Faculty Council Meeting: October 16, 2026 (Confirmed)

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES COUNCIL

MINUTES
 Friday, September 18, 2026
 A meeting of the Faculty Council was held on Friday, September 18, 2026, at 10:00 am via Zoom.  

Presentation:
Mr. Andrew Austin:     Research Security and Data Management Specialist
                                   Office of Research Services
                                   Supporting Researchers in our Faculty

A. Austin gave a presentation outlining what his role is in the Office of Research Services
➢ Research security risk assessment for research projects & out of country travel
➢ Controlled goods/export control compliance
➢ Background checks for international collaborations including visiting scholars and students
➢ Assistance with the development of research data management plans
➢ Data storage and cybersecurity guidance
A short discussion followed.
Link to Presentation:  Research Security & Data Management at Lakehead

Introduction of New Faculty:
Dr. Alexandre Turgeon
Tenure Track Assistant Professor:  Department of History (Thunder Bay Campus)
S. Jobbitt, Chair of the Department of History, introduced A. Turgeon:
I am very pleased to introduce Dr. Alexandre Turgeon, who joins the Department of History as Canadianist with a special focus on public history.  Dr. Turgeon has published extensively in the areas of public memory, political cartoons, and digital discourse, and is particularly interested in how Canadians use digital platforms to engage with historical narratives during federal and provincial election campaigns.

Dr. Taylor Green
Tenure Track Assistant Professor:  Department of Political Science (Orillia Campus)
E. Piersig, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, introduced Dr. Taylor Green who will join the Department this fall.  She stated that the department was looking forward to working with him.

Dr. Suzanne Sharma Narain
Tenure Track Assistant Professor:  Department of Interdisciplinary Studies/SJS (Orillia Campus)
J. Jarman, Chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, introduced Dr. Suzanne Sharma Narain.
Dr. Narain will be leading the Social Justice concentration of the Interdisciplinary Studies undergraduate concentration and contributing to the Masters in Social Justice program.  We look forward to her contributions to our Lakehead community.

Introduction of Assistant Dean (Thunder Bay Campus)
Dr. Julie Rosenthal:  School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism
G. Bonifacio introduced Dr. Julie Rosenthal, our new Assistant Dean, Thunder Bay campus.  Dr. Rosenthal is an Associate Professor in the School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism as well as their Assistant Director.  She will be focussing on student recruitment and retention as well as the program coordinator for the BA General.  

AGENDA
1.
Approval of Agenda
 It was moved by D. Hayes and seconded by L. Potvin that the agenda be approved.
            Carried.
2.
Approval of Minutes

It was moved by D. Akca and seconded by R. McVeigh that the minutes from May 1, 2026 be approved.
        Carried.
        
3.
Business Arising from the Minutes
None.

4.
Calendar Change Requests
    i)  Gender & Women’s Studies
    It was moved by L. Chambers and seconded by J. Chisholm that the following calendar change request for Gender & Women’s   Studies be approved.
    2026-SOC-9400:  Course-Modification-UG-WOME-3613 - updating note
            Carried.

    ii) History
    2026-SOC-9222:  Programs-Major Modification-GR-HIST-Expanding to Orillia Campus
    It was moved by S. Jobbitt and seconded by D. Hayes that the following calendar change request for History be approved.
            Carried.

    iii) Indigenous Learning
    It was moved by J. Sanchez Martinez and seconded by C. Sanders that the following calendar change request for Indigenous Learning be approved.
    2025-SOC-9165:  Course-New-UG-Indigenous Learning-Indigenous Artivism (INDI 4017)
            Carried.

    iv)  Interdisciplinary Studies
    2026-SOC-9317:  UG Program - small changes to HBASC.MDST
    It was moved by R. McVeigh and seconded by D. Mackinnon that the following calendar change request for Interdisciplinary Studies be approved.
            Carried.

   It was moved by J. Jarman and seconded by R. McVeigh that the following calendar change request for Interdisciplinary Studies be   approved.
    2026-SOC-9235:  New Concentration - HBASC INTD with Concentration in Social Determinants
    of Health
            Carried.

    v)  Languages
    It was moved by S. Jacoba and seconded by E. Chugunov that the following calendar change requests for Languages be approved.
    2026-SOC-9305: UG Certificate - Small changes to French Certificates
    2026-SOC-9359:  Program Minors-UG-Discontinue -Languages
            Carried.

    It was moved by S. Jacoba and seconded by I. Lemée that the following calendar change requests for Languages be approved.
    2026-SOC-9307:  Program-UG-Small Changes-BABEd.FREN.IS and PJ
    2026-SOC-9310:  Programs-UG-Small changes to HBA French-Languages
    2026-SOC-9311:  Program-UG-Small changes to BA French-Languages Dept
    2026-SOC-9314:  Program-UG-Small Changes-HBABEd ENFR, FREN, FREN, FRHI IS and PJ
    2026-SOC-9315:  Courses-UG-Discontinued-Languages
    2026-SOC-9316: Courses-UG-Splits-Languages (associated with 9310, 9308)
    2026-SOC-9325:  Courses UG - Modifications - Languages Dept
            Carried.
    
    It was moved by S. Jacoba and seconded by I. Lemée that the following calendar change request for Languages be approved.
    2026-SOC-9359:  Program Minors-UG-Discontinue Languages
            Carried.

    vi)  Music
    It was moved by E. Chugunov and seconded by A. Carastathis that the following calendar change request for Music be approved.
    2026-SOC-9236:  New UG Course - Music 2010 Keyboard Skills
            Carried.

    It was moved by E. Chugunov and seconded by A. Carastathis that the following calendar change requests for Music be approved.
    2026-SOC-9394:  New courses - UG - Music: Restructuring of Applied Performance Studies
    2026-SOC-9395:  Program Modification (less significant changes) - UG - Music: Restructuring of
    applied Performance Studies
    2026-SOC-9403:  MUSIC PERFORMANCE-SECONDARY COURSE DELETIONS
    2026-SOC-9402:  DELETION OF PERFORMANCE PRIMARY COURSES
            Carried.

    vii)  Sociology
    It was moved by C. Sanders and seconded by S. Jobbitt that the following calendar change requests for Sociology be approved.
    2026-SOC-9338:  Reinstate the 3-year BA sociology at Orillia
            Carried.

    It was moved by C. Sanders and seconded by S. Narain, that the following calendar change requests for Sociology be approved.
    2026-SOC-9342:  Discontinue UG Courses - Sociology (1.0 FCE Courses) (associated with 9357)
    2025-SOC-9357:  New UG Courses - Sociology (associated with 9342)
            Carried.

    viii)  Additional Dean Stage
    This request was relegated back to Social Work for confirmation of approvals from INDI and WOME.
    2026-HBS-9313-A-A:  Program_modifications_Social Work / SSH - small change to notes
            Carried.

    5.1
Department/School Requests.
A. den Otter reminded everyone that if they would like to invite a guest speaker to please contact her or S. Viitala directly.

5.2
Department/School Reports and Announcements.

 i)  Wildfire/Disaster Studies Working Group

C. Sanders provided an update on discussions regarding the development of wildfire studies
programming at Lakehead. Natural Resources Management has invited FSSH to explore how the Faculty
might contribute to an interdisciplinary approach to wildfire that considers its social, cultural, political,
historical, ethical, and health dimensions alongside ecological and management perspectives. G.
Bonifacio and the Provost strongly support a FSSH contribution to the program. Potential areas of FSSH
contribution include Indigenous perspectives on land stewardship and fire; disaster, health, inequality,
and community resilience; environmental sociology and philosophy; governance and public policy;
historical perspectives; and arts-based, literary, and cultural approaches. Possible contributions could
include existing or new courses and other programming. C. Sanders invited expressions of interest in
forming a small FSSH working group to explore these possibilities further. Please email him if interested.

ii)  Music

A. Carastathis noted the schedule for the LUMINA Concert Series for the 2026/2027 year is now available
on the Department of Music website.  The first concert will be held on September 29, 2026, in the
Jean McNulty Recital Hall, William H. Buset Centre for Music and Visual Arts 12:30pm to 1:30pm.
Link to Music Department LUMINA Concert Series
https://www.lakeheadu.ca/about/news-and-events/events/events-archive/202...

6.
Dean’s Report.

Friday, September 18, 2026

WELCOME 2026/2027

New Tenure Track Faculty:

Dr. Alexandre Turgeon:  Department of History – Thunder Bay Campus
Dr. Taylor Green:  Department of Political Science – Orillia Campus
Dr. Suz Sharma Narain:  Department of Interdisciplinary Studies/Social Justice Studies – Orillia Campus

Introduction of Assistant Dean:  Thunder Bay Campus
Dr. Julie Rosenthal is the New Assistant Dean - Thunder Bay campus
J. Rosenthal started her position on September 1, 2026
Welcome All.!

Social Science & Humanities:  Priorities

Setting Two-year department course plan
•    November 30 due to Dean and December 24 due to Provost
•    Course mapping
•    Asynchronous delivery justification
•    Scheduling Timelines and Guidelines  
Program Innovation and Curriculum Vitality
•    Transfer pathways, ONCAT
•    Proposals: PhD Social Justice Studies, MA in Creative Arts
Recruitment and Retention/SEM

International partnerships
•    International Dual Degrees: MFAC, Political Science/Languages
•    NERPS 2027 Conference, Indonesia
SSH Strategic Framework: Critical, Creative, Collaborative

Research

Faculty Research Showcases
 
2026
September 29:  Dr. Max Haiven, CRC (English)
October:    Dr. Elsa Piersig (Political Science)
November:      Dr. Todd Dufresne (Philosophy)

2027
January:           Dr. Benjamin Maiangwa (Political Science)
February:          Dr. Shannon Webb-Campbell (English)
March:                Dr. Debra Mackinnon (Criminology/Interdisciplinary Studies)

Graduate Speaker Series    

Foundational Meeting:  SPARC: Social Policy Action Research Circle (Orillia)

Updates
•    Indo-Pacific Fellowship (SSH faculty) and Scholarships (SSH graduate students)
•    Education:  Changes to 12-month program
•    Annual hiring cycle:   Faculty Hiring Request Forms are due to the Provost October 1, 2026
•    SS&H Recognition: Faculty, students, and staff
•    SMA4 (2025-2029)

7.
Assistant Deans’ Report
i)  Dr. Jennifer Jarman:  Orillia Campus – Friday, September 18, 2026
This summer I worked to support many of the initiatives occurring in our faculty, including outreaches by Dean Glenda Bonifacio through the Canadian Embassy in the Philippines with respect to recruitment opportunities and possible collaborations with universities with similar programming.  These outreaches are now waiting on Lakehead’s International Office to create the agreements.

I sit on the Orillia Space Committee, which had its first meeting with the architect planning the new building. We discussed its preliminary presentation on the design of the next Orillia building, which will be primarily designed to integrate the Education department onto the main campus, although the plan is that the building will be designed in such a way that multiple uses could occur in future.

I also met with Georgian College’s General Arts and Science/College Foundations Program Advisory Committee.  This program is involved in a thorough curriculum revision to remove duplicate programming and make the program more appealing to domestic students.   Further work is planned to review the articulation agreement with Lakehead and update as necessary.

ii)  Dr. Julie Rosenthal:  Thunder Bay Campus – Friday, September 18, 2026
J. Rosenthal stated that she is currently in the process of familiarizing herself with her new position.  She will be working with the BA General students as their advisor.  She will also be working on recruitment and retention and will be meeting with all the chairs over the coming months.

8.
Other Business.
None.

9.
Next Faculty Council Meeting:  
The next Faculty Council meeting with be held in October 16, 2026, via Zoom.  Deadline for submissions for the agenda:  October 9, 2026.

10.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 11:57 am.

ATTENDANCE
 
Thunder Bay Campus

K. Brooks
K. Burnett
A. Carastathis
L. Chambers
J. Chisholm
E. Chugunov
R. Kimani-Dupuis
D. Hayes
K. Holmes
D. Ivison
S. Jacoba
J. Leggatt
S. Jobbitt
I. Lemée
B. Parker
E. Piersig
L. Potvin
T. Rollo
J. Sanchez-Martinez
C. Sanders
A. Turgeon

S. Viitala - recording

Orillia Campus
D. Akca
G. Bonifacio
P. Das
A. den Otter
T. Green
J. Jarman
N. Lochhead
S. Narian
R. McVeigh
S. Olutola
M. Stevenson
K. Walton

Regrets
D. Jobin-Bevans
L. Forbes
S. Islam
D. Mackinnon
R. Maundrell
B. Maiangwa
S. Webb Campbell