It won’t take much adjustment for Ingrid Makus to get used to her new role.

Makus has been named Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences after serving as Interim Dean for the past 17 months. Tom Dunk, Interim Provost and Vice-President, Academic, made the announcement Wednesday, May 2.

“Ingrid has done a great job over the past year and a half in the role on an interim basis, and I’m confident her innovative approach to leadership will help the Faculty thrive in these complex times,” Dunk said. “It’s a combination of her experience as a department chair, associate dean and interim dean, and her demonstrated commitment to lead in a collaborative and transparent manner.”

Makus served as chair in the Department of Political Science and has been part of many University committees. She held the role of Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research for FOSS, and was Interim Dean in the Faculty in 2013-14, before taking on that role again starting in November 2016. Makus’ academic expertise is in political theory, the politics of gender and reproduction, and diversity issues.

Dunk said FOSS is the largest “and arguably the most diverse Faculty in terms of programming and the wide range of creative and applied scholarship of its members.”

It’s that diversity that attracted Makus to the role.

“I’m excited and thrilled to be selected as the next Dean of Social Sciences,” she said. “It’s diverse in the structure and makeup of programs, as well as the types of students.

“This is an incredibly vibrant and dynamic group of researchers, scholars, staff and advisors,” she said. “This is a Faculty that is moving forward in directions that align perfectly with the strategic mandate of the University and the informal things we’re emphasizing like experiential learning and community engagement.”

Makus’ five-year term as Dean begins July 1.