New positions and new opportunities in FIMS


The new school year is starting with new opportunities for several Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) faculty members. One tenure track conversion, and one appointment to a brand-new academic leadership role should result in new ideas and potential within the FIMS community.

Sally Kewayosh HeadshotAssistant Professor Sally Kewayosh has been converted to a tenure track position as of July 1. She first joined FIMS as a lecturer in 2021, bringing her expertise as a filmmaker and industry knowledge to the faculty. A key change in her role will be a slight reduction in teaching responsibilities in order to open time and resources to focus on her creative practice in filmmaking.

“Having the support of Western and FIMS so far has been invaluable. It has opened new doors for me, so I have the opportunity to support other filmmakers, especially other Indigenous filmmakers.”

Most recently, Kewayosh worked with the Woodland Cultural Centre, based in Brantford, to produce the documentary Silent No More: A Virtual Tour of the Former Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School. A free, public screening of the film is scheduled on campus on September 30, in recognition of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. Currently Kewayosh is collaborating with Dr. Candace Brunette-Debassige on a documentary film about Western’s Indigenous history and efforts to decolonize Western’s campus.

Kewayosh is enthusiastic about the upcoming academic year and the new opportunities it brings for her students as well.

“It will be great to screen other Indigenous filmmakers’ work in my classroom, have more guest lectures and give as much space as possible to Indigenous creators in my courses.”

Professor Kewayosh’s new promotion will also support her goal of producing her first feature length film—a project she has been working on for years.

“It’s a difficult topic because it hits close to home. The film is loosely based on my mother’s experience as a residential school survivor and an empty nester,” Kewayosh shared.

Selma Purac HeadshotAnother FIMS faculty member looking forward to new opportunities is Selma Purac, a long-time FIMS Limited Duties instructor who was appointed a Continuing Teaching Scholar (CTS) over the summer. Assistant Professor Purac is a familiar name to many in FIMS, having taught more than 90 FIMS undergraduate classes over many years. Some of her more popular courses focus on promotional culture and include “Consumer Society,” “Children, Advertising, & Consumer Culture,” and “Music Videos, MTV, and the Birth of New Music Media,” and “Tales of Tinseltown: Representations of Hollywood" -- and with an interdisciplinary background in visual art and music, she has recently started teaching in the CAP program as well. Additionally, Purac has been appointed as the faculty’s first Undergraduate Program Chair.

Purac’s new CTS appointment includes both service and a variety of scholarship activities, which will focus on pedagogy—the theory and practice of teaching. Professor Purac hopes that this focus will allow her to improve her own courses, integrating innovative methods to enhance student learning, and she looks forward to sharing strategies with colleagues both within FIMS and beyond.

“By focusing on pedagogy, my hope is that I can further improve my teaching, ensuring that my practices stay current and engaging in a rapidly-shifting teaching environment,” Purac explained. “But this is an issue that extends beyond a single classroom. The landscape is changing, and that’s forcing us all to evolve as educators. So, I hope I can use this position to help the department meet these new challenges and opportunities.”

As the first Undergraduate Program Chair appointed in FIMS, Purac will collaborate closely with the FIMS Associate Dean, Undergraduate, to advance FIMS' academic mission. She’ll be a part of supporting, developing, and promoting undergraduate programs in Media, Information and Technoculture, Media and the Public Interest, and Creative Arts and Production, as well as the certificate and diploma options in Digital Communication.

Please join us in congratulating both Sally Kewayosh and Selma Purac on their new appointments.