Dean’s Community Update – March 9, 2026

Good afternoon OISE,

 

I hope everyone is having a productive winter term and is looking forward to the arrival of spring in the coming weeks. Last week, as part of my report to OISE Council, I shared some updates on key initiatives and accomplishments, and I would now like to share these widely with the OISE community.
 

 

As you are aware, this year, OISE has three searches for new tenure-stream faculty members including the following: (1) Associate Professor in Clinical and Counselling Psychology; (2) Associate Professor in Critical Adult Education and Community Development; and (3) Assistant Professor in Indigenous Studies and Social Justice Education. These searches continue to progress on schedule. Over the past couple of weeks, I was pleased to meet several shortlisted candidates during their visits to OISE and learn about their teaching and research programs. I invite those of you who had the opportunity to attend their research presentations or to meet them to please share your feedback with the search committees. Community feedback is very helpful to search committees in selecting the strongest scholars to join OISE.

 

I want to take this opportunity to thank the department chairs and all search committee members for their contributions to the success of the searches.

 

At OISE, we hope to take advantage of the federal government’s Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program launched last fall to recruit approximately 100 world-leading researchers from abroad to address critical national and global challenges. OISE has a selection committee in place, and we are working to put forward a candidate for the University competition whose research agenda will advance priority areas in both the Impact+ Chairs program and OISE’s Academic Plan. If successful, the application will go to the national competition in June with outcomes expected in September 2026.

 

I want to thank our colleagues on the selection committee for their work in identifying a potential nominee. This work is proceeding on a highly compressed timeline to meet deadlines established by the federal program.
 

 

The selection process for a new Director of the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study for a term commencing July 1, 2026, is on track. We will make an announcement regarding the appointment of a new Director soon.

 

Meanwhile, I want to thank the Advisory Committee members for their time and commitment to the success of the search. I also want to thank the outgoing Director, Professor Jenny Jenkins, for her outstanding contributions to the Institute over the course of her term.
 

 

As previously announced, to facilitate the implementation of goals in OISE’s Academic Plan 2025 – 2030, we have established two Strategy Groups, one on “AI for Education” chaired by Professor Becky Chen, Associate Dean, Research, Partnership and Innovation; and the second one on “Professional Programs – Master of Education”, chaired by Professor Joseph Flessa, Associate Dean, Programs. Both groups have commenced their work and are in the process of consulting with researchers and subject matter experts within the community to inform their work. If you would like more information, please reach out to oise.research@utoronto.ca – for the Strategy Group on AI, and to oise.programs@utoronto.ca – for the Strategy Group on Professional Programs – M.Ed.

 

In addition to these OISE-wide initiatives, the Academic Plan includes a space for our departments, units, groups, and individuals to develop their unique contributions that will move us further in implementing the plan’s goals and priorities. If you would like to report on any initiatives and projects you are involved in that are aligned with the Plan, please do not hesitate to share them using the news and notes form available on the Academic Planning website.
 

 

Now that the winners of OISE’s Teaching Excellence Awards and Staff Excellence Awards for 2025-2026 have been announced, we are looking forward to celebrating their accomplishments at our annual OISE Excellence Awards Celebration taking place on March 31, 2026, at 2:00 pm, in the OISE Library. This is a cherished community event, and I look forward to seeing many of you there [RSVP here]. Meanwhile, huge congratulations to our newly minted winners of OISE’s Teaching and Staff Excellence Awards!
 

 

OISE & JICS Centennial Family Skate is another popular community event that will take place on March 23, 2026, from 5-7 p.m. in the Varsity Arena. Organized in partnership with the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Parents Association, this annual event is a great opportunity for the OISE and JICS community to come together to celebrate, enjoy skating and off-ice activities. Learn more and register to attend; we look forward to seeing you there.
 

 

Sponsored by the Equity Committee of OISE Council, the annual Equity Symposium themed “Equity in (Re)connection and Action,” will take place on April 17, 2026, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at OISE. This year’s event celebrates community members, research centers, student groups, and spaces across OISE whose work represents equity in action. Save the date and watch the OISE events page for more details. Meanwhile, register here to reserve your spot.
 

 

In closing, you may be aware of the recent announcement by the Ontario government of a suite of measures related to funding for the postsecondary sector and student financial assistance. We are reviewing what has been shared to date and remaining closely engaged with our university colleagues as additional information becomes available and implementation details are confirmed. We will continue to assess the implications for OISE over the coming months.

 

I hope you find these updates helpful. I will continue to keep the community informed regarding these and other initiatives this academic term and beyond.

 

Sincerely,

 

Creso Sá, Professor and Acting Dean

Vice-Dean, Academic Operations

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

University of Toronto