Dean's Message: New leadership appointments in architecture program

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Jason Johnson has agreed to step into the role of Associate Dean Academic, Architecture effective July 1. Some of you may recall that Jason held this position previously, prior to the COVID pandemic.

In addition to teaching across the architecture curriculum at SAPL, Jason is co-director of the Laboratory for Integrative Design which explores integrative trajectories for design that involve computation, making and community engagement.  Jason excels in strategic design thinking and will be instrumental in continuing to shape the architecture program and curriculum into one of the leading degree programs across Canada. As we transition out of pandemic-driven instruction and back to in-person learning, Jason will continue to build on the architecture program’s design culture and student experience.

I also want to take this opportunity to offer sincere and heartfelt thanks to Catherine Hamel for her considerable efforts in the role. Catherine worked tirelessly to make SAPL a more equitable, diverse and inclusive place to work and study. She brought in a wide range of international and Indigenous voices to block week courses, networking events and lectures. Catherine prioritized student experience and connection in everything she did during her tenure. And, except for the last four months, she did it entirely online, during a global pandemic. We owe her a tremendous debt of thanks for taking on a challenging role in extraordinary circumstances.

Catherine has agreed to become our School’s first EDI Director starting July 1, 2022. Catherine has been working in this area for the past two years and is the lead for our Just SAPL initiative. As we formalize this new position, I look forward to Catherine’s thoughtful leadership.

Finally, while Barry Wylant is on Research and Scholarship Leave for the 2022-2023 academic year, David Monteyne has graciously agreed to act as Interim Graduate Program Director. David previously occupied this position, and I am confident he will do a great job stewarding our research-based degrees in the coming year.