Distinguished academic leader and sustainable development advocate appointed new Dean of Social Science and Humanities

OSHAWA, ONTARIO – The University of Ontario Institute of Technology announces the appointment of Peter Stoett, PhD, as Dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, effective Monday, July 17.

Dr. Stoett is a highly respected academic leader, program builder, mentor and champion of social inclusion and sustainable development initiatives. He joins the university after teaching at Concordia University in Montreal.

Professor Stoett was the Founding Director of Concordia’s multidisciplinary Loyola Sustainability Research Centre. The centre integrates the study of science, policy and values to help advance knowledge of climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and other societal challenges. From 2005 to 2011, he served as Chair of Concordia’s Department of Political Science and was a member of Concordia’s Board of Governors and its Senate.

As Concordia’s Provost Fellow for Sustainability, Dr. Stoett received awards for Campus Sustainability Leadership, and established a minor program in Human Rights Studies. He helped bring the Future Earth research consortium to the university, and has collaborated with the Hague Institute for Global Justice, the United Nations Environmental Programme, Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Political Science Association, and the Montreal Institute of Genocide Studies and Human Rights Studies.

Dr. Stoett, a recognized expert in global environmental politics and human rights issues, received his PhD in Political Studies from Queen’s University and his Master of Arts from the University of Guelph. He joined Concordia University in 1998, after teaching at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University and at several universities in Ontario. He has also taught in Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Italy.

He recently held a Fulbright Research Chair at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., and a Leverhulme Fellowship in Climate Justice at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. He was an Erasmus Mundus Visiting Scholar at the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands, and a Provost’s Visiting Scholar at the University of Tasmania in Australia.

Dr. Stoett wants to promote greater public awareness of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and the unique research components of the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, including in social research and wearable technologies. He aims to advance research and pedagogy in all of the faculty’s academic disciplines, enrich community engagement and internationalization, and expand graduate program offerings, post-doctoral opportunities and online courses.

Quotes

“I look forward to applying my administrative, research and teaching experience at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. This up-and-coming progressive university is on the cusp of a real breakthrough in terms of its impact in Durham Region, Northumberland County, the Greater Toronto Area, and far beyond. I am especially motivated by the faculty’s explicit orientation toward the advancement of social justice. My priorities will include building innovative graduate programs, attracting highly qualified students at all levels, fostering interdisciplinary energy, and parlaying the external ties of our excellent researchers into long-lasting collaborative community relationships.”
-Peter Stoett, Incoming Dean, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities

“I am delighted that Dr. Stoett will join us as the Dean of Social Science and Humanities. He brings a wealth of academic and administrative experience, and his experiences at Concordia will stand him in good stead as the Dean. I am confident that Dr. Stoett’s leadership and scholarly expertise will advance the faculty and inspire student success. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Brian Cutler for leading the faculty in an interim capacity over the past year.”
-Deborah Saucier, PhD, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

About the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities

The Faculty of Social Science and Humanities promotes social justice through an interdisciplinary approach to community outreach, research and teaching. Researchers educate student-scholars poised to assume leadership roles in enriching our local and global communities. Faculty members incorporate leading-edge educational technology into their instruction and publish research of the highest quality. The faculty’s collegial environment values anti-oppression in all respects, collective responsibility, innovation, professional development and shared governance.

About the University of Ontario Institute of Technology

As one of Canada’s newest research universities, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology advances the discovery and application of knowledge through a technology-enriched learning environment and the delivery of innovative market-driven programs responsive to the needs of students and industry. With more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in more than 75 programs, the university promotes social engagement, fosters critical thinking and integrates outcomes-based learning experiences inside and outside the classroom. The university’s commitment to accelerating economic growth and social innovation is realized through faculty research collaborations with leading organizations such as Ontario Power Generation, IBM, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the Durham Regional Police Service. To find out more, please visit uoit.ca. 

Media contact

Bryan Oliver
Communications and Marketing
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
905.721.8668 ext. 6709
289.928.3653 (cell)
bryan.oliver@uoit.ca