September 19, 2006 Source: :
http://www.ryerson.ca/news/media/General_Public/20060919_st_mr_georg.html Dr. Usha George new Dean of Faculty of Community Services at Ryerson University Dr. Usha George has been appointed Dean of Ryerson University's Faculty of Community Services. Her five-year term began this summer. "Dr. George has an impressive academic history and background," said Dr. Errol Aspevig, Provost and Vice-President Academic. "She is a talented teacher, noted researcher and respected leader with a commitment to providing students with a quality educational experience." The Faculty of Community Services is home to the Schools of Child and Youth Care, Disability Studies, Early Childhood Education, Food and Nutrition, Health Services Management, Midwifery, Nursing, Occupational and Public Health, Social Work, and Urban and Regional Planning. As well, the Faculty houses graduate programs in Nursing and Early Childhood Studies. A Master of Social Work is planned for September 2007. In addition, the Faculty collaborates with other Faculties in offering graduate programs in Immigration and Settlement Studies, and in Environmental Applied Science and Management. Dr. George comes to Ryerson from the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, where she was a faculty member since 1994 and Associate Dean since 1999. Since 2003 she held a cross-appointment with the Centre for Urban and Community Studies at the University of Toronto, and was Director of the Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS). Dr. George has extensive international university teaching, research and administrative experience, in India, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and the U.S. She holds a Doctorate in Sociology from Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria, an M.S. in Sociology from Loyola University of Chicago, and an M.A. in Sociology, a B.Sc. in Chemistry, and a B.Ed. from the University of Kerala, India. "I feel very privileged to have been offered this opportunity," said Dr. George. "The Schools that make up the Faculty of Community Services are at the forefront of professional education in Canada. There are tremendous opportunities for growth in this area and I am excited to be part of this process." Her scholarship, teaching and creative professional activity has focused on social work with diverse communities. Dr. George was instrumental in developing the Anti-racism, Multiculturalism and Native Issues (AMNI) Initiative at the Faculty of Social Work at U of T, which is a comprehensive approach to embracing diversity in the organizational functioning of the faculty. Dr. George has served on a variety of community-based boards such as the Scarborough Board of Health, Toronto District Health Council and the Social Planning Council of Metropolitan Toronto. She has served as Chair of both the South Asian Family Support Services and the Coalition of Agencies serving South Asians. She is currently on the Community Impact Committee of the United Way of Greater Toronto. Ryerson University is Canada's leader in career-focused education, with more than 80 graduate and undergraduate programs in the Faculties of Arts, Business, Communication & Design, Community Services, and Engineering, Architecture and Science. Founded in 1948, Ryerson has graduate and undergraduate enrolments of 23,000 students. With more than 64,000 registrations annually, The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education. CONTACT: Suelan Toye
Public Affairs
Ryerson University
Office: 416-979-5000 x 7161
stoye@ryerson.ca
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