{"id":55968,"date":"2026-11-11T09:24:51","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T14:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/?p=55968"},"modified":"2026-11-12T11:49:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T16:49:00","slug":"remembering-john-osborne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/2026\/remembering-john-osborne\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering John Osborne"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Remembering John Osborne\n <\/h1>\n \n \n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Dr. John Osborne, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences from 2005-2015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. John Osborne, our former dean, colleague, mentor and friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John served as dean from 2005 to 2015, and so much of the Faculty we know today bears his influence. Across FASS, colleagues still speak fondly of John, recall his advice and reflect on what he helped make possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A medievalist and cultural historian, John devoted his scholarly life to understanding the art, architecture and material culture of early medieval Rome. He held an appointment in Art History in the School for Studies in Art and Culture (SSAC) and was also part of the College of the Humanities community. A Distinguished Research Professor and Dean Emeritus, he continued researching and writing long after his time as dean. His book Rome in the Ninth Century<\/a><\/em> received the Premio Daria Borghese in 2024, an annual prize recognizing the best book on Rome by a non-Italian author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John believed profoundly in the university and in what could happen to a person who became part of one. He had experienced that himself as a Carleton undergraduate in the late sixties and early seventies, finding friends, mentors and, eventually, the intellectual interests that would shape his life. It was also where he met his wife, Colette, during their undergraduate years. His father, Robert Osborne, was a professor of divinity studies at Carleton, adding another generation to the family\u2019s connection to the university. John often spoke fondly of playing bridge in the Loeb Lounge. A summer studying in Venice in 1970 helped him discover a passion for medieval Italian art and architecture that would sustain an internationally respected scholarly career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For John, a university education meant entering a world of ideas, encountering different perspectives and learning to read, interpret and think carefully. It meant discovering something about yourself through conversations with people whose experiences and convictions differed from your own. He took those possibilities seriously, and he took people seriously. Even in disagreement, he gave people\u2019s ideas the time and consideration they deserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His weekly Dean\u2019s Blog in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences newsletter gave readers plenty to think about, and occasionally something to argue with. He wrote with conviction, curiosity and humour about scholarship, politics, music, family and the responsibilities of universities. He spoke his mind, including when his views differed from those of other university leaders, and invited others to think alongside him. His belief in the humanities, arts and social sciences was evident in how he understood the world and his responsibility to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John\u2019s enthusiasm for university life was just as evident in how he spent his time. He could be found after hours at a departmental lecture, a student performance or a graduate research presentation, genuinely fascinated in what people were working on and thoroughly pleased to be there. He helped expand academic programs, research, community partnerships and opportunities for students to learn beyond campus. Through initiatives such as the Power of the Arts National Forum, he brought researchers, artists and community members together to explore how art, culture and collaboration could improve lives. He consistently credited his colleagues for what the Faculty accomplished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John was a considerable personality and presence, and those who knew him will remember the pride with which he spoke about his daughter and sons, his love and admiration for Colette, and the lasting influence of his parents and brother. His family was present in his conversations and writing, alongside the many friends and mentors who remained important to him throughout his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The John Osborne FASS Student Travel Bursary<\/a> honours his belief in the possibilities of learning beyond the classroom. Established to recognize his decade as dean, it helps students experience the wider world through their studies, as he had in Venice. His influence also remains in the many people who learned from him, and who continue to think of him when considering how to teach, think, lead and treat one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of his second term as dean, John wrote in his blog: \u201cIn a world that all too often appears to be in a state of utter chaos, universities offer up the one important thing that keeps us all going \u2026 hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We share the full entry below, titled “The triumph of hope\u2026,” written as John began his second term as dean:<\/p>\n\n\n

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As one who often measures out his life in terms of milestones, July 1st<\/sup> marked a rather big one: the completion of my initial term as Dean of FASS, and the beginning of a second one.\u00a0The countdown clock is now re-set at 60 (months), and the song lyric that I had been saving for my last ever blog will have to wait for another time.\u00a0For this one, Oscar Wilde\u2019s quip about second marriages seems somehow appropriate.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember \u2014 barely \u2014 my first day at Carleton in July 2005. After \u201csigning in\u201d at HR, I made my way up to my new office in Paterson Hall, sat down at the desk, and wondered both \u201cWhat have I done?\u201d and, more importantly, \u201cWhat am I supposed to do?\u201d I had no idea, and there was no handbook or manual \u2014<\/em> not even very much in the way of notes or files left by my predecessor.\u00a0Like so many other things in life, I had to learn by doing \u2014<\/em><\/em> dealing with things as they thrust themselves into my life. And they certainly did do exactly that!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last five years I have learned a huge amount: about how Carleton University works and how decisions are made; about managing budgets; about people; and perhaps most importantly about myself.\u00a0There have been good times and bad times. I have worked with four presidents and four provosts, and have been required to cope with conflicts of many kinds. But the good memories far outweigh the bad: the enormous renewal and substantial growth of our Faculty; the interactions with dozens of outstanding chairs and directors and many hundreds of dedicated support staff, without all of whom this place simply wouldn\u2019t function; the introduction of exciting new academic programs, and the reinvigoration of older ones; the rehabilitation of our operating budget to ensure that important continuing activities have \u201cbase\u201d funding; the chance to meet and speak with some amazing and inspiring people who have been our temporary guests (the names of Stephen Lewis, Bonnie Sherr Klein, Michaelle Jean, and Denys Arcand seem to come most quickly to mind) \u2014<\/em> and above all else, the opportunity to assist individual faculty members and students in realizing some of their dreams.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we enter the second decade of the 21st<\/sup> century, we can all be thankful for where we are and what we have. We are positioned well for continued future success \u2014<\/em> but there can be no sense of complacency.\u00a0Universities as institutions have survived the last millennium in an unbroken tradition primarily because of their ability to adapt to the changing times without compromising their core mission: the pursuit of knowledge and understanding in all its forms.\u00a0We can all take pride in being a part of that inherently valuable process.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for me, that\u2019s the bottom line. That\u2019s what makes the challenges worth facing, the moments of despair worth suffering, the moments of achievement or success so exhilarating.\u00a0In a world that all too often appears to be in a state of utter chaos, universities offer up the one important thing that keeps us all going\u2026hope.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Dr. John Osborne (July 4, 2010)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In lieu of flowers, John’s family invites you to help honour his memory and passion for research by making a donation<\/a> to support esophageal cancer clinical research at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, advancing treatments for future patients and families.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. John Osborne, our former dean, colleague, mentor and friend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":55988,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[90,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fass-news","category-general"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55968"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56009,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55968\/revisions\/56009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}