New Chancellor to push for continued success at Nipissing
Nipissing University’s third Chancellor, Dr. Jon S. Dellandrea, CM, was officially installed today in a special ceremony.
He was appointed to a four-year term as Chancellor by the university’s Board of Governors on Monday, September 13.
The Chancellor serves a vital role providing advice and counsel to the university while acting as an important advocate and ambassador. As the titular head of the university, the Chancellor also confers all degrees at Convocation.
During the ceremony, Dellandrea took an oath of office, administered by the Chair of the Board of Governors, Peter Gavan, in which he promised to keep and preserve the statutes, liberties, customs, rights and privilege of the university, and to promote its well-being and that of its members during his term.
Nipissing’s past university Chancellors, Jim Redpath and David Liddle, assisted in the installation.
Dellandrea then addressed the audience. In his speech, he discussed the significance of post-secondary education, and especially Aboriginal education to Canada’s future. He echoed the challenge that National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo laid out when he was awarded an honorary degree from Nipissing this past June, to build greater access and participation of Canada’s Aboriginal people in post-secondary education. He also spoke about the importance of philanthropy and the need for individuals to be engaged in affecting positive change in the world.
Following the Chancellor’s remarks, the university presented the Chancellor’s Scholarships, the President’s Scholarships, the Schulich Scholarships in Science and Mathematics Education, and Aboriginal Scholarships to Nipissing’s top students. Nipissing’s newest Chancellor offered each student recipient his congratulations.
"It is a tremendous honour to be installed as Chancellor of this exceptional university, which plays a vital role in my home community as well as in Muskoka and Brantford,” said Dellandrea. “Nipissing has accomplished a great deal in its relatively short history and I look forward to assisting the university as it continues to push forward to even greater successes in education and research.”
“This is a very exciting time for Nipissing University as we embark on a new chapter in our journey and we are extremely pleased that Chancellor Dellandrea has officially joined us,” said Lesley Lovett-Doust, Nipissing University President and Vice-Chancellor. “There is much to celebrate, from the launch of the strategic plan, the creation of the Schulich School of Education, the construction of the Harris Learning Library, shared with our partners, Canadore College, and the unique Complex for Healthy Active Living and Research on campus. We are establishing new ways of approaching education and developing innovative programs, opportunities and access for our students. Chancellor Dellandrea’s extensive experience and leadership will serve Nipissing very well as we continue to move forward in our mission.”
Raised in North Bay, Dellandrea is one of the world’s foremost figures in university advancement. He currently serves as a counsel to the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. From 2005 – 2008, he was the pro-vice-chancellor (Development and External Affairs) at the University of Oxford, where he launched a $2.5 billion dollar campaign. As vice-president and chief development officer at the University of Toronto, a position he held from 1994 – 2005, Dellandrea headed the single largest fundraising campaign in the history of Canadian Universities, raising more than $1.2 billion for student aid and endowed chairs. He has been awarded the Order of Canada, the Laureate Award of the Institute for Charitable Giving in the United States, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education and the Outstanding Fundraising Executive Award from the National Society of Fundraising Executives. He also received an honorary degree from Nipissing in 2010.
Dellandrea is the third Chancellor in Nipissing’s history, succeeding David Liddle who began his term in 2002. Jim Redpath served as Nipissing’s first Chancellor from 1994 – 2002.