Patrizia Albanese appointed vice-provost, faculty affairs

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Patrizia Albanese as Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)’s vice-provost, faculty affairs, beginning Feb. 12, 2024. The vice-provost, faculty affairs reports to the provost and has the important responsibility of setting the strategic direction for the recruitment, appointments, compensation, professional development and retention of faculty, librarians, professional counsellors and contract lecturers.

A dedicated leader, Patrizia has more than 20 years of TMU experience, first as a CUPE contract lecturer while completing her PhD and then as a faculty member since 2003. She has held many roles throughout her time with the university, including professor in the department of sociology, interim chair of criminology, interim director of arts and contemporary studies, chair of the TMU research ethics board, and associate dean, scholarly research and creative (SRC) activities and graduate studies in the faculty of arts. 

Outside of TMU, she was president of the Canadian sociological association and president-elect and chair of the board of directors of the federation for the humanities and social sciences. 

Patrizia is known across the university for her collegiality, integrity and visionary leadership. Her work is grounded in a commitment to equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion; her relationships with students, staff, and colleagues are firmly built on respect and trust. She co-chairs the faculty working group for the presidential implementation committee to confront anti-Black racism and the community well-being steering committee, and is a member of the core advisory group for the fall 2023 sexual violence policy review.

Prior to taking on the role of vice-provost, faculty affairs, Patrizia was the associate dean, SRC and graduate studies in the Faculty of Arts. There she held responsibility for two large portfolios, supporting approximately 100 research faculty and overseeing 10 graduate programs. Patrizia also chaired a search committee for a Canada Excellence Research Chair in democracy and social inequality. 

In her research, Patrizia explores policies affecting children, youth and families. She is currently wrapping up a large project with the City of Toronto’s Data for Equity unit. She is the 2018 recipient of the Canadian Sociological Association’s outstanding contribution to the discipline of sociology award and the outstanding service award (2019), the Faculty of Arts’ Dean’s Service (2019) and the leaders’ circle recognition award.

I look forward to continuing to work with Patrizia to further the university’s academic mission and ensure our faculty, counsellors, librarians and contract lecturers find TMU a rewarding place to build their careers.

Thank you to the committee members for your participation in this important search:

Colleen Conroy Amato
Counsellor, Centre for Student Development and Counselling

Charles Falzon
Dean, The Creative School

Corinne Hart
Associate Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing

Saman Hassanzadeh Amin
Associate Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Sean Kheraj
Vice-Provost, Academic

Paul Moore
Professor, Sociology

Jenny O'Donnell
Chief Human Resources Officer

Cheryl Thompson
Associate Professor, Performance

Saeed Zolfaghari
Vice-President, Administration and Operations

Please join me in welcoming Patrizia to her new role.

Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano
Provost and Vice-President, Academic