FACULTY of FINE ARTS and COMMUNICATIONS
OFFICE OF THE DEAN
The Office of the Dean supports faculty in creating a dynamic, student-centred learning environment. The Dean is responsible for the overall administration of the Faculty and is supported by the Associate Dean and an experienced and dedicated staff.
Staff work with faculty to develop curriculum, projects and programs; to coordinate and provide financial, administrative and faculty governance support and to support and encourage research and community engagement efforts for students and faculty.
Deans
Deric Olsen, MFA
Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications
780-487-5264
deric.olsen@macewan.ca
On July 1, 2024, Professor Deric Olsen was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications. He brings extensive administrative experience and collaborative and compassionate leadership to MacEwan.
Professor Olsen completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Lethbridge and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Department of Film at the University of Regina. For over 20 years, he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in digital media, design, and narrative filmmaking at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. A Distinguished Teaching Award nominee in 2012, his courses take a comprehensive, flexible approach to film production methodology and provide a foundation of theory and practice that enable students to develop into creative visual storytellers.
With a wide variety of experience as a director, screenwriter, editor, and producer, Olsen's creative practice spans many facets of dramatic narrative filmmaking. His filmography includes, Common Chord (2013) and The Phoenix Agenda (2006). He is developing a number of projects, including a feature-length suspense thriller, Crypt Lake and a western web series, Windswept. Other completed scripts include an adapted short for animation Ruse, an action web series, Zenith, and a feature-length thriller, Threshold Effect.
His films and screenplays have been official selections at national and international film festivals and script competitions. His accolades include some prestigious individual awards, most notably the Les Kimber Award for Best Direction from the Director's Guild of Canada - Alberta Council, together with the Best Director (Drama over 60 minutes) Award at the 2007 Alberta Film and Television Awards for his work on The Phoenix Agenda. He was nominated in four categories at the 2014 Alberta Film and Television Awards, including Direction, Screenwriting, Editing, and Producing, for his work on Common Chord. He is a member of the University Film and Video Association, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, and the Alberta Media Production Industries Association. He is a lifetime member of the Digital Cinema Society.
Rose F. Ginther
Associate Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications
Assistant Professor, Department of Arts and Cultural Management
Rose Ginther is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications at MacEwan University in Edmonton. After a successful and fulfilling career in arts management, including seven years with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra as Marketing Director, Rose has also had a long career as a university professor, with more than 30 years of teaching in the Arts and Cultural Management program, and seven years as Associate Dean.
A long-term Chair of the Arts and Cultural Management program, Rose’s efforts assisted with the development and launch of MacEwan’s Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Her commitment to students and to teaching excellence was rewarded over the years with MacEwan’s Distinguished Teaching Award in February 2002, again in 2015 and in November 2024, she was honoured with a National Philanthropy Day Community Enrichment Award.
A frequent arts attender, Rose is a passionate advocate and supporter of arts and culture in Edmonton and across Canada. Highlights of her community involvement over the years include membership on the founding board of the Friends of the Arden Theatre; work on the Winspear Centre/Edmonton Symphony marketing committee; board member of the Edmonton Arts Council and Chair of the operating grant peer jury for two years; fundraising for the capital campaign for Festival Place in Sherwood Park.
One of her proudest accomplishments is, together with her colleague Paul Johnston, establishing and managing Bent River Records (BRR) at MacEwan University. Now in its tenth year, BRR offers rich learning opportunities for students while also producing world-class recordings.
Dr. Leslie Vermeer
Associate Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications
Associate Professor, Department of Communication
Dr. Leslie Vermeer has been teaching at MacEwan since 2002 with a consistent focus on language and communication. She holds master's degrees in English and education, and her doctoral dissertation is a critical examination of Alberta's English Language Arts curriculum for senior secondary education. This investigation uses the tools of close reading to demonstrate a purposeful stratification in high school English that harms some of Alberta's most vulnerable learners and has intergenerational consequences, particularly poverty.
The author of The Complete Canadian Book Editor (2016), a resource for editors and writers, Dr. Vermeer has worked as a professional writer, editor and reviewer for more than 25 years and has edited or worked on some 200 books. She has been a member of the board of NeWest Press since 2007 and is a member of Editors Canada. As a grammar nerd, a long-time logophile and a committed bibliophile, Dr. Vermeer is committed to teaching and enjoys working with students at all levels as they explore language, writing, editing and communication.