Campus Bulletin

Vice Provosts to head Guelph-Humber initiative

The University of Guelph and Humber College have appointed two new vice-provosts to head academic and administrative endeavours at the new University of Guelph-Humber.

Prof. Michael Nightingale, currently U of G’s assistant vice-president (academic), has been named vice-provost, academic. David Trick, currently assistant deputy minister for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, will serve as vice-provost, administration. Both appointments were unanimously approved by a hiring committee comprising the academic vice-presidents and vice-presidents for finance and administration at both Guelph and Humber.

“The field of applicants for both positions was very strong,” says Prof. Alastair Summerlee, provost and vice-president (academic) at Guelph. “I am extremely pleased that David and Michael have agreed to take on these new positions. They both have a wealth of experience and knowledge that will help ensure the success of this collaborative venture.”

Summerlee noted that Nightingale will bring “a sense of commitment and continuity to the Guelph-Humber project. He has experience both as a dean and as an academic leader and played an integral role in bringing together Guelph’s colleges of Family and Consumer Studies and Social Sciences to create the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences. In addition, he has been working for the past 12 months to establish the academic base for the University of Guelph-Humber programs.”

Guelph president Mordechai Rozanski and Humber president Robert Gordon say they are “absolutely delighted” that Trick has agreed to join Guelph-Humber because he brings invaluable administrative expertise and a profound understanding of colleges and universities.

The new venture between U of G and Humber College will enable students to earn a fully integrated university honours degree and a college diploma in only four years of study. The University of Guelph-Humber will initially offer three programs — business, computing and media studies — beginning in fall 2002. The facility is to be located in Toronto at Humber’s North Campus, where a new building, funded by the SuperBuild will open in fall 2003 to eventually accommodate 2,000 students. Additional program offerings will be added in 2003.

“This project is unique both in its design, because it is truly integrated, and because of the substantial work on curriculum that led to it,” says Richard Hook, Humber’s vice-president, academic. “Both institutions’ faculty have dedicated some two years to curriculum development and created university programs that will take 2,000 students by 2007. We are proud that we have brought together the strengths of two different institutions and cultures and integrated them. We are also fortunate to have people who had the experience and credibility to do this both academically and from an administrative and management perspective. This is a winning combination designed to make the new Guelph-Humber program work and help students succeed.”

As chief academic officer, Nightingale will be responsible for the management, design and development of the joint programs, implementation and marketing, and recruitment of students, faculty and staff. Nightingale, who has academic experience at both the university and college levels and holds both a college diploma and university degrees, was the founding dean of CSAHS and designated dean for the Faculty of Management. Previously, he had served as dean of FACS and director of the School of Hotel and Food Administration. Prior to joining U of G in 1987, he held a number of academic and executive positions in the United Kingdom that included assignments in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. He completed his graduate studies at the University of Surrey and the prestigious Sloan Fellowship Program at the London Business School.

Trick will oversee administrative and financial program management, including new construction and facilities. He will also help build partnerships with employers in conjunction with the development of academic programs, co-ordinate human resources, organize fund-raising, and lead budget development and management. Trick has led the development of the province’s plan for accommodating the future enrolment growth that will result from the “double cohort” and rising participation rates. He has strengthened co-operation between colleges and universities, and introduced system-wide measures to ensure post-secondary institutions are serving Ontario’s students. He has also served as assistant deputy minister of finance and has undertaken assignments at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and IBM Canada. He holds degrees from York, Brandeis and Harvard universities.

The two vice-provosts begin their terms on Oct. 1, 2001.

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