TORONTO, August 31, 2005 -- York University's Vice-President Research & Innovation, Stan Shapson, will serve as acting president of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) governing council. Shapson will assume these duties on an interim basis while continuing in his primary role as Vice-President Research & Innovation at York.
The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for SSHRC today officially announced the appointment of Shapson as the new vice-president (or vice-chair) of the council. The Minister’s announcement followed Shapson’s election by the SSHRC council as vice-president of the board at its last meeting. Effective September 2, Shapson will also take on the additional responsibilities of acting president until the official selection process for the new president is completed.
Communicating the importance of research in the social sciences and humanities is a strategic priority," said Shapson. "I will also focus on launching a series of projects this fall in three key transformative areas including knowledge mobilization, cluster research and international collaborative research. Each is integral to SSHRC’s vision for transformation into a knowledge council." He also stated that he wants to ensure that Quebec scholars are “fully engaged and that their expertise is valued across Canada."
Shapson has been an active member of the SSHRC council since 2001 and has chaired the Research Support Committee, one of six SSHRC committees. Shapson will play a pivotal role in SSHRC’s transformation plan, which was approved by SSHRC council in March 2005. The transformation plan will improve the way social sciences and humanities research is funded, carried out, used and understood by Canadians.
Shapson is one of Canada's foremost authorities in research into the use of technology in the field of learning. He has published widely and served as lead researcher for large-scale national and provincial research projects. Before assuming the position of Vice-President Research & Innovation at York, he served as Associate Vice-President of Strategic Academic Initiatives and Dean of Education. At York Shapson is a champion of interdisciplinary research as a means to achieve valuable new insights and collaboration. He also led the launch of the Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning (ABEL) program, a CANARIE-funded broadband applied research initiative, which facilitates professional development in the use of broadband networks as teaching tools.
SSHRC is a federal agency that promotes and supports university-based research and training in the social sciences and humanities. Created by an act of Parliament in 1977, SSHRC is governed by a 22-member council that reports to Parliament through the minister of industry. Six council committees chart the direction of SSHRC and ensure that grants and fellowship programs meet the needs of Canadians. SSHRC council promotes and assists research and scholarship in the social sciences and humanities. It meets regularly to set policy and program priorities, allocate budgets, and advise the minister of industry and Parliament on research policy in these areas.
Shapson is a member of the executive of the Ontario Council on University Research (OCUR) and is Chair of the Board of the Optical Regional Advanced Network of Ontario (ORANO). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University and a Master of Arts and Ph.D in Psychology from York University.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 180,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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For more information, contact:
Nancy J. White
Director, Media Relations
York University
416-736-5603
