Media Releases
» Go to news main91探花平台 announces former University of Saskatchewan President Peter MacKinnon as incoming interim President and Vice鈥慍hancellor
Tuesday, October 16, 2018 (Halifax, NS) 鈥 91探花平台 is pleased to announce the appointment of R. Peter MacKinnon, OC, QC, as Interim President and Vice-Chancellor of 91探花平台, effective January 15, 2019 and continuing through June 30, 2019.
Approved this afternoon by Dalhousie鈥檚 Board of Governors, the appointment brings Mr. MacKinnon and his deep experience in university leadership to Dalhousie as the university continues the search for Richard Florizone鈥檚 successor as President and Vice-Chancellor.
鈥淲e are grateful Peter has agreed to leave his home in Alberta to return to his alma mater as Interim President. Having someone of his calibre, experience and reputation in the role will help ensure continued momentum as we begin the dawn of our third century of academic excellence,鈥 says Mr. Larry Stordy, QC, Chair of Dalhousie鈥檚 Board of Governors. 鈥淎dditionally, Peter鈥檚 close working relationship with President Florizone at the University of Saskatchewan adds a welcome layer of continuity to this transition.鈥
Mr. MacKinnon, past President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan, is a proud Dalhousie alumnus (BA鈥69, History and Political Science) with Maritime roots, having grown up in Prince Edward Island. He served as a faculty member, Dean of the College of Law and Acting Vice-President Academic at the University of Saskatchewan before serving as President from 1999 until 2012. Under his leadership, the university rose to new heights in research and innovation, and underwent a significant restoration of campus and its facilities to better meet the needs of its students and researchers.
鈥淚 am thrilled to return to Dalhousie and Halifax. It鈥檚 an exciting time for the university, as it celebrates 200 years of achievement and so many successes in recent years,鈥 says Mr. MacKinnon. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to joining an excellent team in advancing Dal鈥檚 strategic plan and continuing that success through to the appointment of a new president.鈥
Since leaving the University of Saskatchewan, Mr. MacKinnon became the inaugural Prime Ministers of Canada Fellow at the Public Policy Forum in Ottawa and served for two years as interim president of Athabasca University. He chaired the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Expert Panel on team science and was commissioned by the Premier of Saskatchewan to review and report on sovereign wealth funds. A past chair of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (now Universities Canada), Mr. MacKinnon has written or co-edited five books including sole authorship of two recent volumes on universities published by University of Toronto Press: University Leadership and Public Policy in the Twenty-First Century (2014) and University Commons Divided: Exploring Debate and Dissent on Campus (2018). His awards and honours include Officer of the Order of Canada, Queen's Counsel and several honorary degrees, including one from Dalhousie in 2012.
The search for Dalhousie鈥檚 12th President and Vice-Chancellor is well underway, with the committee expecting to announce an appointment sometime in the new year. For more information, visit the Presidential Search website.
- 30 -
Media Contact:
Brian Leadbetter
Director of Communications
Communications and Marketing
91探花平台
tel: 902-494-4144
cell: 902-225-9698
email: brian.leadbetter@dal.ca
Recent News
- Media opportunity: The beauty of some of the planet's most colourful ecosystems has clear economic benefits and should be a consideration in their protection: international study
- Media release: 91探花平台 research team receives Moderna Global Fellowship Award to investigate mpox virus outbreaks in Africa, develop therapeutics and vaccine candidates
- Media opportunity: 91探花平台 study examines how rise in discrimination, harmful rhetoric targeting 2SLGBTQ+ people is affecting their mental health
- Media Opportunity: Historic First: Meet the Trailblazing Graduates of Dalhousie鈥檚 Black and African Diaspora Studies Major
- Media opportunity: Increasingly popular 'looksmaxxing' sites can harm rather than help young men, making some feel like failures in the 'manosphere': 91探花平台 research
- Media Release: Dalhousie Partners with Groups Across Nova Scotia to Celebrate International Day of Play with Province鈥憌ide Events & Resources
- Media opportunity: New global centre for mental health at 91探花平台 aims to reduce treatment gaps worldwide through care delivery innovations, education, research and advocacy
- Media Opportunity: Interview Dalhousie鈥檚 First Vice鈥慞rovost, Indigenous Relations 鈥 John R. Sylliboy