New SFU faculty gets new dean
Simon Fraser University has appointed communication and rhetoric professor Cheryl Geisler as dean of the new Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology (FCAT), effective Aug 1, 2009.
“I am honored to lead (the faculty) at a time when these areas are interacting in a way that creates powerful opportunities,” says Geisler, who replaces interim dean Owen Underhill, leader of the faculty since its inception April 1.
Geisler comes to SFU after 20-plus years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York State where she served in several leadership roles, including senate president and two terms as head of the language, literature and communication department.
Most recently she was the principal investigator of RAMP-UP, a National Science Foundation-funded project for institutional transformation.
A highly respected researcher and committed educator, Geisler brings strengths in innovative program creation to enhance the potential of FCAT’s diverse disciplines.
Geisler has a PhD in rhetoric from Carnegie Mellon University. Her research interests include writing in workplace and professional contexts; the intersection of text, technology and design; methods of analyzing verbal data; the advancement of women in academia; genre theory; and academic literacy.
She is also a prolific writer, having authored four books, 13 book chapters, 25 journal articles and 13 proceedings and newsletters.
FCAT combines SFU’s former schools of communication, contemporary arts, and interactive arts and technology, as well its masters of publishing and TechOne programs.
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