Mark Blagrave has been appointed as the next dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Science at Huron University College, effective July 1.
Blagrave was born in Niagara-on-the-Lake and raised in Oakville, Ontario, and has spent many years teaching in New Brunswick. He was awarded a B.A. (Hons) degree in English from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, and a M.A. and Ph.D. degree in Drama from the University of Toronto.
He held the positions of Sessional Lecturer and Assistant Professor in the Department of English at U.N.B. (Saint John) from 1981-1989. He moved to Mount Allison University in 1989 where he has since held positions of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Head of the Department of English. He is currently a Professor of English and the Director of Drama at Mount Allison.
He is an active scholar, publishing widely on Canadian theatre and film. His short fiction has been published regularly in leading Canadian literary journals, including The New Quarterly and Fiddlehead, and his plays have been produced professionally and in university theatres.
His debut novel Silver Salts has recently been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book. The novel revolves around the “silent ladies” from the early 20th-century silent film era and is the first full-length literary novel to be set in early 20th century Saint John, New Brunswick. Blagrave has been cited as “a new voice in Canadian fiction” by Andrew Armitage of The Sun Times.
In his years at Mount Allison, Blagrave has been responsible for curricular design and reform and has worked to ensure the flourishing of a student-centred learning environment. He has served as Chair of the Vice-President’s Advisory Committee on the First-Year Experience and as Chair of the Working Group on Outcomes and Literacies. His own philosophy of teaching, in his words, “has always been geared to the nurturing of critically-thinking, well-grounded, articulate individuals who are engaged in creative decision-making.”
Commenting on Blagrave’s appointment, Huron Principal Ramona Lumpkin says, “We’re delighted to have Mark Blagrave join the faculty of Huron University College and assume a role of leadership within the Faculty of Arts and Social Science. His commitment to teaching excellence and student success is a superb fit with Huron’s mission and priorities.”