08/18/2026
We're pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Crystal Gail Fraser as Indigenous Advisor to the Dean, effective August 15, 2026, for a two-year term.
Dr. Fraser will serve as a liaison between the Faculty and the Associate Dean (Indigenous Engagement) in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, guiding the Dean of Arts on matters of significance to Indigenous students, staff and faculty across campus. As the chair of the Arts Indigenous Council, she will also lead a team that maintains responsibilities and commitments towards respectful relations between the Faculty of Arts and the Indigenous community.
Dr. Fraser is a historian and Indigenous studies scholar whose work centres on Indigenous histories, oral history, governance, and community-driven research in the Canadian North. A citizen of the Gwich’in Nation, she is an associate professor in the Department of History, Classics, and Religion and the Faculty of Native Studies. Her work is grounded in relationship-building, reciprocity, and accountability to Indigenous communities, and she has contributed to Indigenous initiatives and reconciliation work at the University of Alberta and nationally.
We are deeply grateful to outgoing Associate Dean (Indigenous Relations) Tanya Harnett for her leadership in the position since 2023.
