Office of the Associate Vice-President (Academic)
Serge
Desmarais
Associate
Vice-President
(Academic)
The Associate Vice-President Academic (AVPA) is responsible for the content and administration of all undergraduate programs. This includes the launching of new programs, as well as overseeing existing programs. The office works closely with the Board of Undergraduate Studies and its sub-committees on issues relating to the undergraduate curriculum. Other areas of responsibility include the internationalization of the curriculum including semesters abroad and exchanges, curriculum innovation, enhancement of educational support to faculty, staff and students, Open Learning (including Distance Education), and academic advising and counselling. In addition, the Office of the AVPA liaises with other academic institutions, the Council of Ontario Universities, and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) on issues relating to undergraduate programs. The AVPA serves as Provost and Vice-President Academic in the absence of the Provost.
Serge Desmarais, Associate Vice-President (Academic)
Serge Desmarais received his BA, MA and PhD in social psychology from the University of Waterloo. He joined the University of Guelph in 1995 following earlier teaching positions at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, and Saint Mary’s University in Halifax. He is a Professor in the department of Psychology and the former Associate Dean in the College of Social and Human Applied Sciences. Desmarais also served as Acting Chair of his department in 2005 and the Acting Dean of CSAHS in 2007.
Between 2002 and 2007, Desmarais was the recipient of a Canada Research Chair in Applied Social Psychology. His research expertise and interests are varied but are broadly associated with two general themes: 1) the changes and impact of gender norms and, 2) issues of justice and personal entitlement. These two research themes often intersect, as is the case in studies of gender differences in pay entitlement and his research on gender and sexuality. His most recent research examines the social and relational consequences of social media, especially Facebook. He is the author of numerous scholarly papers and chapters, the co-author of two introductory psychology textbooks, the recipient of two University teaching awards and is also the former associate editor of Canadian Psychology.