Brock University today announced that Carol Merriam will become the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities.

Merriam has been serving as Interim Dean of the Faculty since March 2015. She will continue that appointment until June 30, and then on July 1 begin a five-year term as Dean of Humanities.

“I am delighted that Dr. Carol Merriam will be transitioning from Interim Dean to Dean, it has been a pleasure working with her over this past year” said Neil McCartney, Brock’s Provost and Vice-President Academic, who made the announcement.

Brock’s Faculty of Humanities is a great community of scholars, teachers, and learners with an exciting future ahead. I’m proud to be a part of it.

A Professor of Latin language and literature with a research focus on Augustan poetry, Merriam is also an experienced academic administrator, having served as Brock’s Associate Dean of Humanities from 2011-15 and Chair of the Department of Classics from 2004-07.

Merriam, who joined Brock as a part-time instructor in 1994, is herself a graduate of Queen’s University (BA Honours and MA) and Ohio State University (PhD).

“I have really enjoyed the year I have spent as Interim Dean of Humanities, and am honoured to have been selected for the permanent position,” said Merriam. “Brock’s Faculty of Humanities is a great community of scholars, teachers, and learners with an exciting future ahead. I’m proud to be a part of it.”

In her eventful past year as Interim Dean of Humanities, Merriam was responsible for overseeing the completion and opening of the new Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines. That $45-million project was a huge milestone for the University, representing not just Canada’s most modern centre of excellence for arts education, but an unprecedented off-campus collaboration between Brock and its host communities.

Humanities is one of the largest of Brock’s seven academic Faculties, encompassing eight different departments and five centres of research and study. Looking into the future, Merriam acknowledged the recruitment issues facing all universities because of shrinking demographics, and particularly challenges for the Humanities.

“But Brock has a lot to offer,” she said, “and this is especially true in Humanities. It is an exciting time to be telling that story, and helping all of our units forward to live up to their full potential.”