May 26, 2003 For Immediate Release

A community planner with a keen interest in community-university linkages has been appointed Dean of Arts, Social and Health Sciences at the University of Northern British Columbia.

James Randall is currently a faculty member in Geography at the University of Saskatchewan, and was Chair of the department for the last five years. Dr Randall has been with U of S since the late 1980s and has conducted research on quality of life, local economic development, resource-dependent communities, and community development. Last year, he was the Director of Research for the Social Sciences Division at U of S and has actively pursued partnerships between the University and the community for effective research application. He has been the Co-Director of the Community-University Institute for Social Research in Saskatchewan.

"Dr Randall has done extensive work in community-based research - specifically in the areas of single-industry resource communities, community-university collaboration, and economic development - a real feature of UNBC's approach to education," says Deborah Poff, Vice-President Academic and Provost at UNBC. "We are excited to have Dr Randall join our excellent team of scholars at UNBC."

Dr. Randall received his BA (Honours) and MA in Geography from York University, and his PhD in Geography/Community Planning from the University of Washington.

He will be joining UNBC on July 1st, replacing Paul Madak who has been Acting Dean since the departure of Robin Fisher last year.