July has marked my first month as President and Vice-Chancellor of Laurentian University. This month has been a flurry of activity, between moving to the City of Greater Sudbury, to participating in a new president’s course at Harvard, and meeting individuals across the organization.
I have only begun to scratch the surface of meeting those who have made Laurentian University the institution it is today and provide the potential for what it can become tomorrow. I wanted to provide an update of my activities up to this point, speaking with people, listening and learning. I have captured a number of photos along the way, and invite you to have a look at them below. I have much to learn from meeting with all of you, and look forward to the beginning of the fall academic term when the campus will be bustling with even more new faces.
My official first day in the office was spent meeting with various members of the Laurentian University community. To mark the official first day in the office, I am pictured above with members of the Executive Team, including, Alex Freedman, Sara Kunto, Lorella Hayes, Dr. Rizwan Haq, and Tracy MacLeod. Missing from the Executive Team are Dr. Serge Demers, Shelly Moore-Frappier, Dr. Yves Pelletier, and Lindsey Melanson.
It’s a full plane departing Toronto for my flight to Boston. The next few days will be spent engaging with other new University President’s at Harvard.
Marking my first day of the New President’s Seminar at Harvard. I am joined by a talented group of new University Presidents from across the United States and Canada.
Down time between sessions: Daniel Wubah, President Millersville University, Pa (he also happens to be a King in his native Ghana), Marcheta Evans, President Bloomfield College, NJ, Daniel Coleman, President Birmingham-Southern College.
Left to right, my colleagues at Harvard’s new President’s Course: Vice Admiral Sean Buck, Superintendent, Annapolis Naval Academy, Philip Steenkamp, President and Vice-Chancellor Royal Roads University (BC), Andrew Hsu, President College of Charleston, Susan Elrod, Chancellor, Indianna University South Bend, Rear Admiral William Kelly Superintendent US Coast Guard Academy.
Convocation Ceremony - Today marks the completion of my training at Harvard. It wouldn’t be complete without our own mini convocation ceremony. My next convocation ceremony will be granting degrees from Laurentian University after my installation as the 11th President and Vice-Chancellor.
Meeting with Laurentian University Teaching Excellence award recipients, Laurentian’s two Teaching Fellows and members of the Centre for Academic Excellence: Left to right: Charles Daviau, Dr. Shelley Watson, Dr. Bettina Brockerhoff-Macdonald, myself, Dr. Patricia Orozco, Dr. Michelle Brunette, and Dr. Aaron Langille
Meeting with members of Group 26 to discuss Laurentian University’s Strategic Plan. Members include: Dr. Michelle Brunette, Ben Demianiuk, Sean Parsons, and Justin Lemieux.
Meeting with Dr. Thomas Merritt.
It was a pleasure to meet with visiting professor Dr. Francisco Navarrete Baez from Unjiversidad del Valle de Atemajac, alongside Dr. Jorge Virchez.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Vic Pakalnis before he began his retirement from MIRARCO on July 31. Vic has served as President and CEO of MIRARCO for the past seven years and shared with me his thoughts and advice on MIRARCOs successes and future potential.
I had the opportunity to welcome Physics graduate students from across Canada, United States of America, and Mexico to Laurentian University for the Canadian-America-Mexico Graduate Student Physics Conference, which was jointly hosted by Laurentian University and SNOLAB. Plenary sessions were hosted on Laurentian’s Campus with the opportunity to tour Canada’s Nobel Prize winning Underground Research Laboratory - SNOLAB.