Written by: Michelle Gomez, News Editor
Dr. Catherine Dauvergne is currently the Dean of Law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC, and previously held the role of Special Advisor to the UBC President between 2009 and 2011. She was also appointed to the Queen’s Counsel in 2019. However, beginning November 23, 2020 and until August 31, 3025, Dr. Dauvergne will serve as SFU’s Vice-President, Academic and Provost.
The Vice-President Academic and Provost is the senior academic officer at SFU, and oversees all academic programs. They are also involved in supporting students, recruiting and retaining faculty, supporting innovation in academia, and responding to community needs with research. Throughout COVID-19, the VP Academic and Provost has been heavily involved in academic, research, and course delivery planning.
Members of the SFU Senate brought up some concerns in the June 8 Senate meeting regarding the appointment process of the new VP Academic and Provost. The main critique was the lack of a public presentation of a short list of candidates prior to the appointment being made, which is what has typically been done in the past. The Board instead chose a single candidate for approval or denial of the position.
Dr. Jonathan Driver originally held the position between 2008 and 2016, however, is currently serving on a pro tem basis for the 2019/20 academic year.
“We are grateful to Dr. Driver for serving as Vice-President Academic and Provost pro tem, and most recently for his role in leading SFU’s COVID-19 operational response team,” said an SFU news release.
