º£½ÇɬÇø

Q & A with Andreea Panait, Associate Dean of CAA (Interim)

Andreea Panait began her new role as Associate Dean of Creative and Applied Arts on Aug. 22. Previously, she had been an active member of the º£½ÇɬÇø community involved in multiple projects and committees in addition to serving as faculty member and chair of the Mathematics department and Program Coordinator of Science, Computer Science and Mathematics. Andreea began working at º£½ÇɬÇø in 2004 and holds both a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in Mathematics and an an M.Sc. in Cryptography. Most recently, in 2024 she obtained a Micro-MBA for New Managers from the McGill Executive Institute.

Here is a Q & A with the Communications Office.

What do you like best about working at º£½ÇɬÇø?

Ever since I started working at º£½ÇɬÇø, I have felt like I have found a new big family in the workplace. I had the privilege to meet brilliant and dedicated colleagues ready to guide me from the beginning, helpful staff ready to support faculty initiatives, and curious students interested in the curriculum but also in plenty of extracurricular activities. All of these contributed to my personal evolution and to my rewarding journey at º£½ÇɬÇø.

What is exciting for you in your new role?

ÌýStudents’ success and students’ journey at CEGEP are very important to me. As a teacher for 21 years, I have been able to contribute to students’ success from that role. Now as Associate Dean, I am confident that I could support their education from a different perspective and in a meaningful way. I will work closely with the Dean to provide resources and support to the academic departments (faculty) and to support staff, so we ensure that programs meet strategic goals, fulfill student needs, and provide an authentic and valuable learning experience at º£½ÇɬÇø.

What do you think are the greatest assets and challenges in your sector?

In Creative and Applied Arts we are very lucky to have dedicated and talented faculty and staff. Now in an era where AI is leading the world, people’s creativity and originality should be valued at a maximum and protected. We need to continue the implementation of the new 3D Animation and CGI program, of the Law 14 and in general, we need to help programs meet their objectives.

What would you like the º£½ÇɬÇø community to know about you?

In all my roles at º£½ÇɬÇø from a teacher, coordinator, co-chair and now manager, I have always been committed to foster a good learning environment, encourage students’ involvement in activities in class or outside class, and promote collaboration between different sectors in the college.

As Ryunosuke Satoro said: “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” Being together will strengthen us so we better overcome the new challenges that we will face in the future.

Anything else you would like to share?

I am very proud to be part of º£½ÇɬÇø since it is an excellent higher education institution that values students’ experiences and fosters a large variety of programs suited for any student’s interest. I look forward to contributing to make º£½ÇɬÇø even more unique.