Daniere appointed

Amrita Daniere has been appointed as UTM’s new vice-principal academic and dean starting July 1, taking over from interim dean Kelly Hannah-Moffat.

“I am very excited and optimistic about taking on the position of vice-principal academic and dean at UTM,” said Daniere in an email to The Medium. “This is a wonderful time in UTM’s trajectory in that it has completed, to a great extent, renewal and expansion of its physical plan and is about to embark on a development of an intellectual plan for the future.”

As announced on March 10, Daniere has been appointed to the position for two years by the agenda committee of academic board of the academic board after the previous vice-principal academic and dean, Amy Mullin, decided not to renew her position after holding it for five years, opting instead to return to the classroom.

Daniere is a professor in the Department of Geography and Planning who has been at U of T for more than 20 years, has previously served four years as UTM’s vice dean graduate, and also teaches at UTM’s Institute of Management and Innovation within the master of science in sustainability management program.

Within the next two years, Daniere hopes to work with UTM’s principal and other vice-principals to develop an academic vision as well as a strategic plan to implement a vision for the campus. Knowing two years isn’t long enough to complete an implementation plan, Daniere expressed interest in getting started and developing a strategy that UTM can follow over the next five to 10 years to achieve the new long-term vision for UTM.

Daniere also hopes to introduce a new student advisory committee that would report to the dean.

“I hope that by meeting monthly with an interested and diverse set of students, I will keep myself more informed about what matters the most to students and get their ideas about how to improve both academic and social aspects of their experiences at UTM,” said Daniere, who will meet with students in early September to discuss the proposed initiative.

Also on Daniere’s radar, the newly appointed vice-principal academic hopes to establish further opportunities for students and faculty at UTM.

“I hope to gain more experience at creating opportunities for faculty and students to work together to come up with initiatives that are appropriate for students in the coming decades—programs that take advantage of technology, communication and the diversity of UTM and help the campus to become even more exception,” said Daniere.

When asked why Daniere chose to accept the position, Daniere explained her love for the campus and community.

“I love the campus—its enthusiastic students and its exceptional faculty. I really enjoy the scale of UTM It is large enough to encompass a diversity of people and ideas and disciplines and yet small enough to get to know people from staff to students to professors from across campus,” she said.

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