Chris Andersen
College Dean & Vice Provost, Social Sciences and Humanities
Dr. Chris Andersen is the college dean and vice provost of the 海角社区’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities, which brings together the combined strength of the faculties of arts, business, education, and law. It represents a total of 500 faculty members and 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
Chris joins the college from the Faculty of Native Studies, where he spent 25 years, including nearly two terms as dean. He is a special advisor to the Office of the Vice-Provost (Indigenous Programming and Research). He is an internationally recognized scholar whose work explores Métis nationhood, Indigenous data sovereignty and the sociology of law. He has co-edited landmark collections in Indigenous studies, been elected to the inaugural cohort of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, and served as Visiting Chair in Métis Studies at the University of Ottawa.
Chris has led or partnered on major research grants in Canada and the UK, including an Arts and Humanities Research Council award on Métis as a global Indigenous people. He is also a Fellow, Program on Boundaries, Membership & Belonging, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, which is an organization that brings together researchers to explore how we define belonging, inclusion and identity in today’s diverse, globalized world.
A former Director of the Rupertsland Centre for Métis Research, Chris edited the journal aboriginal policy studies for a decade, served on national advisory bodies with SSHRC and Statistics Canada, and contributed to community boards in Alberta. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the 海角社区, an MA and BA (Hons.) from Queen’s University, and has supervised students across disciplines who now work in universities, communities and public service.
Under Chris’s leadership as dean, the Faculty of Native Studies built its presence as a top Indigenous Studies unit in the world, underpinned by a foundation of cutting-edge scholars, excellent support staff, outstanding students and community engagement. The overwhelming success of the Indigenous Canada MOOC, the most subscribed MOOC in Canada with more than 632,000 participants, is just one example of the extraordinary reach the Faculty of Native Studies achieved under Chris.
With his extensive familiarity with the 海角社区's people, opportunities and challenges, Chris brings a deep understanding of its culture, values and operation to the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.