We are pleased to advise you that the Agenda Committee of Academic Board has approved the appointment of Professor William Gough as Interim Vice-Principal (Academic) and Dean, University of Toronto Scarborough, for a one-year period effective September 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016, or until the appointment of a new Dean, whichever comes earlier.

Professor Gough is highly respected in the University community. A climatologist, Professor Gough brings a wealth of administrative and governance experience having served as Vice-Dean, Graduate Education, Chair and Graduate Chair of the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, and Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Geography, as well as a number of University of Toronto committees. His leadership extends to University governance, having served as UTSC’s inaugural Campus Council Chair, as Chair of UTSC Council from 2002 to 2006, as a Faculty Governor on U of T Governing Council, and as a member of the Task Force on Governance, which recommended changes to allow for more autonomous decision-making at UTSC and UTM.

After completing his Masters at U of T and his doctoral studies in climate-related ocean modeling studies at McGill University, Professor Gough worked briefly for Environment Canada before joining the U of T faculty in 1993. Since then, he and his students have examined aspects of climate change, focusing on climate change detection and potential impacts in the eastern Arctic, southwestern Ontario and Toronto.

We are extremely grateful to Professor Gough for taking on this role. We are confident that UTSC will benefit from his wealth of experience in governance and in the decanal portfolio, and his demonstrated strong leadership.

More information about the formal search for the Vice-Principal (Academic) and Dean will be announced shortly.