Meet the new dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science
André Roy | Photo by Concordia University
On August 1, André Roy began his five-year appointment as dean of Concordia’s Faculty of Arts and Science. Not surprisingly, this award-winning academic already has a bold vision for the faculty, stressing the importance of interdisciplinary thinking.
“We’re on the cusp of being able to provide an environment of true interdisciplinary integration,” says Roy, who came to Concordia from the University of Waterloo, where he had been dean of the Faculty of Environment since 2011. Before that, he was a professor for nearly 30 years at Université de Montréal, where he held the roles of chair of the Department of Geography and associate dean of research in the Faculty of Arts and Science.
As someone with intimate knowledge of the city, Roy sees Concordia as a microcosm of Montreal — now and in the future.
“We’re a university that has the most connection to the metropolitan area of Montreal, in terms of diversity and location, because we have both the downtown campus and the slightly more remote campus at Loyola, where I’m located,” explains Roy. "This connection offers incredible potential, and I see Arts and Science as a place that can further develop and benefit from that connection.”
With more than 500 faculty members plus staff and students, Roy recognizes the power of the Faculty of Arts and Science’s collective talent and wants to help optimize that power.
“Listening is key,” says Roy, who is happy to return to Montreal and everything the city has to offer. “There are questions to answer. What distinguishes us from other faculties of arts and science? What’s our DNA? We need a collective definition of who we are, and we need a common ground in terms of how we accomplish our mission.”
Roy’s expertise in sustainability is also a good fit for Concordia, where work in the field continues to thrive. Roy wants to see the Faculty of Arts and Science take more of a leadership role in sustainability.
“I’m hoping to be able to create a small team here to continue working on the management of urban rivers and how urban rivers respond to climate change.”
Dean Roy hopes to maintain his research profile while directing Concordia’s biggest faculty.