The Université de l'Ontario français (UOF) is proud to announce the appointment of its first Interim President, Mr. Normand Labrie, unanimously elected by the university's Board of Governors. With a distinguished career as a professor of sociolinguistics, as a renowned university researcher, in particular on the topic of post-secondary education, and as a director of various research organizations, the UOF's first leader assumed his duties on July 1, 2018.
Professor Labrie has accrued over 14 years of experience in public and university administration. He has previously worked as Director of the Centre de recherches en études franco-ontariennes of the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and as Associate Dean Research and Graduate Studies for the same institute. In 2012, Mr. Labrie was appointed by the Council of Ministers of the Government of Québec as Scientific Director of the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture. His research also earned him recognition and honours by his peers, who awarded him the Medal of the Order of La Pléiade for his contribution to the development of the Francophonie in 2007. He was also elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016.
With a particular passion for developing French-language post-secondary education in Ontario, Professor Labrie's expertise and research provided ample support for the UOF's foundational works. He began as a member of the French-language University Planning Board in 2016, then as a member of the Université de l'Ontario français' Technical Implementation Committee in November 2017.
"The Board of Governors is glad to appoint Normand Labrie as Interim President of the Université de l'Ontario français and has complete faith in him. The challenges are great, but his contributions over many years, even while the project was nothing but an idea, and his strong understanding of the matter make him the ideal candidate to establish our Francophone university," said Dyane Adam, Chair of the Board of Governors for Université de l'Ontario français. "His appointment entrenches the development of activities for the university and ensures that the university's mission, vision and values will be respected."
Over a one-year mandate, the Interim President will oversee the university's various projects. It will fall on Mr. Labrie to ensure the success of its academic and administrative work ahead of the university's opening in Toronto in 2020.
"This appointment is an invaluable recognition. I hope to rise to the challenge by continuing the work we've already begun. Although the deadlines are tight, we are making rapid progress and the university takes shape with each passing day. My purpose is to root it into Ontario's landscape and make it stand out nationally and internationally. I am already immersed in the work to reach those goals!" said Professor Normand Labrie, Interim President of Université de l'Ontario français.
In the fall of 2018, UOF will launch a competition to fill the regular position of president, with a start date in July 2019.
A Summary of Mr. Normand Labrie's Career:
- Over 25 years of university-level teaching experience at University of Toronto, Université Paris III Sorbonne Nouvelle and Berlin Free University
- Over 14 years of experience in public and university management
- Over 10 years of experience in governance within various organizations like the Centre francophone de Toronto, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the University of Toronto's Governance Council
- 2 Major Acknowledgements: Knight, Order of La Pléiade in 2007, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016
- Over 150 publications, including L'Accès des francophones aux études postsecondaires en Ontario : perspectives étudiantes et institutionnelles, and over 300 communications across the world
