Carol Merriam believes deeply in the magic of teaching, and that helping create that magic for other people is time well spent.<\/p>\n
On July 1, Merriam will close the chapter on 10 years of service as Dean of Humanities as the Faculty welcomes James Allard, Associate Professor of English Language and Literature and Associate Dean, Undergraduate Student Affairs and Curriculum, as Interim Dean.<\/p>\n
Katharine von Stackelberg, Associate Professor of Classics and Archaeology, has been appointed as the next Associate Dean, Undergraduate Student Affairs and Curriculum for the Faculty.<\/p>\n
Merriam arrived at Brock in 1994 as a part-time Classics Instructor. Over the next three decades, the Latin poetry expert would dedicate herself to teaching and service.<\/p>\n
Playing an active role in the Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA), Merriam served as President and Vice-President, and also led the Department of Classics and Archaeology as Chair for a three-year term.<\/p>\n
In 2010, Merriam became Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies before being appointed Dean in 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cUniversities have a special place in our cultures and civilizations, and it\u2019s been a true privilege to help shape the future and build community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Merriam\u2019s motivation has always been clear: to help others get the most out of their university experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cSupporting students, faculty, junior faculty, instructors, staff and colleagues \u2014that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
At the helm of Humanities when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Merriam guided the Faculty through the challenges of sudden, remote learning. She established the cherished \u201cFriday Blast\u201d Faculty-wide communication, a tradition that continues to bring colleagues together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to learn quickly and rise to the occasion with the goal of teaching and supporting our students \u2014 and each other \u2014\u00a0as best we could,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Merriam\u2019s time as Dean saw growth for Humanities, including the opening of Brock\u2019s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, setting the Faculty on a trajectory to flourish in creative research and activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the presence of a dedicated fine and performing arts school, Brock is taking a leadership role in arts education in Canada and making it possible for our community to have significant impact,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the road ahead for Humanities in a rapidly changing world, Merriam said the disciplines help people see different possibilities, take different directions and forge new paths.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudying literature, history, art and philosophy teaches us how people have understood good, evil and value. Languages help us understand the world and remind us that there is always another story \u2014 it all comes down to the value of individual human spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
As he prepares to take the Faculty\u2019s helm, Allard said Merriam\u2019s thoughtful and engaged leadership serves a reminder that the Humanities have always played and will continue to play a vital role in shaping how we live, work and thrive in uncertain and even chaotic times.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarol demands respect for and shows us how to take seriously the power of imagination, of empathetic curiosity, of a deep appreciation for shared histories in our research, our teaching and our commitment to the University,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Merriam expressed hope for the future and the University’s role in advancing reconciliation efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough our collaboration with Brock\u2019s Concurrent Teacher Education programs, educators will bring an inclusive perspective in subjects like Canadian History and Canadian Literature because of the knowledge and expertise offered by our Indigenous faculty members,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on her roots in Classics \u2014 to which she will return to once again to teach Latin \u2014 Merriam shared pride in the department reimagining the discipline.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcross the Faculty of Humanities, in every department and centre, the opportunity to work with such amazing people dedicated to our work and students, has been a true honour.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Carol Merriam believes deeply in the magic of teaching, and that helping create that magic for other people is time well spent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":102812,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7484,37,1],"tags":[3919,30,8406],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102809"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102816,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102809\/revisions\/102816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}