The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) is pleased to announce the appointment of prominent academic leader Dr. Patrick Deane as Chair of the membership organization that represents Ontario’s 21 publicly funded universities for a two-year term.

Deane, who is also President and Vice-Chancellor of McMaster University, takes over from outgoing COU Chair, Dr. Max Blouw, President and Vice-Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University.

“During his term, Dr. Blouw was a tireless champion of the true value of a university education, promoting this to government and in public dialogue, and we thank him for his commitment to Ontario’s university sector and to higher education across the country,” said Bonnie M. Patterson, COU’s President and CEO.

“We are delighted that Dr. Deane will be next to lead us through what will be a continued period of considerable change for universities. The funding formula for universities is under review by the government, and the next two years will see the development of an international strategy and discussions about a tuition framework for the future – both of which will have major implications for the quality of the student experience, which he has always championed.”

President and Vice-Chancellor of McMaster University Patrick Deane announced as new COU Chair

Deane says that as a professor and President he feels privileged to be entrusted with the intellectual growth of students.

“Now, as Chair of the Council of Ontario Universities I am pleased to be able to contribute on a broader scale, working with the COU President, staff and my fellow Council members to realize the ambitions and potential of students and researchers across our province,” Deane says.

“Resilient and creative as they are different from each other, the universities of Ontario will find ongoing renewal in their negotiation with the changing currents of our society.”

Deane became President and Vice-Chancellor of McMaster University in July 2010. He is also a professor in the Department of English and Cultural Studies. As President, he is focused on enhancing the student experience, integrating community engagement into the work of the academy, and ensuring the continuation of a wide range of high quality research.

He holds a PhD from Western University, where he also taught English Literature. He also taught at the University of Toronto. He accepted an appointment as Vice-President Academic at the University of Winnipeg in 2001, and subsequently served as Acting President and Provost. In 2005, he was appointed Vice-Principal Academic of Queen’s University.

Deane was the first recipient of the John Charles Polanyi Prize for Literature in 1988.

Quick facts:

• More than 866,600 undergraduate degrees were awarded in Ontario between 2001 and 2012.
• More than 406,400 undergraduate students attended Ontario universities in the 2013-14 school year
• University enrolment has increased by 69 per cent since 2000.
• 43 per cent of Canada’s total university population has been educated at Ontario universities.

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COU is the voice of Ontario’s universities, promoting the value of education, research and innovation that leads to social, cultural and economic success.

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For further information, please contact:

Wendy McCann
Director, Strategic Communications and Media Relations
416-979-2165 ext. 233
647-271-0825 (cell)
Email Wendy McCann