Dr. Alan Shepard recommended as candidate forConcordia president
Updated April 24, 2012.
The Board of Governors of Concordia University is pleased to announce the unanimous recommendation of Dr. Alan Shepard as candidate for president and vice-chancellor.
Feedback from the community about the candidate may be forwarded to danielle.tessier@concordia.ca before noon on May 1, 2012, for consideration by the Search Committee. Once the formal recommendation is finalized, it will be brought to the Board of Governors for consideration.
“Our search process was meticulous in ensuring that candidates for the position had the best qualifications,” said Concordia Chancellor L. Jacques Ménard, who chaired the Search Committee. “In addition to having exceptional credentials, Dr. Shepard impressed us because of his proven track record in university leadership, particularly his focus on student engagement, innovation, and partnership, and his valuable contributions to public policy on higher education.
“If appointed, Dr. Shepard is looking forward to moving to Montreal with his family and fully integrating into Quebec’s vibrant culture and linguistic environment,” adds Ménard.
Dr. Shepard has been the provost and vice-president academic of Ryerson University since 2007, where as chief academic officer, he has oversight of academic policy, strategic planning and the university’s budget. He has led many significant initiatives over the last number of years, including the adoption of a comprehensive Academic Plan and the Provost’s Commission on Academic Structure.
He received his PhD in English from the University of Virginia and has held fellowships at The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C., and the University of Toronto’s Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies and Northrop Frye Centre for the Humanities.
Dr. Shepard’s research interests include English literary culture before 1800, the cultural relationship of early modern literature and science, and the impact of technology on how we communicate. In addition to having published scholarly books and articles, Dr. Shepard edited a bilingual Canadian academic journal for five years, during which time he substantially strengthened and renewed the editorial board, adding a number of prominent scholars of French from across Canada and internationally.
Related links:
• Alan Shepard's CV
• Alan Shepard's biography