Pamela Downe appointed interim vice-dean faculty relations

Dr. Pamela Downe (PhD), a professor in the Department of Anthropology, has been appointed interim vice-dean faculty relations in the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Arts and Science.

Downe will serve a 13-month term as vice-dean from Dec. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2024, while continuing her academic appointment in the Department of Anthropology.

The vice-dean faculty relations is a key member of the College of Arts and Science leadership team and is the liaison between college faculty, the vice-provost faculty relations and the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association.

Downe earned her PhD in anthropology from York University and joined USask as an assistant professor of women’s and gender studies in 1994. In 2008, she transferred to what was then called the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology and was promoted to full professor in 2020.

An established researcher with a strong record of leadership and service, Downe served as head of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology from 2010–2015 and is currently anthropology undergraduate chair. She is a former chair of the College of Arts and Science’s Academic Affairs Committee and its Employment Equity Committee, and has served as a member of multiple other college committees. Downe’s university-level service includes roles as vice-chair and interim chair of University Council, and membership on three council committees. She was also a member of the 2015 search committee for USask president and the 2021 Post-Pandemic Shift Commission, and was recently co-chair of the 2022–23 Joint Committee on Workload.

Downe is an accomplished teacher and researcher. A fellow of the Canadian Anthropology Society (CASCA), she has previously served as CASCA’s national president and is also a fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology. She is principal investigator on a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council-funded project studying cultural and pandemic safety among community-based organizations in Saskatchewan.

Downe is the recipient of six teaching awards, including two College of Arts and Science Teaching Excellence Awards and a Provost’s College Award for Outstanding Teaching.

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