Dean announcements
The Faculty of Law has a new dean, the Asper School re-appointed its dean, and the St. John’s College re-appointed its warden.
Law
Jonathan Black-Branch
At its April 12, 2016 meeting, the Board of Governors approved the appointment of Dr. Jonathan Black-Branch as Dean of Law effective July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2021.
Black-Branch is currently Professor and Chair in International Law and Associate Dean, Education (teaching and learning standards) for the faculty of Management, Economics and Law at Royal Holloway, University of London. He has held several academic leadership roles including, Head of the School of Law and Director of Research and Enterprise at the University of Bedfordshire, Dean and Head of School, ATV Business in Copenhagen, Denmark and Director of Law at Grey Friars Hall at the University of Oxford.
While at Royal Holloway and in his role as Associate Dean, Black-Branch has been responsible for academic oversight of the faculty’s undergraduate and postgraduate programs, overseeing the development of new programs and fostering flexible and blended learning opportunities. He is actively engaged in the profession, serving as Chair of the International Law Association Committee on Nuclear Weapons, Nonproliferation and Contemporary International Law; launching and subsequently convening five Round Table Forums on Nuclear Non-Proliferation in International Law; founding and serving as executive director of The International Society of Law and Nuclear Diplomacy and Disarmament, and as the British representative to the International Law Association’s Arms Control and Disarmament Law Committee, to name just a few. He is the co-editor of two refereed journals and co-editor of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation in International Law peer reviewed book series.
Prior to commencing his academic law career, Black-Branch was trained as an educator and, in fact, taught in Manitoba’s K-12 education system, in addition to other Canadian provinces. In 1993, he received his PhD from the University of Toronto and was then offered a fellowship at the University of Oxford to examine comparative human rights. He received his MA in Law in 1996 and a doctorate in Law from the University of Oxford in 1998. He is a practicing Barrister as well as a Justice of the Peace sitting as a Magistrate in Oxford. He is a fellow of the British Higher Education Academy and he completed a postgraduate diploma in teaching and learning in Higher Ed at the University of Oxford.
Asper School
At its April 12, 2106 meeting, the Board of Governors approved the re-appointment of Dr. Michael Benarroch as Dean, I.H. Asper School of Business for a term beginning on January 1, 2017 and ending on December 31, 2022.
St. John’s College
Upon the recommendation from the St. John’s College Council, the University’s Board of Governors at its April 12, 2016 meeting approved the re-appointment of Dr. Christopher Trott as Warden of St. John’s College for a five year term effective July l, 2016 to June 30, 2021. He will retain his tenured academic appointment in the Department of Native Studies, Faculty of Arts.