Joël Dickinson

Chair of Universities Canada’s governance committee

Biography

Dr. Joël Dickinson was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) on July 1, 2022.

Before joining MSVU, Dr. Dickinson was Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Laurentian University and also held the positions of Acting Associate Vice-President of Teaching and Learning (2020-2021), and Chair of the university’s Department of Psychology.

She has held a leadership role with the Laurentian University Sexuality and Gender Diversity Committee and was a long-standing member of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Status of Women. She also served as an ex officio member of the Laurentian University Native Education Council, through which she has had the honour of learning from the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nations People.

She has previously taught at the University of New Brunswick and Mount Allison University. Dr. Dickinson holds a Psychology Honours, Bachelor of Arts and PhD in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick.

She is a Full Professor of Psychology with a research focus in cognitive processing during schema violations. She has experience in development and training for diversity and inclusion workshops. She has a successful teaching and research career, winning the Laurentian University Teaching Excellence award in 2016.

She is an active community volunteer and has worked with many non-profit organizations and advisory boards, including the Women in Cognitive Science Canada Advisory Board and Réseau Access Network. She currently serves as a Director on the Board of 211 Nova Scotia, is Chair of the Governance Committee on the Universities Canada Board and is the Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy (ACEDIP).

Throughout her career she has demonstrated her commitment to engaging with faculty, staff, students and the local community and continues to be an advocate for those overcoming situations of adversity to succeed.