Joël Dickinson

Dr. Dickinson demonstrates a strong commitment to the mission, vision and values of MSVU, and to their purpose of fostering the education of women and other engaged thinkers while committing to social justice and to an equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible community. As President, she will lead us through their next chapter while ensuring their continued focus on that core purpose. She is excited by their strategic plan for its clarity of direction and ambition, and for its emphasis on putting people above all else.

Dr. Dickinson is an accomplished academic administrator. She is currently Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Laurentian University and has also held the positions of Acting Associate Vice-President of Teaching and Learning (2020-2021), and Chair of the university’s Department of Psychology. Throughout her career, she has been focused on the impacts of decisions on students, as well as meaningful collaboration with faculty and staff colleagues.

She has held a leadership role with the Laurentian University Sexuality and Gender Diversity Committee, and was a long-standing member of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Status of Women. She also served as an ex officio member of the Laurentian University Native Education Council, through which she has had the honour of learning from the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nations People. She has previously taught at the University of New Brunswick and Mount Allison University. Dr. Dickinson holds a Psychology Honours, Bachelor of Arts, and PhD in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick.