Greetings. I write to you from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the ancestral homelands of the Mi’kmaq and Beothuk on the Island of Newfoundland, as well as the homelands of the Inuit of Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut and the Innu of Nitassinan in Labrador.
I succeeded Janine Brodie as President of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2023 and am continuing the work of my predecessors in overseeing the selection processes for Fellows as well as RSC Awards associated with our Academy. As an Academy President, I serve on the RSC Board of Directors and Council. I accepted the nomination for Academy President in 2022, in part because I was inspired by the work done through the RSC in response to COVID-19. The impressive mobilization of expertise from across many disciplines in response to the pandemic demonstrated the RSC’s capacity to mobilize our membership as well as the broader community in response to urgent Canadian and global challenges.
Under the leadership of President Alain-G. Gagnon, our work continues to be guided by the three priorities outlined in the RSC’s 2023-2025 strategic plan, "Next Steps, Together.” These priorities are inclusive excellence, independent expertise, and international engagement.
RSC efforts in the space of Inclusive Excellence have been informed by Royally Wronged: The Royal Society of Canada and Indigenous Peoples. In seeking to better understand our history, this book – which resulted from the efforts of many of our colleagues who served on the RSC Task Force on Truth and Reconciliation – assists us in taking next steps in reconciliation. There are copies of the book available at Walter House in Ottawa when you next have occasion to visit.
From November 4-6, 2024, the RSC welcomed the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi and the Australian Academy of Sciences as part of the Inter-Academy Partnership on Indigenous Engagement, an initiative led by RSC College President Frank Deer. This program served as the RSC's annual G7 Research Summit, focusing on the theme of "Cultural Heritage” in an era of reconciliation. The objective of the inter-academy partnership is to enhance our collective efforts in Indigenous engagement. All three member academies are committed to increasing representation of Indigenous peoples, inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in disciplinary areas, and engagement with Indigenous communities within their respective territories.
The RSC remains actively involved in organizing events, collaborations, and activities that leverage the vast independent expertise within its membership. Important events this past year have included the RSC Dialogues @Massey series and, in 2024-2025, the RSC Dialogues @ UQO (Université du Québec en Outaouais). Recordings of previous events can be accessed at the RSC’s YouTube channel. There are two more upcoming Dialogues year, including one on Sustainable Migration that will take place in April.
RSC members also provide important independent expertise through our international engagement activities, which are coordinated by Paul Young. This is a big year for international engagement because Canada is hosting the G7 and S7 this spring. As many as fifty members of the RSC, including many from the Academy of Social Sciences, played key roles in the development of the 2025 S7 statements for presentation at the G7 meetings in May. These statements will be made available following the meeting.
In recent years, the RSC College launched a new At-Risk and Displaced Academics and Artists (ARDAA) program for artists and scholars during the early years of their careers. This was an important new initiative and has been very successful. We are now in the process of designing an extension of that program appropriate for more senior-level at risk and displaced academics and artists who would, if accepted, be inducted into the relevant Academy. In the near future we will be looking for Academy members interested in getting involved with designing and implementing this ARDAA extension. If you are interested in getting involved, we would love to hear from you.
During 2025, the RSC Board and staff are engaging in extensive consultations as they develop a revised strategic plan for presentation to the membership at the upcoming COEE in November 2026. This is an exciting opportunity and will set our strategic priorities for the next several years.
The Academy of Social Sciences Selection Committees reviewed a total of 95 nominations in 2024, including 83 nominations for Division 1 and 12 nominations for Division 2. In both cases, this was an increase in the number of nominations relative to the previous year. 21 of the 83 nominations to Division 1 were successful; 5 of the 12 nominations to Division 2 were successful with an overall success rate of 27%. I want to take this opportunity to thank the selection committee chairs and members for their hard work in 2024. The work of recognizing excellence in the RSC involves nearly 100 Fellows each year, who sit on the committees that adjudicate the nominations we receive. Their work requires dedicated staff support. The committees are currently reviewing the files for the 2025 competition.
Two members of the Academy of Social Sciences were RSC Award recipients in 2024: Rianne Mahon of Carleton University won the Ursula Franklin award and the Innis-Gerin Medal went to Psychologist, Robert Vallerand, who is based at l’Universite de Quebec a Montreal. This year, the Yvan-Allaire award on governance went to a newly inducted member of the College, Valerie Napoleon of the University of Victoria. There is also a postdoctoral fellow award in the field of social sciences each year (one of three). Please consider nominating social scientists for these awards. They do not need to be members of the RSC to be eligible.
Also on the awards and prizes front, this February the RSC will be announcing the first competition for the RSC Jackman Prize for the Behavioural and Social Sciences. Generously supported by a donation from the Jackman Foundation, this exciting new prize will consist of a medal and a cash award of $10,000 Cdn.
The 2024 Celebration of Excellence and Engagement (COEE) took place in Vancouver, BC, from November 7 to 9, 2024, presented by Simon Fraser University. The COEE was preceded by a symposium on November 7, organized by SFU, focused on community-centered climate innovation. It was great to see many of you there. We look forward to gathering and celebrating excellence again this November 12-15 in Montréal and hope some of you can join us. Watch for updates and more information about the 2025 COEE in communications from the RSC.
I would also like to congratulate Dr. Guy Laforest, who will assume the role of President of the Academy of Social Sciences in November 2025. A Professor Emeritus at Université Laval, Dr. Laforest is a recognized expert on constitutional and referendum issues in Canada. He will lead the Academy from 2025 to 2028. Welcome, Dr. Laforest!
As always, should you have any questions or suggestions for ways to enhance the work of the Academy of Social Sciences and the overall RSC, I will be happy to hear from you.
Regards,
Barbara Neis, FRSC
President, RSC Academy of Social Sciences
bneis@mun.ca