Category | News

College of Humanities and Social Sciences names Ismaili associate dean

Published on February 2, 2010 by Melissa Butz

The new associate dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences is Dr. Karim Ismaili.

Ismaili will assume his position on July 1, replacing Dr. Lana Wachniak, who retired in December.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences conducted a national search, which attracted more than 50 applicants from around the world. Ismali stood out among the other candidates.

Aisha Jackson, secretary to the college’s dean,  said Ismali was the top choice at the end of the interview process.

“The new associate dean must have a Ph.D. in their field and lots of administrative background,” Jackson said. “Ismaili had this, and that made him a good fit for the job.”

Requirements for the job included:  a doctorate in a teacher education-related field; university administrative experience; teaching experience; academic credentials; commitment to diversity, equity, and educational opportunity; and communication and public relations skills.

A few of Ismali’s primary functions as associate dean will be to oversee graduate programs, assist with research and grants and coordinate with other deans, directors and staff. Also, he will be required to teach a course in his field.

“He will bring his experience, scholarship and leadership to the oversight of graduate programs, the social sciences and the college as a whole,” said Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Richard Vengroff.

Ismaili’s research and publishing expertise lies in criminal justice policy and analysis, penology, criminological theory, crime and inequality and crime and security developments after Sept.11.

Ismaili taught criminal justice at Radford University in Virginia for one year. He then taught in New York City at St. John’s University from 1997 to 2006.

He also was a visiting professor in the New York City Police Department, and a research and policy advisor in the Ministry of the Solicitor General Canada and Department of Justice Canada.

Employed at Ryerson University in Toronto, he served as the Inaugural Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology from 2006 to the present.

Ismaili attended Simon Fraser University to earn his Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, and he received his Master of Philosophy in Criminology from the University of Cambridge. He obtained his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario.

He is working on two publications about modern crime policy. The first compilation centers around the U.S.’s criminal justice policy and the effects of war on immigrants after Sept. 11. These publications are expected to be released later this year.

The other work is on Canada, with Jane Sprott and Kim Varma. It will be published by Oxford University Press and is expected to be released
in 2011.