October 18, 2012 - At its regular meeting held today in Barrie, the Board of Governors of Laurentian University endorsed the unanimous recommendation of the Presidential Review Committee to renew Dominic Giroux as President and Vice-Chancellor.
The Presidential Review Committee is comprised of Board members and faculty members serving as Senate representatives. The Committee consulted broadly with students, faculty, staff, university associations, Senate, members of the external community and the education sector, to inform their recommendation. The Presidential Review Committee received input from 70 persons or organizations, both internal and external to the university community.
“The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive about the University’s accomplishments and progress since Dominic Giroux joined us,” said the Chair of Laurentian’s Board of Governors, Floyd Laughren. “Our Board is extremely pleased with President Giroux's performance and we are excited by the compelling vision that has been presented for the years ahead. We are fully confident that President Giroux is the leader to make the vision a reality.”
“Dominic was brought in as an agent of change in 2009, and he has delivered,” said Board Vice-Chair Michael Atkins. “Under his leadership, Laurentian has established clear priorities, while balancing the budget, and donations to the university are up exponentially, including this week’s announcement of a historic gift by Ned Goodman to name our new School of Mines. We have been able to invest several million dollars into student services and into the classroom for faculty members. We have created and staffed the Centre for Academic Excellence, we have set aside $51M for campus renewal and modernization, and we have a pragmatic and ambitious vision for our campus in Barrie. We have also secured funding for the School of Architecture to open in downtown Sudbury in 2013, and have built extensive new partnerships with community and industry. There are many people at Laurentian who have contributed to these successes, but the inspiration really starts with Dominic Giroux,” said Atkins.
“I am delighted to congratulate Dominic on his reappointment. He understands the vital role a university plays in regional economic development, and he has been a champion for the cause of a downtown university campus in our city,” said Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman. “I look forward to his continued innovative and strategic leadership,” added Lehman.
President Giroux became Laurentian University’s ninth President on April 1st, 2009, beginning a renewable 5-year term ending June 30, 2014. The process of Presidential Review is typically started about 18 months before the end of a term. His second term, also renewable, will extend through June 30, 2019.
“The success of any university comes from the talent, commitment, and creativity of its students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters,” said President Giroux. “It is a privilege to lead this university, and I am honoured and humbled by this vote of confidence from our Board of Governors. It has been an exciting time at Laurentian and there are so many more achievements ahead, as we work to implement the 2012-2017 Strategic Plan. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue leading this collective effort,” he added.
President Giroux’s leadership has been recognized through his work as one of four members of the Drummond Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services, and by his appointment by the province as Co-Special Advisor on the implementation of a Northern Policy Institute. He is also one of four members of Ontario’s Ring of Fire Advisory Council. Respected by his peers, Giroux has been asked to serve as Co-Chair of the new Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT), and as one of 12 presidents on the board of directors of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). He is Co-Chair of the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS) and served as Vice-Chair of the Association des universités de la francophonie canadienne (AUFC). He was recently recruited to the Globe and Mail’s Higher Education Advisory Panel and to the Mowat Centre’s Advisory Board. Recipient of one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Awards in 2011, Giroux also received one of the Queen’s Jubilee Medals and was named the 2010 Education Personality of the Year by Radio-Canada/LeDroit.