The primary role of the Chair and Vice Chair of Faculty Council is to facilitate collegial decision-making and discussions at LA&PS Faculty Council meetings. Transparency, accountability and good governance remain top priorities this year. We also strive to create an inclusive forum for, respectfully, engaging with the Dean, debating shared concerns and promoting the interest of the Faculty. Within our purview are all matters related to academic initiatives that can help our Faculty and our students thrive. We believe that our members need to be consulted before important academic decisions are made, from the initial stages of planning to the implementations of new policies.
Although we do not oversee budget allocations, we do need to be consulted before making important financial decisions that impact our academic programing. Faculty Council is at the forefront of collegial governance. Therefore, by coming together, we ensure that LA&PS Faculty Council reflects our shared commitment to our students, the Faculty and the University.
— Joint Message from Chair and Vice Chair
Chair for 2026-27
Andrea McKenzie
Andrea McKenzie is an associate professor and former chair with the Writing Department. She previously served as chair of Faculty Council in 2020/21, and as vice-chair in 2019/20, during the pandemic and post-pandemic years. Her current research interests are in First World War women’s narratives, plus the works of L.M. Montgomery. She co-edited L.M. Montgomery and War with Jane Ledwell, co-edited the restored original text of Rilla of Ingleside with Benjamin Lefebvre, and edited the letters of two FWW nursing sisters in War-torn Exchanges. Recent honours include being invited to lay a wreath on behalf of Canadian First World War nurses at the Cenotaph in London, UK on Armistice/Remembrance Day; and receiving, with Benjamin Lefebvre, the L.M. Montgomery Institute’s Rev. Father Bolger Award for creating community during the pandemic by founding the L.M. Montgomery Readathon.
Past Chairs
Chair for 2023-24
Carl Ehrlich
University Professor
Department of History and Department of Humanities
ehrlich@yorku.ca
