News

I have just come from my last convocation ceremony at Dalhousie, and I must say I feel considerable sadness that it is my last. As a highly symbolic part of our academic world, convocation holds special significance for me. As a Dean, I have been presenting graduates for 21 years (11 at Dalhousie and 10 at Brock University where I was Dean of Social Sciences), and it is difficult to get my head around this all ending.
 
But what I am really going to miss after June 30th are the wonderful friends and colleagues throughout the university with whom I have worked over the years. I’m going to miss the highly accomplished and committed faculty who motivate our students and mentor them to become the best they can be; I’m going to miss running into the incredibly capable, hard working and pleasant administrative staff in our Schools who somehow make our programs actually work; I’m going to miss the staff in my office and my Associate Dean colleagues who have made it so easy and fun to come to work every day; I’m going to miss the bright and enthusiastic students who give me confidence about the future of Canada and the future of health care and health research in Canada; I’m going to miss my senior administration and decanal colleagues among whom there has been an open sharing of experiences and perspectives; and I’m going to miss our colleagues in the external community, including in NSHA, IWK, Department of Health and Wellness and the Department of Labour and Advanced Education. Without their active involvement and support, our programs could not operate.
 
That said, I am leaving with a sense of incredible privilege at having had the opportunity to be a Dean in this great University, and especially the Dean of this great Faculty. While I look back with much satisfaction about what has been accomplished during my watch, I am very cognizant that these accomplishments are not mine but are those of my colleagues with whom I have worked. To the extent that I may have encouraged, facilitated or even coerced, I feel I have had an impact, and that is satisfying. And although she does not want me to do so, I want to acknowledge publicly Anne Godden-Webster's contribution to IPE at Dalhousie and the practice community due to her commitment and interpersonal acumen. Anne will be stepping down on June 30th as well, and I know she will greatly miss continuing to be a "match-maker" in bringing together faculty, staff, students and practitioners with overlapping interests which she saw could lead to new and enhanced IPE opportunities.
 
On July 1, I’ll be starting  a period of administrative leave which will allow me to concentrate for a while on my academic career. I have just started writing a book that will focus on the connections between, on the one hand, my research and interests in the brain mechanisms underlying stuttering and, on the other, my experiences as a person who grew up with a severe stutter and who has now come to manage his speech reasonably well much of the time. In addition to reviewing and synthesizing recent research directions, I am interested in documenting how my personal experiences informed the research questions I asked, and conversely  how the answers to the questions impacted my ability to actually manage my speech.
 
As well, on July 1, I will become the new Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC) which has provided so much leadership in Canada in the area of interprofessional education and care. This voluntary position will enable me to retain a link to my IPE interests at Dal, and that I am very pleased about.  And I will be continuing to Chair the Board of Governors of the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, that wonderful 125 year old Halifax gem of music and dance instruction for learners and performers of all ages and stages. And then I am confident that other new personally and academically meaningful opportunities will present themselves.  
 
Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement through both the good and the difficult times we have had during the past decade. And I wish everyone well as work in this Faculty continues to ensure that health education, health care and health research continue on a trajectory that will transform our lives and our communities in the future.
 
With best wishes to all,
 
Will