You can learn a lot from first impressions
which is good because, as she sits down for an interview on her first
day at Dalhousie, Teri Balser is overloaded with them. And she wouldn't
have it any other way.
"There's a lot going on here at Dal and a lot of great energy," says
Dr. Balser, who arrived at Dalhousie as the university's new provost and
vice-president academic on November 1.
"It's really amazing to see how friendly and positive everyone is. It's very welcoming, very forward-looking. Dal's in its 200th year, but there's more energy than you might expect in a 200-year-old institution."
From Australia to Halifax
Dr. Balser joins the Dal community from Curtin University in Perth, Australia, where she served as Dean of teaching and learning and a John Curtin Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Coming to the Atlantic Coast is a sort of homecoming for her, as she grew up in New England, also spending time in academia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Florida.
Though her academic background is as a scientist (she has a PhD in soil microbiology), she says she's always approached her work with a people-focused spirit that made university administration a logical step.
"I'm an academic at heart that actively chose administration in order to support universities and higher education," she says. "I realized early in my career as a scientist that I was quite fascinated by people, and that so much of the success of the work that I was doing was dependent on whether people were buying into it, whether the science was being communicated well, whether the students were understanding it. For me, that realization was kind of a pivotal moment."
Leadership for Dal's academic community
As Provost, Dr. Balser serves as Dal's senior academic leader. She aligns university budget and plans with the academic mission of the university; ensures goals are integrated across both academic and administrative units; and provides a structure to enable clear and efficient decision making. The deans report to the provost, as do two vice-provosts (students affairs and planning & analytics) and the associate vice-president academic.
"The Provost acts as a coordinator or bridge among all the different parts of the university," Dr. Balser explains. "It's ultimately a people-focused role: it's about ensuring that the conditions and culture are there so everyone can do their job well, have us moving in the same direction."
People can expect to hear more from Dr. Balser as she gets to know the Dal community and she wants to hear from you as well. She has an open survey asking for people's thoughts, hopes ideas or concerns about the university, welcoming any and all input.
Click here to read the full story.
Source
"It's really amazing to see how friendly and positive everyone is. It's very welcoming, very forward-looking. Dal's in its 200th year, but there's more energy than you might expect in a 200-year-old institution."
From Australia to Halifax
Dr. Balser joins the Dal community from Curtin University in Perth, Australia, where she served as Dean of teaching and learning and a John Curtin Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Coming to the Atlantic Coast is a sort of homecoming for her, as she grew up in New England, also spending time in academia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Florida.
Though her academic background is as a scientist (she has a PhD in soil microbiology), she says she's always approached her work with a people-focused spirit that made university administration a logical step.
"I'm an academic at heart that actively chose administration in order to support universities and higher education," she says. "I realized early in my career as a scientist that I was quite fascinated by people, and that so much of the success of the work that I was doing was dependent on whether people were buying into it, whether the science was being communicated well, whether the students were understanding it. For me, that realization was kind of a pivotal moment."
Leadership for Dal's academic community
As Provost, Dr. Balser serves as Dal's senior academic leader. She aligns university budget and plans with the academic mission of the university; ensures goals are integrated across both academic and administrative units; and provides a structure to enable clear and efficient decision making. The deans report to the provost, as do two vice-provosts (students affairs and planning & analytics) and the associate vice-president academic.
"The Provost acts as a coordinator or bridge among all the different parts of the university," Dr. Balser explains. "It's ultimately a people-focused role: it's about ensuring that the conditions and culture are there so everyone can do their job well, have us moving in the same direction."
People can expect to hear more from Dr. Balser as she gets to know the Dal community and she wants to hear from you as well. She has an open survey asking for people's thoughts, hopes ideas or concerns about the university, welcoming any and all input.
Click here to read the full story.
Source
Meet the leadership team: Teri Balser, Provost and Vice‑President Academic
![Meet the leadership team: Teri Balser, Provost and Vice‑President Academic]()
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November 16, 2018
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