Faculty of Education appoints two new Associate Deans
The Faculty of Education has appointed two new associate deans officially starting on July 1, 2024. Dr. Marti Ford is the new Associate Dean Indigenous Education and Dr. Merli Tamtik is the new Associate Dean Graduate Programs and Research.
Dr. Marti Ford, Associate Dean Indigenous Education
Dr. Marti Ford
Dr. Marti Ford is of mixed heritage with Inuit and settler roots. She is the past President and Board Chair of the Manitoba Inuit Association. She is an educator and has been a teacher, principal, Director of Education, School Superintendent at Frontier School Division, and Dean of Indigenous Education at Red River College. Most recently Ford worked for Frontier School Division recruiting teachers and as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Administration, Foundations & Psychology (EAF&P).
She has worked locally throughout the province of Manitoba in First Nations and Métis communities, internationally in Botswana as a school principal, and with community-based projects with Mapuche in Chile, and Indigenous communities in Roraima and Macieo in Brazil. She received her Doctorate in Education in Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
As the Associate Dean Indigenous Education (ADIE) she will build on the existing mandates of the University of Manitoba Indigenous Senior Leadership Plan and the Faculty of Education’s Strategic Plan supporting Indigenous engagement and achievement. Dr. Ford, in consultation with the Dean, the Associate Dean Graduate and Research (ADGR) and the Associate Dean Undergraduate & Partnerships (ADUP), will support the Faculty of Education’s work as it improves undergraduate and graduate programmes. Dr. Ford will support faculty and staff who seek to engage in work that involves Indigenous knowledges, histories and perspectives.
Dr. Merli Tamtik, Associate Dean Graduate Programs and Research
Dr. Merli Tamtik
Dr. Merli Tamtik is Associate Dean, Graduate Programs and Research (ADGR) of the Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba. She is also an Associate Professor in Educational Administration, Foundations & Psychology (EAF&P). Dr. Tamtik’s areas of specialization are post-secondary education, higher education administration, internationalization, comparative and international education, education policy. She is also the Vice-President of Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE).
Working alongside the Associate Dean, Indigenous Education and other community partners, she will support efforts and develop programs that foster Indigenous-focused graduate programming, cohorts, and community relationships.
The Faculty of Education has a large and robust graduate program that includes Masters and PhD programs and that serves local and international students. Dr. Tamtik will build on our community partnerships to better serve our rural and Northern communities through meaningful and accessible graduate programming. Our faculty members’ research interests are vast and contribute to academic and professional conversations locally, nationally and internationally. As researchers and teachers, our faculty members are committed to working with graduate students and to developing reciprocal research partnerships with individuals and organizations. Please feel free to contact Dr. Tamtik if you are interested in finding out more about graduate programs or research partnerships.