Michael Milde has been appointed to a five-year term as Faculty of Arts and Humanities dean, starting July 1. He has been serving as acting dean since Jan. 1, 2011.
“Professor Milde brings a strong record of administrative leadership and academic achievement that make him an excellent champion for the faculty and the value of a liberal arts education,” said Janice Deakin, provost and vice-president (academic). “Michael impressed the decanal selection committee with his experience and energy, as well as the potential he sees to raise the profile of Western Arts and Humanities on the national and international stage.”
President Amit Chakma added, “Western’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities has a proud history of attracting exceptional scholars and is well recognized for its strength in several disciplines. We are fortunate to have a leader of Michael’s quality on our campus, and we look forward to supporting him and his colleagues in pursuit of academic excellence and outstanding service to the community.”
Milde joined the Department of Philosophy as a full-time faculty member in 1994. He has served as associate vice-provost (academic program review), acting associate vice-provost (graduate and postdoctoral studies) and associate dean (academic) for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. He has been a member of Senate; chair of the Senate Committee on Academic Policy and Awards; chair of the Subcommittee on Undergraduate Program Review; and has served on a variety of university committees.
His research area is social and political philosophy, with a particular interest in justice, multiculturalism and the intersection of constitutional law, democracy and social contract theory. He has co-edited two books, Bringing Power to Justice: The Prospects of the International Criminal Court (McGill-Queen’s Press, 2006) and A Question of Values: New Canadian Perspectives in Ethics and Political Philosophy (Rodopi, 1996).
For their contributions to the search, Deakin thanked members of the Senate Decanal Selection Committee including: Matt Davison (Applied Mathematics professor); Margaret Kellow (History chair and professor); Matthew Leisinger (Philosophy undergraduate student); Patrick Mahon (Visual Arts professor); Peter Miller (Classical Studies graduate student); Andrea Purvis (Faculty of Arts and Humanities director of administration); Tilottama Rajan (English professor and Centre for the Study of Theory & Criticism interim director); Aara Suksi (Classical Studies chair and professor); and Brian Timney (Faculty of Social Sciences dean).
