Trinity College is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Hang-Sun Kim to the position of dean of arts and vice-provost, effective July 1, 2026 for a five-year term.
“We are thrilled to have Hang-Sun Kim join Trinity College in this pivotal leadership role. An accomplished administrator, outstanding teacher-scholar and consummate researcher, Professor Kim embodies the ethos that we value most here — collaboration, inclusion and academic excellence — and she will undoubtedly be an inspiring role model and mentor for our diverse community of outstanding learners,” said Professor Nicholas Terpstra, provost and vice-chancellor of Trinity College.
“I am deeply honoured to be appointed dean of arts and vice-provost of Trinity College. I was drawn to this role in large part because of Trinity’s 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,” said Kim, an associate professor, teaching stream and associate chair, undergraduate in the Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures in the Faculty Arts & Science.
“I am very excited about joining Trinity’s 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,” Kim said. “I am committed to fostering an inclusive culture of academic excellence and strengthening Trinity’s role as a forum for public dialogue.”
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. “It is long overdue for a woman to take the helm as dean of arts and vice-provost, and we could not have recruited a more capable leader,” Terpstra said. “I would like to thank members of the dean of arts search committee for their outstanding work.”
As Trinity’s dean of arts, Kim will provide institutional leadership, set priorities and goals for academic programs, and advance the academic mission within the college, the Faculty of Arts & Science and the University of Toronto.
She will oversee the college’s 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’s academic sustainability programming — part of the Integrated Sustainability Initiative — in partnership with the School of the Environment.
As dean, she is involved with Trinity College 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.
“Congratulations to Professor Kim on being appointed dean of arts and vice-provost at Trinity College. 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 Trinity College’s academic programs and fosters student engagement within the university,” said Professor Stephen Wright, interim dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science.
After two years of distinguished service, Professor Kevin Lewis O’Neill will be stepping down as dean of arts and vice-provost at the end of June 2026 to pursue time-sensitive scholarly research. “We extend our gratitude to Professor O’Neill 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,” Provost Terpstra said.