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U of L president elected as board chair of Universities Canada

Oct 26, 2017 | 10:09 AM

University of Lethbridge president Dr. Mike Mahon was elected the Chair of Universities Canada’s board of directors today during the association’s fall membership meeting in Ottawa.

Universities Canada president Paul Davidson says Mahon is an outstanding academic leader.

“He has a particular passion for improving the student experience, advancing reconciliation and pursuing research excellence, among many other skills,” Davidson added.

Dr. Mahon says he’s honoured to have this new opportunity to work with his colleagues across Canada to advance the role of universities in building a better country.

He was named the sixth president and vice-chancellor of the University of Lethbridge in 2010, and is currently serving a second term after he was reappointed on July 1, 2015. Dr. Mahon’s past roles with Universities Canada included board member and chair of the governance committee.

“Now is Canada’s moment, and I look forward to working with university leaders to build Canada’s reputation as a global leader in research and innovation, prepare our next generation and strengthen Canadian communities,” Mahon said.

Dr. Mahon is succeeding the outgoing board chair University of Calgary president Dr. Elizabeth Cannon, who held the position since 2015.

Davidson says they’ve been very fortunate to have Dr. Cannon lead the university community.

“She launched our commitments to Canadians, advocated successfully for new research investments and helped position Canada’s universities internationally in this period of global change,” Davidson said.

Universities Canada is the voice of Canada’s universities at home and abroad, helping to advance higher education, research and innovation that they believe will benefit Canadians far and wide.