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Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338 News ReleaseFebruary 07, 2002 OAC names first-ever international advisory councilThe University of Guelph's Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) has announced its first-ever international advisory council, a 15-member board that will assist the college in strategic planning and development. "This is a truly impressive group of individuals," University president Mordechai Rozanski said Wednesday during the OAC Alumni Foundation Dinner, where the advisory council was introduced. "They bring together a wealth of expertise that is international in scope, and promises an exciting and challenging exchange of ideas and advice." Rozanski added that the council was initiated by OAC's new dean, Craig Pearson. "This advisory council helps inaugurate a new era and a new leader for OAC. Craig is already making great strides on behalf of the college, putting his bold vision into action, and he has my full support." Pearson, who took over leadership of OAC last fall, was a chief scientist with the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in Australia. Prior to that, he was pro-vice-chancellor of the Gatton campus of the University of Queensland and executive dean of its faculty of natural resources, agriculture and veterinary science. Pearson said the council will play a crucial role in boosting the college's global presence and will rely on OAC's history of "courageous and visionary" leadership. "I'm conscious that I am attempting to add value to an already top-class enterprise. But I aim for OAC to be the best of the best, and this requires us to set audacious goals, to raise the bar. This council will allow us to do just that, to develop strategies, monitor our performance and find new and innovative ways to serve our learners and our regional and global communities." The advisory council will be chaired by Ola Ullsten, a former prime minister of Sweden who received an honorary doctorate from Guelph in 1999. Ullsten was Sweden's ambassador to Canada and Italy and is the current chair of the Working Group on Global Deforestation Trends. Other members are:
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