Welcome Catherine Dauvergne, SFU's next Vice-President, Academic and Provost

A message to the SFU community from Joy Johnson, president designate and chair of the search committee for the vice president, academic and provost.

I am pleased to announce that the Board of Governors has approved the appointment of Dr. Catherine Dauvergne as Vice-President Academic and Provost from November 23, 2020 to August 31, 2025. Dr. Dauvergne will be taking over this role from Dr. Jonathan Driver, who will continue to serve as Vice-President Academic and Provost pro tem until Dr. Dauvergne’s appointment begins.

Dr. Dauvergne combines an impressive record of scholarship with progressive administrative experience. She is currently finishing her first five-year term as the Dean of Law at the Peter A. Allard School at UBC. During her term, she implemented an experiential learning curriculum, developed a post-graduation debt-relief pilot program—the first of its kind among law schools in western Canada—and led the implementation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action within the school.

Dr. Dauvergne also served as the Special Advisor to the UBC President from 2009 to 2011, where she was co-director of the international strategic planning group, led a province-wide working group on university finance, and worked with the inaugural Ombudsperson to support students at the school. Over her career, Dr. Dauvergne has worked in the areas of refugee, immigration and citizenship law and held a Canada Research Chair in Migration Law for ten years. Dr. Dauvergne was named a Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation Fellow in 2012 in recognition of her contributions to public discourse and appointed to the Queen’s Counsel in 2019. At SFU, Dr. Dauvergne will join the School for International Studies.

The Vice-President Academic and Provost is responsible for overseeing the delivery of all academic programs at the university, including student experience and student success, resource allocation, academic planning, quality assurance, and support and development of faculty members. The position also works with others on the development of academic programs, faculty and portfolio budgets, faculty hiring plans, and supports for students.

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. I would also like to extend thanks to my fellow members of the selection committee, the Board of Governors and all of those who took part in the search process by contributing to the consultation.

I hope that you will join me in welcoming Dr. Dauvergne to the SFU community.