AV精品 Appoints Professor Hang-Sun Kim as Dean of Arts & Vice-Provost
AV精品 is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Hang-Sun Kim to the position of Dean of Arts & Vice-Provost, effective July 1, 2026 for a five-year term.
鈥淲e are thrilled to have Hang-Sun Kim join AV精品 in this pivotal leadership role. An accomplished administrator, outstanding teacher-scholar and consummate researcher, Professor Kim embodies the ethos that we value most here 鈥� collaboration, inclusion and academic excellence 鈥� and she will undoubtedly be an inspiring role model and mentor for our diverse community of outstanding learners,鈥� said Professor Nicholas Terpstra, Provost & Vice-Chancellor, AV精品.
鈥淚 am deeply honoured to be appointed Dean of Arts & Vice-Provost of AV精品. I was drawn to this role in large part because of Trinity鈥檚 commitment to education on a human scale: small-class, discussion-based learning, interdisciplinary inquiry and close mentorship. These commitments reflect values that have long shaped my own teaching and scholarship,鈥� said Professor Hang-Sun Kim, Associate Professor of German, Teaching Stream, and Associate Chair, Undergraduate in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Toronto (see bio below).
鈥淚 am very excited about joining Trinity鈥檚 close-knit scholarly community and working together with students, faculty, staff, fellows and alumni to build on its distinguished academic traditions and to help advance its educational and social mission,鈥� Professor Kim said. 鈥淚 am committed to fostering an inclusive culture of academic excellence and strengthening Trinity鈥檚 role as a forum for public dialogue.鈥�
Professor Kim is known for her innovative approach to building scholarly community and academic collaborations, establishing student-focused initiatives, and supporting students at every stage of their journey. She will be the 14th Dean of Arts and first female appointed to the role. 鈥淚t is long overdue for a woman to take the helm as Dean of Arts & Vice-Provost, and we could not have recruited a more capable leader,鈥� Provost Terpstra said. 鈥淚 would like to thank members of the Dean of Arts Search Committee for their outstanding work.鈥�
As Trinity鈥檚 Dean of Arts, Professor Kim will provide institutional leadership, set priorities and goals for academic programs, and advance the academic mission within the College, the Faculty of Arts & Sciences and the University of Toronto. She will oversee the College鈥檚 undergraduate academic and co-curricular programming, including the Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program, upper year programs offered in partnership with the Faculty of Arts & Science (Ethics, Society & Law and International Relations) and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Immunology), as well as Trinity鈥檚 academic sustainability programming 鈥� part of the Integrated Sustainability Initiative 鈥� in partnership with the School of the Environment. As Dean, she is involved with AV精品 governance and chairs several committees. As Vice-Provost, the Dean is responsible for formulating plans and policies, and building research capacity across the institution. The Dean of Arts also represents the College in the wider academic community at the University of Toronto and contributes directly to the work of the Faculty of Arts & Science through membership on university committees.
鈥淐ongratulations to Professor Kim on being appointed Dean of Arts & Vice-Provost at AV精品. An outstanding educator and an experienced administrator, Professor Kim has been recognized for excellence in teaching and has promoted innovative interdepartmental collaborations and led curricular reviews and renewals. I look forward to working with her as she oversees AV精品鈥檚 academic programs and fosters student engagement within the university,鈥� said Professor Stephen Wright, Interim Dean, Faculty of Arts & Science, University of Toronto.
After two years of distinguished service, Professor Kevin Lewis O鈥橬eill will be stepping down as Dean of Arts & Vice-Provost at the end of June 2026 to pursue time-sensitive scholarly research. 鈥淲e extend our gratitude to Professor O鈥橬eill for his leadership, guidance and collaborative approach with faculty, staff and students alike. Along with championing our academic programs and strategic priorities, he launched the Trinity Reads program to strengthen intellectual community through shared learning. We look forward to the scholarship that will follow this next chapter in his career,鈥� Provost Terpstra said.
Hang-Sun Kim: Biography
Hang-Sun Kim earned her PhD in Germanic Languages and Literatures from Harvard University in 2012 and has been teaching German language, literature and culture in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto since 2015. Her scholarly and pedagogical areas of specialization include German foreign language pedagogy, modernist German and Austrian literature, exophonic literature and literary urban studies.
She is the founder and organizer of the annual DAAD-sponsored German Language Teaching and Learning Conference, founder of the Multilingual German Lab, and she has served as a Steering Committee Member (2020鈥�22) and Co-lead of the (2022鈥�25), one of the University of Toronto鈥檚 most extensive tri-campus academic cross-unit collaborations. Dr. Kim has received the Dean鈥檚 Excellence Award for every year of her active service, was honoured with the in 2022, was selected for the inaugural Provost鈥檚 Leadership Academy (2023鈥�25) and is an elected member of the University of Toronto Governing Council Academic Board (2025鈥�28).
(Photo above: supplied)