KBRS is pleased to have assisted in the appointment of Professor Vivek Venkatesh as the next Dean of the Faculty of Education at McGill University. The following is an excerpt from their recent announcement.
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On behalf of Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi, I am pleased to also announce the appointment of Professor Vivek Venkatesh as the new Dean of the Faculty of Education. This follows an extensive, international search conducted by the Advisory Committee for the Selection of the Dean of the Faculty of Education. The McGill University Board of Governors accepted the Committee’s recommendation during its meeting held on April 25, 2024. Prof. Venkatesh’s five-year, renewable term will begin on June 1, 2024, and end on May 31, 2029.
Prof. Venkatesh is an internationally recognized researcher and research-creator who holds the UNESCO Co-Chair in Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism. He is as an innovative educator, artist and applied learning scientist with nearly 20 years of service. He is currently a professor of Inclusive Practices in Visual Arts and Chair of the Department of Art Education at Concordia University, where he has also served as Associate Dean at its School of Graduate Studies for two terms. In addition, he is co-director of the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance, a multi- and inter-disciplinary centre made up of more than 50 researchers, a dozen professional staff, and several hundred students.
Prof. Venkatesh has been awarded more than $10 million in external funding as principal or co-principal investigator and has published more than 70 peer-reviewed scholarly pieces. Among the most prominent of his pedagogical initiatives is “Project SOMEONE” (Social Media Education Everyday), a multi-media online platform devoted to the reduction of hate and violent extremism.
Prof. Venkatesh earned both a PhD and MA in Educational Technology from Concordia University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the National Institute of Education at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore.
Please join me in congratulating Prof. Venkatesh on his new appointment and welcoming him to McGill this summer. In addition, I would like to thank Prof. Victoria Talwar for serving as Interim Dean of the Faculty of Education since August 2023. Thanks are also due to the members of the Advisory Committee and to everyone in the community who shared their comments and advice during the search process.
Sincerely,
Deep Saini - President and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University
