I am excited to share that Professor Lance McCready has accepted an offer to serve as Interim Director of the Transitional Year Programme from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020.

Professor McCready joined the University of Toronto in 2006 and is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership, Higher, and Adult Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

In addition to his appointment at OISE, Professor McCready is also a faculty affiliate of several centres across the University including the Centre for Urban Schooling, the Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, the Centre for the Study of the United States, and the Centre for Media and Culture in Education. He is an active member of the American Education Research Association (AERA), where he previously served as the Affirmative Action Officer for Division B: Curriculum Studies and Chair and Co-Chair of the Queer Studies Special Interest Group (SIG). He is also on the Research Advisory Board of the African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario and has collaborated and consulted with the Toronto District School Board, Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention, and Sherbourne Health Centre.

Professor McCready completed his M.A. and Ph.D in Social and Cultural Studies in Education from the University of California, Berkeley, with Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Professor McCready’s research focuses on the education, health, and well-being of Black men, boys, and queer youth with a special interest in developing policies, programs, and services that facilitate access to postsecondary education, employment, and healthcare. He is the recipient of the Ontario Education Research Symposium Change Maker Award for Distinguished Research Scholar (2018) and Ludwik and Estelle Jus Memorial Human Rights Prize (2017). He was recently awarded an Ontario Human Capital and Research Innovation Fund grant to better understand non-financial barriers to young Black men’s transition from high school to college.

I am thrilled that Professor McCready is willing to step in as Interim Director of TYP. He is uniquely qualified for this important position and he will provide excellent leadership for both TYP and the University. Please join me in congratulating Lance and welcoming him to the TYP community.

I would also like to extend my appreciation to Professor Thomas Mathien for graciously agreeing to serve as Interim Director during the 2017-18 academic year while we continued the search for the next leader of the Transitional Year Programme. Professor Mathien is a longstanding – and highly regarded – member of the TYP faculty and administrative team and I am sure he will continue to offer his support and expertise during the transition period and beyond. Thank you, Tom.