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Dr. Carrie Dawson

Dean of Arts

Dr. Dawson brings more than 25 years of experience in higher education, including seven years as Dean of Arts and Science at Mount Saint Vincent University, where she led a diverse faculty of more than 70 full-time members across multiple departments and interdisciplinary programs. She has extensive experience in academic governance, collective bargaining, strategic enrolment planning, and university-wide leadership initiatives. 

Throughout her career, Dr. Dawson has demonstrated a strong commitment to building inclusive, community-engaged academic environments. She has led major program development initiatives, advanced experiential learning opportunities, and strengthened partnerships with community organizations and Indigenous communities. Her accomplishments include securing significant philanthropic support for scholarships and fellowships, guiding curricular renewal across departments, and leading strategic responses to sector-wide challenges such as digital transformation and evolving student needs. 

An accomplished scholar of English literature, Dr. Dawson holds a PhD from the University of Queensland, along with degrees from the University of Sussex and the University of British Columbia. She is widely recognized for her research contributions, extensive academic service, and leadership in equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives. Her professional certifications include training in leadership development, advancement, and mental health first aid, reflecting her holistic approach to academic leadership. 

Dr. Diane Crocker

Criminology
Professor
Associate Dean of Arts (Acting) - Curriculum and Student Affairs

Diane Crocker is a Full Professor in our Department of Criminology, and served as the department's Chair for several years. Read more about Dr. Crocker's research and publications. 

Dr. Sara Malton

English
Professor
Associate Dean of Arts - Research and Faculty Support
Office: MN 330

Sara Malton is a Professor of nineteenth-century literature in the Department of English Language and Literature. Her recent research awards include a SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2020-2024) for her project, “Wondrous Hunger: Salvation, Starvation and the Nineteenth-Century ‘Fasting Girl.’” Her book, Forgery in Nineteenth Century Literature and Culture: Fictions of Finance from Dickens to Wilde, was published by Palgrave-Macmillan in 2009. Her work has appeared in such journals as Studies in the Novel; Victorian Literature and Culture; European Romantic Review; and English Studies in Canada; and in essay collections by McGill-Queens UP, Peter Lang, and the University of Missouri Press.

Dr. Malton is the current Vice President of The Dickens Society, having previously served as its Secretary (2018-21) and as a Trustee (2014-17). Learn more about her research and publications at saramalton.com.

Dr. Rylan Higgins

Anthropology
Associate Dean, Outreach and Experiential Learning
Office: MS 215

Dr. Rylan Higgins is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology, where he also previously served as the Chair. His teaching and research focus on sociocultural anthropology, the anthropology of food labour and marginality, social class, gender and consumerism, visual anthropology, engaged and public anthropology, the United States and Vietnam.

Dr. Higgins has offered Anthropology courses to the public via the Halifax Central Library, on topics ranging from universal health care to the anthropology of childhood. He continues this tradition in our new Arts For Everyone program at Saint Mary’s, and will be teaching a Winter 2026 course titled “What’s the Deal with Taylor Swift?”. He is also a member of the university’s Board of Governors.