Universities Canada welcomes Deep Saini as board chair

OTTAWA—Deep Saini, principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University began his two-year mandate as chair of the board of directors of Universities Canada today. His appointment was approved at Universities Canada’s fall membership meeting, where discussions centered around the role of universities in strengthening Canada’s foundations and leading the country towards future success.

“Professor Saini brings valuable international and Canadian post-secondary leadership experience” said Philip Landon, interim president and CEO of Universities Canada. “His steadfast commitment to promoting higher education and innovation will serve the organization well, and I look forward to working with Professor Saini to maintain a strong university system and a strong Canada.”

A career academic and accomplished researcher in plant biology, Professor Saini brings a combination of national post-secondary experience with an international perspective. Professor Saini has previously worked at five of Canada’s universities, including the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo and the Université de Montréal, and most recently served as president of Dalhousie University. Previously, he was vice-chancellor and president of the University of Canberra in Australia.

“Canada’s universities are at the forefront of building a brighter future for Canada, where innovation, inclusivity, and excellence intersect to shape tomorrow’s leaders and advance our capacity to tackle the world’s most pressing issues,” said Professor Saini. “I look forward to working collaboratively with our member institutions and stakeholders to advance Canadian higher education.” Professor Saini succeeds past chair Meric Gertler, president of the University of Toronto.

Universities Canada’s bi-annual membership meeting provides a forum for Canadian university presidents to discuss current issues, as well as the future of post-secondary education and research. Under this fall’s theme, Strengthening foundations through people, ideas and communities, university leaders shared their thoughts on current technological, social, economic and political changes and the critical role of universities in helping Canada navigate this transformative period.

A number of guest speakers joined the meeting, including Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada; Canadian journalist and political commentator Chantal Hébert; as well as Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK and Ted Mitchell, president and CEO of the American Council on Education.

Universities Canada also welcomed new board members Deborah MacLatchy, president of Wilfrid Laurier University and Paul Mazerolle, president of the University of New Brunswick along with Graham Carr, president of Concordia University, as chair of Universities Canada’s research committee.