Dr. Chris Schinckus has been appointed Dean of Professional Studies at UFV, effective Jan. 1, 2022.

Schinckus most recently served as Director of the UFV School of Business. Previously, he worked as head of the School of Finance and Accounting at Taylor’s University in Malaysia, director of research at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Vietnam), and program director for the PhD degree and the Master in Management, Accounting and Finance at the University of Leicester (UK). He’s currently working on his third PhD and sixth master’s degree. He holds two bachelor’s degrees.

“UFV is a dynamic place and there’s great willingness and opportunity to build on what we’ve already accomplished,” said Schinckus. “I’m very much looking forward to engaging with students, staff, and faculty as we continue strengthening our valuable programming, community connections, and commitments to Indigenization.”

Originally from Belgium, Schinckus’ teaching career spans 17 years in the field of financial economics. He speaks three languages (French, English, Dutch), and his academic work has been published in more than 130 peer-reviewed articles. His book, Econophysics and Financial Economics: An Emerging Dialogue, was published by Oxford University Press in 2017.

“Dr. Schinckus brings an incredible wealth of experience to this role,” said Dr. James Mandigo, UFV Provost and Vice-President, Academic.

“His leadership and dedication are directly connected to UFV’s commitment to engaging learners, transforming lives, and building community.”

While considerable, Schinckus’ list of degrees wasn’t achieved to fortify within the walls of academia — in fact, it’s quite the opposite.

“It’s not to collect stickers,” he said with a smile. “I’m a life-long learner. The more you know, the more you realize how much is left to learn. Expanding my education not only extends my understanding of subjects and people, but also the complexity of the environment of post-secondary education.”

Schinckus assumes the Dean’s position previously held by Dr. Tracy Ryder Glass — now UFV’s Vice-Provost Academic.