- About
- News & Events
- News
- News archive
- Fall 2024
- Featured Alumnus: Emma Jean is building a career in journalism and a network of FCAT alumni
- SFU Publishing Director Hannah McGregor's new book explores everyone's favourite dinosaur movie and what it means to be angry, monstrous, and free
- Scholarly Impact of the Week: Handbook explores essential role of ethnic media
- Summer 2024
- New book edited by SIAT Senior Lecturer Michael Filimowicz offers a comprehensive overview of sound design
- New Certificate in Sound offers interdisciplinary perspectives
- FCAT & SIAT partner with two BC school districts to bring new learning opportunities to indigenous students
- Lita Lising and Kiran Sonea are the inaugural recipients of the Shaun Kenneth Gauthier Memorial Award
- Communication alumnus and renowned acoustic ecologist Hildegard Westerkamp receives honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from SFU
- New award nurtures artists to push creative limits
- SCA's Laura U. Marks Receives Guggenheim Fellowship
- Spring 2024
- Congratulations to the 2023/2024 major graduate award recipients from FCAT
- "The Fold", a new book from the SCA's Laura U. Marks offers a philosophy for living in an infinitely connected cosmos
- IUPP student Morgan Peequaquat finds her voice and a community while organizing the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival
- SFU Publishing Director Hannah McGregor's new book asks "Can podcasting save academia?"
- Scholarly Impact of the Week: Understanding Authenticity Age Information Disorder
- Meet Sorren Jao, 2023 Lighthouse Lab Prize Recipient
- FCAT scholars awarded Community Engagement Initiative grants for their innovative work
- Going beyond diversity and inclusion: A Day with Dr. Kim TallBear
- Scholarly Impact of the Week: Hopeful Monster, an Imaginative, Innovative Soundscape
- Fall 2023
- Summer 2023
- SCA's Arne Eigenfeldt in The Conversation: Why the growth of AI in making art won’t eliminate artists
- FCAT hosts Safe Space for White Questions online discussion
- Our Way and The Klabona Keepers among 5th Annual Skoden Film Festival award winners
- FCAT supports northern BC communities with increased learning opportunities
- Master of Digital Media Grads Tackle Plastic Waste Blanketing Our Oceans with Group Shopping App
- June 2023 Convocation Featured Student Profiles
- Introducing FCAT Research Spotlight
- The School of Communication's 50th Anniversary: From 1973 to 2023
- Spring 2023
- Cody Sawatsky Memorial Plaque Unveiled at the SFU Surrey Campus
- Scholarly Impact of the Week: Michael Filimowicz
- School of Interactive Arts & Technology professor Wolfgang Stuerzlinger inducted to prestigious VR academy
- Meet Nico Hernandez, 2022 Lighthouse Lab Prize Recipient
- Jon Corbett Joins School of Interactive Art and Technology
- Welcome Kota Ezawa, the 2023 Spring Audain Visual Artist in Residence
- MPUB Alumnus Claire Cavanagh Becomes Literary Agent
- Alumnus designs Canucks Lunar New Year jersey
- 2023 Skoden Indigenous Film Festival
- How the Online Streaming Act will support Canadian content
- Meet Jonathan Newman, the 2022 Recipient of the Cody Sawatsky Memorial Award in Gaming
- Fall 2022
- Eight SFU innovators bestowed with Canada’s highest academic honour
- SIAT Convocation Features October 2022
- Graduating Student Sharlyn Monillas Tells Us About Her Time in CMNS
- Centre for Digital Media partners with Ethọ́s Lab to improve Black representation in digital media
- Explore the Surrey Community Open House SIAT Project Demos
- new interdisciplinary technology aid wilderness search and rescue
- Building better democracies through journalism
- Charter alumnus making a big impact through small gifts
- Summer 2022
- FCAT June 2022 Convocation: Looking back
- Meet Contemporary Arts alum Krystle Silverfox
- SFU researchers receive over $6 million to tackle online disinformation, foster data fluencies
- SIAT researchers develop and curate exhibition at Galiano Island’s Yellowhouse Art Centre
- Roll out the red carpet: Surrey students showcase filmmaking talent
- Spring 2022
- FACTS AND FALSEHOODS IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
- Celebrating Black History Month across the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology
- SFU professor shares experience living and teaching in war-torn Ukraine
- SFU artists and researchers showcase art installation on Surrey’s ‘UrbanScreen’
- Leadership and Agile Production Management micro-credential established in partnership with DigiBC
- Leading with heart: Meet Staff Achievement Award winner Corbin Saleken
- HOW GOOGLE’S SEARCH ENGINE SUPPORTS CONSPIRACY THEORISTS AND HATE FIGURES
- SFU staffer’s commitment to local arts community nets staff achievement award
- Fall 2021
- Fall 2021 Convocation: Looking back
- TikTok/Instagram video contest
- Meet communication undergraduate student Ashran Bharosha
- FCAT Pro Workshop: Professionally Brand Yourself & Create a Digital Portfolio!
- SFU establishes first interdisciplinary and practice-based PhD in contemporary arts in Western Canada
- To design a more ethical app, consider youth well-being
- Peter Anderson: Fighting fires with better emergency communication
- FCAT Alumni Excellence Award winners reflect on their awards and their time in their programs
- This season, give the gift of tech literacy — not addiction — along with that device
- Study identifies link between certain lifestyle activities and reduced cognitive decline
- Summer 2021
- SFU Publishing Launches the Greg Younging Publishing Award Endowment
- Resources and readings to start National Indigenous History Month
- Celebrating Indigenous history and culture during National Indigenous History Month
- Communication honours student studies online conspiracy theories, disinformation
- Making the world a better place: criminology alumnus turned interdisciplinary artist continues academic journey
- FCAT June 2021 Convocation: Looking back
- An invisible polluter: SFU researchers investigate the growing carbon footprint of streaming media
- Low res, high impact: Small File Media Festival raises awareness of the carbon footprint of online streaming
- Welcoming Canada HomeShare to Metro Vancouver
- FCAT faculty members receive tri-council grants to support their research
- Spring 2021
- Winners of the FCAT Student Photo Contest Spring 2021
- Alex Krilow receives first Greg Younging Undergraduate Award in Publishing
- FCAT Student Photo Contest Spring 2021
- Skoden Indigenous Film Festival co-founder and SCA alumnus returns to teach Skoden course
- Communication professor Martin Laba shares what he's learning about remote teaching
- In the rush for coronavirus information, unreviewed scientific papers are being publicized
- Film alumnus Kelvin Redvers receives Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal
- Fall 2024
- News archive
- Events
- FCAT Research and Teaching Forum
- FCAT Undergraduate & Graduate Conference
- 2024 FCAT Undergraduate & Graduate Conference
- 2023 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- 2022 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- 2021 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- Cancelled: 2020 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- 2019 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- 2018 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- 2017 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- 2016 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- 2015 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- 2014 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- 2013 FCAT Undergraduate Conference
- FCAT Convocation Celebration October 2024
- Featured Student
- Featured alumnus
- FCAT Podcasts
- Speakable Podcast
- FCAT After School Podcast
- Season One
- Episode 0: Welcome to After School
- Episode 1: Finding Your Creative Potential with Prem Gill
- Episode 2: Inclusivity in the Performance Arts with Aryo Khakpour
- Episode 3: Connecting Design and Technology with Sofia Bautista
- Episode 4: Storytelling in Game Design with Mars Balisacan
- Episode 5: Challenging the Status Quo through Art with Shion Skye Carter & Stefan Nazarevich
- Episode 6: Starting Your Own Publishing Company with Jesse Finkelstein
- Episode 7: Finding Happiness in Your Work with Nick Doering
- Episode 8: Making a Name in Independent Filmmaking with Gloria Mercer
- Episode 9: It All Starts with a Strategy with Adam Brayford
- Episode 10: Shifting Places, Shifting Minds with Milton Lim
- Episode 11: Being the Big Piece in a Small Pie with Jordan Yep
- Episode 12: Reimagining Dance Training with Tin Gamboa
- Episode 13: Standing Out as a Creative with Sara Milosavic
- Episode 15: Kristin Richter
- Season Two
- Episode 0: Welcome to FCAT After School Series 2!
- Episode 1: Entrepreneurship in UX Design with Eric Lee
- Episode 2: Community and Adaptability in the Performing Arts with Howard Dai
- Episode 3: Mastering the Art of Publishing with Jazmin Welch
- Episode 4: Navigating your Educational Journey with Broadcaster Simi Sara
- Episode 5: Career Transitions of a Software Engineer with Vic Ong
- Episode 6: Becoming Your Own Boss with Kirstin Richter
- Episode 7: Gaining a Global Outlook with Kai Bockmann
- Episode 8: Finding Your Place in Publishing with Heidi Waechtler
- Episode 9: Exploring Virtual Production with Brenda Medina
- Episode 10: Inclusion in the Design Industry with Priscilla Skylar Lee
- Episode 11: Exploring Study Focus in Contemporary Arts with Sophie Tang
- Season Three
- Episode 0: Season 3 Coming Soon!
- Episode 1: Following Your Creative Passions with Cameron Maitland
- Episode 2: Shame Demons and Queer Sci-fi Horror with Mily Mumford
- Episode 3: The Poetry of Publishing with Charlotte Nip
- Episode 4: Clowning, Failing, and Re-enchanting the Everyday with June Fukumura
- Episode 5: Tech, Meditation, and Leaving a Legacy with Jay Vidyarthi
- Episode 6: Your Work Is Not Your Life with Valentina Forté-Hernandez
- Episode 7: Trying Everything Once and the Future of Media with Jason D’Souza
- Episode 8: Decolonizing and Doing What You Have Always Done with Audrey Heath
- Episode Transcripts
- Season 3, Episode 7: Trying Everything Once and the Future of Media with Jason D’Souza
- Season 3, Episode 6: Your Work Is Not Your Life with Valentina Forté-Hernandez
- Season 3, Episode 5: Tech, Meditation, and Leaving a Legacy with Jay Vidyarthi
- Season 3, Episode 4: Clowning, Failing, and Re-enchanting the Everyday with June Fukumura
- Season 3, Episode 3: The Poetry of Publishing with Charlotte Nip
- Season 3, Episode 2: Shame Demons and Queer Sci-fi Horror with Mily Mumford
- Season 3, Episode 1: Following Your Creative Passions with Cameron Maitland
- Season 2, Episode 11: Exploring Study Focus in Contemporary Arts with Sophie Tang
- Season 2, Episode 10: Inclusion in the Design Industry with Priscilla Skylar Lee
- Season 2, Episode 9: Exploring Virtual Production with Brenda Medina
- Season 2, Episode 8: Finding Your Place in Publishing with Heidi Waechtler
- Season 2, Episode 7: Kai Bockmann
- Season 2, Episode 6: Becoming Your Own Boss with Kirstin Richter
- Season 2, Episode 5: Career Transitions of a Software Engineer with Vic Ong
- Season 2, Episode 4: Navigating your Educational Journey with Broadcaster Simi Sara
- Season 2, Episode 3: Mastering the Art of Publishing with Jazmin Welch
- Season 2, Episode 2: Community and Adaptability in the Performing Arts with Howard Dai
- Season 2, Episode 1: Entrepreneurship in UX Design with Eric Lee
- Season One
- News
- Future students
- Current students
- Impact
- Get involved
- Research
- Counsellors
Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology
SFU staffer’s commitment to local arts community nets staff achievement award
By: Emma Keeler-Dugas
A dedicated communicator, local arts advocate and graduate student, Tessa Perkins Deneault has been awarded the 2021 Staff Achievement Award for Community Contribution.
As the Manager of Communications and Strategy in the Faculty of Communication Art, and Technology, Perkins Deneault is a stand-out, compassionate leader within the faculty and across its diverse schools and programs.
"Tessa is an absolutely critical member of the Dean’s Office team when it comes to community engagement and connections,” says Carman Neustaedter, Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology. “She takes the mission of an ‘engaged university’ to heart and deeply explores it through her work, as well as in the communities that she extends herself to, outside of work."
Perkin Deneault’s commitment to the SFU community and local arts community knows no limits.
As she pursues her Master of Arts degree with the Graduate Liberal Studies program at SFU, she contributed to the program and organized its 30th anniversary celebration.
“Open to new ideas and keen to share her own wide range of experiences and knowledge, Tessa quickly became an integral member of the seminar,” says Carolyn Lesjak, chair of the English Department and instructor. “She was someone whom all of us looked forward to hearing from, thanks to her stellar contributions.”
As a champion for the local arts community, Perkin Deneault’s manages her own website Centre Stage where she writes about dance and theatre. She is a sitting board member for the Vancouver International Dance Festival, regularly contributes to the Dance Current and Dance International and pursues dance classes in her own time.
Within the SFU community, Perkins Deneault is working with SFU Retiree’s Association (SFURA) on their book compiling the history of the arts at SFU. In her work, she will be contributing a chapter about the history of dance at the university. The work by Perkins Deneault and the Retiree’s Association will benefit the university for years to come.
“When I joined the SFURA committee working on the Early Arts at SFU project just over a year ago, Tessa and Walter Piovesan had already been involved for some time,” says Ann Cowan, committee member with the SFURA. “It’s great when current staff and faculty show an interest in the history of the institution and much appreciated when they bring energy and expertise to projects like these.”
Perkins Deneault’s nominators emphasized her strategic leadership that have made her a valued member of the communicator network at SFU.
“Tessa is an incredible attribute to FCAT, SFU and the local arts and culture community,” says Kim Hockey, associate director of community engagement and alumni for FCAT. “Through her multi-faceted support of the arts, Tessa has developed an extensive knowledge of local happenings which she regularly applies in her communications position. FCAT and SFU have benefited tremendously from Tessa’s community support.”
For Perkins Deneault, her favourite part of the job is the SFU community.
“Ever since I joined SFU as a student in 2006, I’ve felt that this university is a place that takes care of its community,” says Perkins Deneault. “I’ve always had the support I needed to grow and pursue my academic and professional goals. I hope I can give back in some way to this incredible community.”
SFU’s annual Staff Achievement Awards recognize staff members for their achievements and contributions to the university or the community. The awards are a way to showcase some of the great work being done at SFU and in the community by inspired and outstanding staff members. Read more