News

Greetings from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) at Dalhousie University!

Dean Jennifer Andrews addresses the crowd at convocation.
Photo: Cody Turner

As the Dean of FASS, I am delighted to have the opportunity to share with you some of the incredible things that our faculty, staff and students have been up to over the past academic year.

We worked with Dalhousie’s recruitment and marketing teams to increase student applications and registrations for the next academic year – and I am proud to say that we do have a significant  increase in new undergraduate student numbers expected to begin in Dal FASS this September. We are always happy to see growth and are grateful to our alumni who are our best ambassadors!

We hosted several incredible lecture events throughout the year that showcased FASS’ engagement with and contributions to some of the most pressing societal issues, including:

• The 2025 Stanfield Conversation on “Challenges to the rule of law and the future of liberal democracy” which featured journalist and Dal alum Mary Lynk (BA’84) as the guest moderator along with featured panelists Asha Rangappa and Wayne MacKay.
  
  
• The 2025-26 MacKay Lecture Series, which explored the theme Connected Histories, Sociologies and Politics: Hope and Despair, as well as the MacKay History Lecture.
  
  
• The annual public lecture presented by the Simon and Riva Spatz Chair in Jewish Studies, Dr. Eva Mroczek.
  
  
• As well as many lectures, symposiums, discussions and events hosted by departments, programs, and affiliated student societies across FASS, such as the wonderfully popular annual Pythian Games run by the students and faculty in the Department of Classics.

Following the 2025 Stanfield Conversation, pictured left to right: Department of Political Science faculty members Brian Bow, David Black, and Rachael Johnstone; the Hon. Anne McLellan, Mary Lynk, Wayne MacKay, Asha Rangappa, George Cooper, Jennifer Andrews, Miriam Stanfield and Murray Coolican.
Photo: Nick Pearce

The audience at The Pythian Games, held in the Scotiabank Auditorium in the Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building.
Photo: Cody Turner

A student performance at The Pythian Games.
Photo: Cody Turner

The Fountain School of Performing Arts held a rich and extraordinary slate of events both in its Joseph Strug Concert Hall, and across the faculty; these performances – including operas, plays, concerts and showcases – demonstrate the incredible talents, intelligence and dedication of the Fountain School’s students, faculty, and staff. I had the chance to see DalTheatre’s extraordinary production of The Odyssey and attended several end of year and graduation recitals for voice students that were especially impressive. Please if you find yourself in the HRM, do explore the Fountain School’s remarkable programming.  

Ensemble members of Dalhousie's 2026 The Odyssey. Directed by Ken Schwartz, Set Design by Eden Reshef, Costume Design by Sean Mulcahy, Lighting Design by Thunder Defayette.
Photo: Kate Hayter

Throughout the year, FASS held celebrations for students, staff and faculty award winners and I attended a wide array of events that honoured excellence in a variety of programs and departments.

We also continued to see our students excel in their academic research and projects. The essays received for this year’s FASS Essay Competition proved example of this, and we were thrilled to award first prize amounts of $7000 in each category of this year’s competition. As well, we were able to award runner-up prize amounts in each category this year. You can learn more about these annual prizes, read this year’s winning essays, and watch the video recordings of the winners’ presentations on the FASS Essay Competition’s website. I strongly encourage you to watch the video presentations to learn more about the amazing research that students are doing here at Dal, and to hear, as told by Dr. George Mencher, the story behind the Irving and Jeanne Glovin Award – an annual research award established by the Oskar Schindler Humanities Foundation.

Winners and runners-up of the 2026 FASS Essay Competition with FASS Dean Jennifer Andrews at the awards presentation and reception event.
Photo: Genevieve MacIntyre

And earlier this month, we celebrated the 2026 spring graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Our graduates were celebrated over two convocation ceremonies in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium and at a reception in the Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building. Find more highlights from our convocation celebrations here. The cupcakes were a huge hit!

I was especially honoured to welcome Dal FASS alum Ardath Whynacht to deliver the convocation address at our first ceremony of the day, and to witness international advocate for women in peace and security, Clare Hutchinson be presented with an honorary degree from Dalhousie during our second ceremony.

Reflecting on this past year and looking forward to the next one, I’m proud of our ongoing work to continue to support our students and faculty with new and valuable opportunities. The creation of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures – a recently formed amalgamation of the departments of Spanish & Latin American Studies and German and the Chinese Studies, Arabic Studies, Italian Studies and Mi’kmaw language programs – will bring the administration of these departments and programs under one central unit. The Centre for Jewish Studies, established in 2025, brings together scholars of Jewish culture, religion, history, and languages from Dalhousie and the University of King’s College and will serve as a hub for world-class research and collaboration across the region. It is the only academic unit dedicated to the study of Jews and Judaism in Atlantic Canada. Likewise, the Center for Contemporary Writing offers a place for practitioner-led contemporary writing and research-creation practices at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, and across the province and nation to thrive. Our certificate offerings in FASS have expanded, with some being offered as standalone options – such as the Certificate in Black and African Diaspora Studies and the Certificate in Spanish Language and Culture. As well, FASS has finally been approved to offer Work-Integrated Learning in our academic offerings for this upcoming year. More on that will be announced later this summer.

The repair work that the Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building had been undergoing for several years has finally wrapped up. The exterior envelope and windows have been replaced, we have new comfy chairs in the building’s communal spaces, and the interior courtyard is once again accessible, along with a beautiful balcony that overlooks the space. As well, the Department of Political Science and their faculty offices have moved from the Henry Hicks Building over to the McCain Building – so now, with the Fountain School of Performing Arts Building next door, all FASS department offices are in the same corner of campus.

It has been a busy year with lots of changes and growth, and we thank you for your continued interest, support and connection to our Faculty. You make us great!

To our supporters - We are so very grateful for your help and appreciate you for thinking of us when considering your choices of where to donate your time, energy, resources, and financial contributions. We cannot thank you enough for your support and understanding of the importance of education in the Arts and Social Sciences.

To our friends, community members and organizations who support our faculty and students (including prospective, current and past) – Thank you for continuing to show up for us (both in-person and virtually); for reading and telling our stories; for supporting our research; and for attending our performances, lectures and panel events. Thank you for employing our students and alumni and for fostering learning and work experiences. Thank you for valuing our people and our work.

To our alumni - We hope to hear about where your path post-Dalhousie has taken you. If you have a career or professional update, an exciting personal milestone, or details about any of your travels, we’d love for you to share this with us by submitting a Class note or by sharing your updates and any interest in engaging further with the Dal FASS community by emailing fass@dal.ca. You could be the next alum featured in our Alumni News and Spotlights.

We hope you’ll take some time to read through the content we’ve pulled together for this FASS Annual Newsletter which features several of our faculty, staff, students and alumni. If you have any feedback or ideas for stories to be featured in future newsletters, please email fassnews@dal.ca.

All the best and have a wonderful summer.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jennifer Andrews
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Dalhousie University