Director's Message

It’s such a pleasure to welcome the SASAH community back to the new academic year. It was exciting to welcome the new cohort of first-year students in an information session on-line before classes began and in an in-person social event during Orientation. I met the fourth-year cohort in the capstone seminar this week, and I’m gradually getting to know folks in between first and fourth year. I’m looking forward to the meet-and-greet on September 19th in University College 3105 (the Jim Good Boardroom) at 4 pm. In the meantime--and going forward--please drop by my office in University College 2307 if you’re on campus and introduce yourself (if we haven’t met) or check in. Our move to University College is more-or-less complete.

I have been giving a lot of thought to identifying a theme or organizing principle for the year, as is the tradition. It’s a challenge to think in overarching terms when I’m just getting to know our students and settling into the program. “How are you doing in your new role as Director of SASAH?” I’m often asked these days. “I’m finding my feet,” I respond tentatively. I admit that some days I feel like Bambi on the slippery frozen pond, all gangly awkwardness with hooves scooting off in all directions… but like Bambi, I’m up for the adventure.

And it promises to be a tremendous adventure. So, I’m proposing that our touchstone concept for this year be FINDING YOUR FEET. SASAH’s programs provide a rich matrix for students be intellectually daring, critically expansive, creatively inspired – and to be grounded in a strong sense of themselves in community and the environment. “Finding your feet” will mean different things for different people, but it’s a metaphor that is meant to suggest that we share the ongoing process of learning with humanity, whatever our means of locomotion, bringing a sense of down-to-earth self-awareness and responsibility to the undertaking. Finding your feet means working to achieving balance but never getting too comfortable – that’s where discovery begins.

You can only truly find your feet if you know you have support when and where you need it. We continue to be deeply grateful to our alumni, our Advisory Council members, our donors, and our collaborators, who foster our mission of excellence and innovation in the Arts and Humanities. That mission of excellence is brilliantly brought to life by our SASAH Teaching Fellows, innovative instructors who teach our core courses, bringing unique insights that reimagine disciplines, media, communities, localities, and trajectories of thought.

Last thing – a reminder that you will find our Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, Dr. Ruth Skinner in University College 1123. Jennifer Tramble (SASAH Program Coordinator) is next door to me in UC 2308 and Dr. Barbara Bruce (Experiential Learning Coordinator for the Faculty of Arts & Humanities) is currently in UC 2401D, but she may be on the move to another office, so stay tuned. Expect to hear from Ruth, Jen, Barb, and me about all the events and activities we will be planning for you this year.

July 2025

I am honoured to be the incoming SASAH Director and I look forward to meeting and working with students, staff, alumni, board members, and other members of the SASAH community. I follow in some pretty daunting footsteps, most recently Pleva-award-winning director Aara Suksi. 

I’m a long-time faculty member in the Department of English and Writing Studies, where I’ve just completed a stretch as Chair. A Canadian literature scholar, I have authored and edited books and articles on Canadian literature ranging from the early 19th century to contemporary writing, including poetry, fiction, drama, collaboration, and autobiography. I also teach and publish in popular culture studies, especially the aesthetic and social dimensions of crime fiction and film. 

SASAH’s core values – interdisciplinarity, community engagement, experiential learning, collaboration, and creativity – are near and dear to my heart. SASAH gives students the opportunity to develop critical acuity, reflect deeply, communicate in distinctive ways, connect with and shape the world around them. I can’t wait to join this amazing group on their adventures.

—Manina Jones