In seeking its new President & Vice-Chancellor – one of Canada’s top ten research-intensive universities, and the country’s leading bi-lingual institution – the University was anxious to ensure that all aspects of its mission would have the leadership to take it forward on a regional, national and international stage.  The new leader would be succeeding an outgoing President & Vice-Chancellor with a distinguished career in law and public service – and an alumnus of the University.

The search, led by our Montreal colleagues, Kenniff Leadership (formerly Kenniff & Racine), was both extensive and international, and based on extensive consultation with the University at the outset.  The outcome was the appointment of Professor Jacques Frémont, a senior academic and leader from the Université de Montréal, where he had held appointments as Dean of the Faculty of Law, Vice-Rector (International Relations) and latterly, Provost before moving to New York City to lead international education programmes for the Open Society Foundations, then returning to Canada in 2013 as President of the Québec Human Rights and Youth Protection Rights Commission.  He will take up his post at the University in July 2016.