UNIVERSITY OF SUDBURY
Chair of the Board of Governors Awarded the Ordre de la Pléiade in Recognition of his Commitment to the Francophone Community

Université de Sudbury notes with great pride that the Ontario division of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) has presented Pierre Riopel with the Ordre de la Pléiade award for his contribution to the development of Ontario's Francophone community.

As chair of Université de Sudbury's board of governors, Pierre Riopel spearheaded the adoption, on March 11, 2021, of the historic resolution that transformed the institution into a French-language university with governance "by and for" the FrancoOntarian community.

On September 15, 2021, under Pierre Riopel's leadership, the board adopted a major reform of its general regulation, which established the "by and for" principle, made French the institution's language of work and ended the institution's denominational status.

Université de Sudbury has since continued to transition into an autonomous French-language post-secondary institution and to pursue its commitment to Francophone students and to mid-northern Ontario's Francophone community. 

"When I agreed to serve as chair of the Université de Sudbury board of governors, I certainly did not expect to be dealing with one of the most important issues faced by Ontario's Francophone post-secondary sector in many years. I am proud to have been recognized with this award and I will continue my commitment to the community and to making our province a better place to live."

"Université de Sudbury takes great pride in the fact that Pierre Riopel has been named to the Ordre de la Pléiade. This award recognizes the life work of a great leader in our community. Moreover, it recognizes yet again the transformation of our institution in the spirit of the by and for' principle, which we are pursuing with students and the entire Francophone community in mid-northern Ontario."