Dr. Barbara Crow was appointed Dean of Arts and Science at Queen’s University in July 2017 after leaving her position as Dean of Graduate Studies, Associate Vice-President, Graduate at York University.
Her recent academic/administrative experience also includes Professor Emerita and Senior Scholar, York University and Professor, Faculty of Arts and Science, Sociology, Queen’s University.
Dr. Crow’s research interests lie in the areas of feminism, aging, and technology, the ways in which they intersect, and specifically the various impacts of digital technology. She holds a BAH in Political Science and Women’s Studies, and an MA and PhD in sociology.
In her current role as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, (FAS) she is responsible for the overall operations of the Faculty of Arts and Science, including developing and supporting the Faculty’s long- and short-term goals, policies, fundraising efforts, strategic initiatives, and academic priorities.
To that end, Dr. Crow led the development and launch of the first-ever Strategic Plan for the Faculty of Arts and Science in its 130-year history. It was the result of numerous consultations with students, staff, and faculty in our 30+ academic units, as well as the Dean’s Council, alumni, and members of our broader community. Now in the third year of the Plan, 21 initiatives have been completed, 29 are in progress or ongoing. The Strategic Plan also provided a solid basis and guide for many of the difficult decisions that had to be made by leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the past 18 months have been very challenging for the university, under Dr. Crow’s leadership several strategic initiatives moved forward including the launch of the new Digital Academic Calendar. This new calendar is now a pan-university project and providing an engaging, richly informative, and responsive student experience for course selection registration and degree planning.
Dean Crow was also guided by the important research of Dr. Wendy Craig (Psychology) to assess and evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the FAS community. The result of that research was the Continuous Improvement Review for COVID Response which the Faculty of Arts and Science and Queen’s University will use as a template to address the challenges of the pandemic. A first of its kind at Queen’s, the research can also benefit other Faculties or other post-secondary institutions.
Dean Crow continues to focus the Faculty on EDII, supporting many initiatives as detailed in the Annual Review and adding new positions to increase support for the efforts being made across the Faculty to advance EDII.
The Faculty also recruited for five new Queen’s National Scholar (QNS) positions and an additional three faculty positions to support the development of Black Studies, including the BA Minor/General in Black Studies to be launched in 2022.
Dean Crow is committed to advancing the work of Queen’s as a leader in global issues. In February 2021 Dr. Amitava Chowdhury (History) was appointed Special Advisor to the Dean on Global and Decolonization Initiatives, investigating and advising on initiatives to ensure they are in accordance with the Faculty’s Strategic Plan. With Dean Crow’s support, Dr. Chowdhury has developed Queen’s Global Summer to launch in 2022, providing a diverse range of events and activities in alignment with the UN Sustainable Goals, and building the foundation for a 12-month academic experience through the Faculty of Arts and Science.
Looking ahead, Dr. Crow is excited by the significant role that FAS will play in championing the Principal’s vision of enhancing the global purpose of our university, attending to the nature and quality of our relationship with our community, and designing and building partnerships for impact. Her strong track record in these areas has been shaped by the value she places on the principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigenization, and Decolonization.