From: Trevor Young, Vice-President and Provost
Date: May 28, 2026
Re: Appointment of Professor Alex Hernandez as Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse (PDAD&C #46)

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Alex Hernandez as the University’s next Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse for a two-year term beginning on July 1, 2026. 

Professor Hernandez is Principal of Victoria College and Associate Professor in the Department of English at the Faculty of Arts & Science, where he specializes in 18th-century literature and culture. His scholarship aims at an interdisciplinary approach to the period, balancing an attention to historical detail alongside theoretical frames that privilege reparation, description, and anthropological curiosity. He is a seasoned and award-winning educator and has previously served as the Faculty of Arts & Science Special Advisor on Liberal Arts Education. Professor Hernandez has also worked with the Office of the Vice-President and Provost and the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation in leading a series of workshops on navigating tensions in the classroom when it comes to academic freedom, EDI topics, and controversial course content. He succeeds Professor Randy Boyagoda, who will end his term as Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse on June 30.  

Since his appointment in February 2024, Professor Boyagoda has laid crucial groundwork for the ongoing development of our community’s capacity for productive inquiry and constructive disagreement. As Chair of the Working Group on Civil Discourse, he led in-depth community consultations and encouraged deep reflection. The working group’s final report offered important insights and actionable recommendations for the University in its desire to better foster the conditions for civil discourse on its campuses. Subsequently, Professor Boyagoda inaugurated and chaired the Civil Discourse Advisory Group, comprised of divisional representatives from across the University. Throughout his term, Professor Boyagoda has been a devoted advocate for the practice of “disagreeing well” and has been deeply engaged in broader conversations on the subject across the country.  

I am extremely grateful to Professor Boyagoda for his invaluable contributions in this area over the past two years. I’m looking forward to working with Professor Hernandez in continuing our focus on this important subject.