Appointment of Professor Karin Ruhlandt as Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean, UTSC (PDAD&C #30)

From: Linda Johnston, Acting Vice-President and Principal, U of T Scarborough
Trevor Young, Vice-President & Provost
Date: March 19, 2024
Re: Appointment of Professor Karin Ruhlandt as Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean, UTSC (PDAD&C #30)

We are pleased to inform you that the Agenda Committee of Academic Board has approved the appointment of Professor Karin Ruhlandt as Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean, University of Toronto Scarborough, for a five-year term effective July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2029. Professor Ruhlandt will also be joining the University at the rank of Professor in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences. 

Professor Karin Ruhlandt joins the University of Toronto Scarborough from Syracuse University where she is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Dean Emerita. Since her arrival at Syracuse in 1993, she has served in various roles including Chair of the Department of Chemistry (2009-2014) and Dean, College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), the University’s largest College, a role she held until 2022.

Professor Ruhlandt is a highly respected leader with a passion for interdisciplinary collaboration. Under her leadership, the Syracuse College of Arts & Sciences spearheaded initiatives and policies to support and enhance the student experience, with a focus on attracting and retaining a diverse, world-class faculty. Working with key stakeholders, including students, faculty and staff, she stewarded the development and implementation of the first academic strategic plan at the College.

Throughout her career, Professor Ruhlandt has been a champion for improved opportunities for traditionally underrepresented students and faculty through programs at Syracuse such as SUSTAIN, ACS-SEED, ADVANCE, WISE and others. She has mentored and supported many women in STEM from undergraduates, graduates and postdoctoral fellows to junior faculty members, and fostered a pipeline of trainees through an innovative funded program for undergraduate students.

As Dean, she raised the research profile of the College and increased research funding by 59% within one year. Under her leadership, the College was at the forefront of translational research, with the largest number of faculty on campus engaged in industry collaborations as well as intellectual property and patent activities.

Professor Ruhlandt is an accomplished scholar and an internationally recognized expert within her field of inorganic chemistry. Her research is focused on main group and lanthanide chemistry and X-ray crystallography, for which she has earned multiple grants and awards, including a Fulbright Fellowship and the National Science Foundation Career award. She has more than 150 papers, book chapters, and reviews to her credit.

We wish to thank members of the Advisory Committee for their time, insights, and excellent guidance during the search process. Please join us in welcoming Professor Ruhlandt to our community. We look forward to working with her to realize University of Toronto Scarborough’s vision of inclusive excellence.