The Faculty of Arts and Science Pathways to Leadership Program is a unique new three-year pilot project launched in 2021-22. It consists of three special advisor appointments, one per year of the three years of the pilot and each appointment one year in duration.
Each appointment supports a faculty member in Arts and Science by providing them with an opportunity to realize a project, program, or initiative that advances the teaching and research mission of students, faculty members and staff across FAS.
Specifically, the positions provide mentorship in administration and leadership for the candidates and an avenue through which programs and people across FAS can benefit from the innovative thinking of emerging leaders in the Faculty’s ranks.
Faculty members appointed to these positions are supported by:
- a one-term course release from teaching
- working space, budget, and administrative support
- mentorship by the Associate Deans in whose portfolios the project falls
Program Goals
The overall goal of this pilot project is to increase the professional development opportunities for members of FAS interested in gaining experience in university administration and leadership.
The specific aims are to:
- Increase faculty members career development opportunities
- Provide them with administrative experience and mentorship
- Open a pathway to leadership to faculty members at any career stage and level of departmental involvement
- Advance Queen’s and the Faculty's aspirations for and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion at all levels of administration and leadership.
Meet Amitava Chowdhury: Special Advisor to the Dean on Decolonization and Globalization
Meet Dr. Amitava Chowdhury, the first special advisor to be appointed in the program for one-year, the new Special Advisor to the Dean on Decolonization and Globalization.
Dr. Chowdhury is an Associate Professor and the Chair of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of History and the co-director of the Global History Initiative, a faculty and graduate research forum in global history.
In his role as Special Advisor to the Dean, he advises on global and decolonization initiatives to ensure they are in accordance with the faculty's Strategic Plan.
Dr. Chowdhury’s current priorities are in the following five areas:
- FAS Global Plan: This is a masterplan for a FAS Global Strategy. The concept of global is integral to any aspect of decolonizing the curriculum.
- FAS First-year - Exploring ways of integrating EDII into the first-year curriculum through core courses and co-curricular initiatives.
- Global Summer Institute - Mainly intersects with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the central role of EDII in some of the SDG measures.
- Global Fellows Program - Incorporate epistemological issues associated with EDII into a new fellowship program.
- Global Skills Opportunity - Provide study abroad and global experiential learning opportunities to under-represented and under-privileged groups.
Read more in the story: Advancing Teaching and Research. New FAS program provides mentorship to emerging leaders
Future Appointments
Call for Special Project Proposals will be made early in the year of 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Additional Support
The Faculty of Arts and Science will support individuals faculty or staff members participating in the University’s Inaugural Building Leadership @ Queen's program, which was also launched in 2021-22, by covering the cost of registration in the program.