Dr. Allyson Jule, a leader in education and champion for social justice, joins UFV as the inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Education, Community, and Human Development (FECHD).

The vision of the new faculty, announced in late 2021, is to create an inclusive and collaborative learning environment dedicated to educating others, and assisting families and communities.

With a defined purpose and a revitalized space on the Mission campus that will serve as FECHD’s home base, the priority became finding a standout leader who would take the program to new heights and maximize impact in the community.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to join the UFV community and connect with faculty, staff, and students across the university, especially those in the Faculty of Education, Community, and Human Development,” says Jule, who officially starts as Dean on July 1. “I’m looking forward to building a shared vision and coming together as a FECHD community. I’m also excited about the new Mission campus and the relationships with the larger Fraser Valley community.”

As Dean, Jule will work closely with internal and external stakeholders and will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and implementing a shared vision with the faculty. She will lead the new faculty based partially at UFV’s Mission campus at Heritage Park Centre, which will include a new Centre of Excellence for Children, Youth, and Families. Dr. Tracy Ryder Glass served as Acting Dean since January, 2022.

“We are fortunate to welcome someone with the extensive knowledge, academic background, and demonstrated commitment to Indigenization and equity, diversity, and inclusion that Dr. Jule possesses,” says Dr. James Mandigo, Provost & Vice-President Academic.

Dr. Jule comes to UFV via Trinity Western University (TWU), where she was Dean of Education, a position she had held since 2017. She joined TWU’s School of Education in 2008, becoming full professor of Education in 2011. She was co-founder and co-director of TWU’s Gender Studies Institute and helped establish the Gender Studies minor. She also serves as Chair of the Association of BC Deans of Education (ABCDE) and treasurer of the Association of Canadian Deans of Education (ACDE).

In 2016, Dr. Jule received the 3M National Fellowship Award as one of Canada’s top 10 university professors. She was also the recipient of TWU’s Davis Distinguished Teaching Award in 2011. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Alberta and a master’s degree in Education from Simon Fraser University. She completed her PhD in London, England at Roehampton, and continues as a research fellow at the University of Oxford’s International Gender Studies Centre.

“She is a proven leader who is passionate about the student learning experience,” says Dr. James Mandigo, Provost & Vice-President Academic. “I am confident she will make an immediate and lasting impact on our university.”

Beyond her vast contributions in academia, Dr. Jule has been an active advocate for equality, social justice, and Reconciliation. She has published 10 books, including Sh-shushing the Girls and The Compassionate Educator, focusing on topics such as gender, language, religion, education, and Canadian social issues. Dr. Jule is also on the editorial board of the Gender and Education Journal, Women and Language Journal, and the Contemporary Journal of Religion.

“I have long viewed UFV as a progressive institution committed to academic excellence and positive inclusivity,” said Jule, who briefly taught in UFV’s Teacher Education program in 2006/07. “I am excited to join the UFV community, to work with faculty and students, and to help strengthen a flourishing culture of dialogue, curiosity, inclusion, and reconciliation in the Fraser Valley.”

​​Five departments formerly within the Faculty of Professional Studies (Teacher Education; Child, Youth and Family Studies; Adult Education; Social Work and Human Services; and Information Studies) have joined with departments from the former Faculty of Access and Continuing Education (Upgrading and University Preparation, English Language Studies, and Continuing Education) to join the renamed faculty. Jule will be responsible for integrating all the departments into a cohesive vision and using strategic external partnerships to further program visibility and research opportunities.

Focusing on integrating diversity, inclusion, and Reconciliation into her education programs will also be one of Jule’s first orders of business in her new role at FECHD.

“I’m particularly interested in connecting with the Indigenous community and the relationships happening at UFV, particularly in the Mission community where a lot of our work will be conducted,” she says. “Creating relationships and opportunities for dialogue and collaboration with local Indigenous peoples is a top priority of our faculty.”

Jule arrives at a time when the world is resuming normalcy. She believes that the combination of the global pandemic, the social justice movement, and climate change with the floods and heat dome has made students and faculty more connected, more resilient, and more eager to make meaningful relationships through education and the building of a flourishing society.

“The past two years have magnified the need for community and the need we have for each other; we need each other for our own well-being and personal growth as well as for the betterment of Canadian life,” Jule said. “My door and FECHD’s door are always going to be open. Open dialogue is how we are going to challenge ourselves and spark the ideas that will further a community of connection. That’s the power of educational institutions: to create spaces to think and engage with the ideas of others to create and sustain a fair and just society.”