international) in the Faculty of Graduate Studies, where she has contributed to University of Calgary’s success in external scholarship competitions, notably the SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR doctoral competitions. She also introduced significant innovations, including a pilot for an international travel scholarship for graduate students. Dueck was also an associate professor of German in the School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures (SLLLC) and previously served as the graduate program director in SLLLC.

Dr. Dave Hansen, PhD, has generously agreed to serve as an associate dean (scholarships) in the Faculty of Graduate Studies from Oct. 1 to Dec. 30, 2018. A search for a new associate dean will launch in the fall.

Dueck holds a PhD in German from McGill University, a MA in German and a BA (Hons) in French and German, both from the University of Saskatchewan. Her areas of interest and publication include East German and post-unification literature and film, representation of surveillance, cultural memory, and cultural politics and gender.

Before joining the University of Calgary in 2012, Dueck held faculty appointments at the University of Manitoba (2004-2012) and University of New Brunswick (2000-2004). Her administrative experience includes six years as a department head in Manitoba. Having benefited personally from multiple exchange experiences as a student and a faculty member, and having held international scholarships and grants, Dueck recognizes the value of such transformative experiences. This motivates her drive to facilitate innovative international academic programming.

For instance, she initiated international partnerships with European universities (including Szeged, Freiburg, Greifswald and Gießen) for students and researchers. In Calgary, she co-created the Berlin Energies Group Study Program, implemented a graduate exchange and cotutelle doctorate program with partners in Gießen, Germany, facilitated and promoted undergraduate exchanges, and co-organized the annual Germany Day event.

I would like to thank the Advisory Selection Committee for their work in helping to select the new senior academic director (international). They are: Dr. Cindy Graham, PhD (vice-dean, science), Dr. Jennifer Hatfield, PhD (associate dean, strategic partnerships and community engagement, medicine), Dr. Anis Haque, PhD (associate dean - student affairs and international, engineering), Dr. Christine Johns, PhD (senior director, academic and international strategies), Savera Hayat-Dade (director, programs and international development, UCI), Colleen Packer (director, international learning programs, UCI), and Andrea Delgado Morrow (director, international relations, UCI).

Please join me in congratulating Cheryl on her new appointment.

Janaka Ruwanpura
Vice-Provost (International)