A Welcome Message from Dr. Anne Bowker
Welcome to a new academic year!
Just a few days into the fall term, I’m already heartened by the constant bustle on campus and the enthusiasm of the students I’ve crossed paths with so far.
On September 8, we held our Arts and Social Sciences Meet and Greet in the Quad, and I was so impressed by the turnout and my conversations with many of you. You seem determined and excited as you pursue degrees in the subjects that interest you. By choosing the arts and social sciences, I think you have made a very smart decision for your future, though I may be a little biased!
As a developmental psychologist, a long-time professor and now entering my fourth year as Dean of Arts and Social Sciences, I have spent much of my career thinking about how young people learn and grow. What I have learned, often from students themselves, is that real growth does not usually occur all at once. It comes through an accumulation of experiences, relationships, questions and challenges, as well as small, everyday acts of courage and kindness.
My hope is that you give yourself every opportunity to experience that growth this year.
Your department is a good place to begin building those relationships. Introduce yourself to a professor after class or visit them during office hours. Get to know your fellow students and the staff, administrators and advisors who support your program. Become part of the department’s culture and consider what you might contribute to it. Remember that your program is more than just a collection of courses. It is an intellectual community filled with people who can change the way you understand the world and help you find your place in it.
I hope you will also explore all that this beautiful campus and the city around it have to offer. While the weather still allows it, stroll down to the river and settle at a picnic table with one of your course readings, or better yet, a book or article you have chosen to read purely for yourself. Visit Ottawa’s many museums and art galleries. Look into co-op and experiential learning opportunities that take you out of the classroom and into the community. Sign up for Coffee with a Prof, come to a trivia night or our Halloween movie night, attend an event in our Healthy Cities lecture series at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre or hear a guest speaker in your department.
Put plainly, say yes to a university experience you had not planned on having. Experiences like these can enrich your education, so I hope you will take advantage of the many opportunities available to you as an Arts and Social Sciences student.
Because, truly, a new conversation or thought-provoking lecture really can alter the direction of your studies. A museum visit can change how you see the world. Community engagement can help you discover what you are good at, what you care most about and how those strengths might be useful to others. Learning what matters to you and how you might build a meaningful future is a central part of your education.
I also want to acknowledge that you are learning at a moment when generative artificial intelligence can produce an answer, an argument or a polished paragraph almost instantly. Whatever our individual views on AI, it is hard to deny its growing influence across society. Please pay close attention to the AI-use policies for each course and any additional guidance from your professors. Their goal is to help you get the most from your education, and following that guidance will help you do so.
A rich education asks more of you than simply arriving at an answer. As a university dean, I feel a deep personal responsibility to ensure that our Faculty helps every student become more knowledgeable and discerning, and feel confident in their own thinking. I believe in my bones that this kind of growth comes from doing the difficult thinking for yourself — wrestling with complicated ideas, sitting with uncertainty, questioning your assumptions, and developing ideas and insights of your own.
Learning this way can be challenging and, at times, frustrating. There will be deadlines, setbacks and moments when you doubt yourself or fall short of your own expectations. Moving through those moments is how you become a more capable, independent thinker and learn to trust your own judgment. Please do not give away that opportunity for the sake of convenience, no matter how tempting it may be. At a time of rapid technological change, society needs people with a strong foundation in critical thinking who can examine history and culture, communicate across differences, understand complex systems and approach serious ethical questions with nuance and care.
Finally, and very importantly, please be kind to yourself as you undertake this work. Learning requires rigour, not perfection. Ask for help when you need it and extend that same generosity to the people around you, who may be navigating unseen difficulties and uncertainties in their own lives.
Kindness belongs in our academic and professional lives. It is a value we put into practice when we listen carefully, interrogate ideas without diminishing others and create supportive environments where everyone can do their best work. I believe it is one of the most valuable qualities you can carry with you through university and into the rest of your life.
Whether you are beginning your first term at Carleton, returning to a familiar department or pursuing graduate research, I hope you will make this year fully your own. Take your education seriously, but do not experience it only from behind a screen or inside a classroom. Participate in the life around you. Find your people. Know that you belong here and help others feel that they do too.
I look forward to meeting many more of you throughout the year. Once again, welcome to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Carleton!
Dr. Anne Bowker
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
What’s the best way to get to know your professors? Go to their office hours! Check out the latest video in our “Office Hours” series on Instagram (@carletonuniversityfass), featuring FASS Dean Anne Bowker.