Lisa Philipps, vice-president academic and provost, has issued the following announcement to the York University community:
I am pleased to inform members of the York community that Professor Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt has agreed to take on the role of interim associate vice-president teaching and learning (interim AVP T&L), as AVP Will Gage takes a well-earned sabbatical. This appointment will take effect July 1 for a one-year period.
Professor Fisher-Stitt is currently serving as interim dean of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design. She has been a faculty member at York since 1992 and is a member of the Department of Dance in AMPD. She has held a number of previous administrative positions at York, including associate dean academic in AMPD, leading program development and experiential education initiatives, and as associate dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. From 2007 to 2011, she was the first colleague to hold the position of associate vice-president academic learning initiatives – later renamed AVP teaching and learning – in the then Office of the Vice-President Academic. As AVP, she made important contributions to the enhancement of the quality of our students’ experience and the promotion of teaching and learning at York.
Professor Fisher-Stitt holds BA and MFA degrees from York University and an EdD from Temple University in Philadelphia. She is also a graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School and the author of the book The Ballet Class: A History of Canada’s National Ballet School. Her areas of research and teaching interest include dance history, the evolution of ballet technique and dance education/pedagogy. She was the recipient of a President’s University-Wide Teaching Award in 2014.
As interim AVP T&L, Professor Fisher-Stitt will play a key role in advancing York’s academic priorities, as articulated in the University Academic Plan, in relation to the enhancement of teaching and learning and student access and engagement – and ultimately the overall quality of students’ experience and success. She will work collegially to enhance the profile of teaching and learning at York, to provide support for teaching development, and to advance York’s reputation for excellence in pedagogical innovation and student learning. She will also be responsible for administration of the Academic Innovation Fund, leadership of working groups developing institutional strategies to promote eLearning and experiential education, and implementation of initiatives to introduce new faculty members to the University and provide leadership development support for administrators.
I very much appreciate Professor Fisher-Stitt’s willingness to return to this important portfolio, and I look forward to continuing to work with her to advance our teaching and learning priorities.