With effect from November 1st, Professor Darlene Ciuffetelli Parker has been named Associate Dean, Faculty of Education, Undergraduate and Professional Student Services.
Prior to Ciuffetelli Parker’s arrival at the Dean’s Office, Mary-Louise Vanderlee served as the Interim Dean of the Faculty.
“I am excited about Dr. Ciuffetelli Parker’s experience and her ability to build long-lasting community partnerships that will help program partners achieve their goals and improve the student experience,” Vanderlee stated.
She has served in a variety of leadership capacities at the university for the past eighteen years, most recently as Director of Teacher Education Programs, and she brings a wealth of expertise to the table.
Supporting, improving, and safeguarding undergraduate students’ wellbeing is a top goal for Ciuffetelli Parker in her role as Associate Dean, with a particular emphasis on raising awareness of mental health issues.
“Some ways I look forward to supporting our students are building strategies like compassionate pathways to success for students in turbulent times, the use of e-learning and hybrid teaching and learning spaces, and bringing student, instructor, and staff communities together for shared knowledge and awareness,” the speaker stated.
Ciuffetelli Parker is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and viewpoints with Brock students. She is a published scholar whose research focuses on issues of equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization in educational spaces, and she is a member of numerous social justice-seeking groups both inside and outside of Brock.
In order to support Brock’s strategic aim of fostering a culture of openness, accessibility, reconciliation, and decolonization, she stated, “I will continue to incorporate my research into my collaborations with colleagues, students, and internal/external partners.”
Ciuffetelli Parker hopes to establish an advisory council made up of interested faculty members and students to assist this work. The committee will encourage communication and connections by engaging with mental health surveys and promoting successful academic trajectories.
Her long-term goals also include expanding the number of overseas field experience opportunities available to FOE undergraduate programs and collaborating with Brock colleagues and experts to develop policies pertaining to academic integrity and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
“By fostering excellence in relation to student services and community outreach, I hope to continue making a positive difference and supporting undergraduate students, staff, and faculty,” she stated.
