Dr. Ulrich Scheck will be Thompson Rivers University’s new Dean of Arts, TRU Vice-President, Academic and Provost, Dr. Mark Evered, announced today.
“Dr. Scheck comes with outstanding academic credentials and administrative experience”, said Evered. “We are extremely pleased that we were able to convince him to leave his position as Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario to lead TRU’s largest academic division.”
Dr. Scheck had also held the positions of Professor and Queen’s National Scholar and had previously served as the Director of International Programs for the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s University.
“What attracted me to TRU most is the unique opportunity to build a distinct and open institution on the foundation of TRU’s long-standing tradition of welcoming a very diverse group of students,” said Dr. Scheck. “It is a truly exciting prospect to be part of the emergence of a new university,” he said. “TRU has the potential to take on a leadership role in combining academic excellence with educational choice.”
Scheck, who aims to focus on cross-disciplinary teaching, research and learning, as well as on opportunities to build innovative undergraduate and graduate programs, has plans to further the internationalization of TRU’s arts programs, including enhancing study abroad opportunities and developing joint degree programs with universities outside Canada.
Part of the reason for Scheck’s international perspective may be his own background. German by birth, Dr. Scheck completed an honours bachelor’s degree in German and philosophy from the University of Mannheim, Germany, before coming to Canada to complete MA and PhD degrees in German at the University of Waterloo.
He is also looking forward to increasing educational choices to off-campus learners through TRU’s Open Learning division.
“During the ’90s I developed the curricula for several German language and culture courses for Continuing and Distance Studies at Queen’s University,” he said. “I strongly believe in offering educational opportunities to as many people as possible, and distance education plays an important part in providing access to learning.”
Dr. Evered, who led the international search for the new dean, said the search committee was very impressed by Dr. Scheck’s broad knowledge, by his scholarship, by his leadership experience and by his enthusiasm for exploring new opportunities.
“He brings the academic credibility, the experience and the spirit that will be invaluable in helping us build our unique institution”, said Evered.
“He has authored and edited over a dozen books, and has published numerous refereed articles, reference works and reviews. He has organized many conferences, symposia, and workshops, held offices in various professional societies and been invited as consultant and examiner to a number of national and international universities and institutes. His academic work has been supported by national and international agencies, and he has been very active in graduate as well as undergraduate education,” explained Evered.
Scheck, who assumed his new position at TRU October 3, also plans to become an active member of the community and its culture. “My main passion outside of academe is music,” he said. “I play keyboards and look forward to hooking up with a classic rock or blues band in Kamloops,” he added.
Photo available. Please email: bscott@tru.ca . For more information, please contact: Dr. Ulrich Scheck at 828-5222 or by email or,
Dr. Mark Evered at 250-371-6126 or by email or,
Bronwen Scott Media & Sports Information Coordinator Thompson Rivers University 900 McGill Road, Kamloops, BC, Canada V2C 0C8 Phone: 250-371-5739 Fax: 250-828-5159 Cell: 250-851-1818
