Reappointment of Heather Boon as Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life & Announcement of Acting Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life (PDAD&C #43)

From:  Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President and Provost
Date:   May 20, 2022
Re:  Reappointment of Heather Boon as Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life & Announcement of Acting Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life (PDAD&C #43)

For the full announcement please see the memo from Governing Council.

On May 10, 2022, the Executive Committee of Governing Council approved the reappointment of Heather Boon as Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life for a five-year term from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2028 and the appointment of Randy Boyagoda as Acting Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life from January 1 to December 31, 2023.

A seasoned and respected academic administrator, Professor Boon has been reappointed to the role of Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2028. Prior to taking on her Vice-Provostial role, she served as Dean of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. Over the course of her tenure as Dean, she served as a member of the Council of Health Sciences Deans and the committee of Deans of Single-Department Faculties, acting for one year as the latter’s representative on the President’s Divisional Advisory Committee (DAC). As Vice-Provost, Professor Boon has worked to improve service delivery and timeliness around the range of faculty processes, including appointments and tenure. Her office has refreshed and designed new programming in areas of faculty development and EDI initiatives. And she has overseen other critical University processes including academic integrity.

Professor Boon is a licensed pharmacist and holds cross-appointments with the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

While Professor Boon is serving as Acting Vice-President, PSEC and then subsequently on a six-month administrative leave, Professor Randy Boyagoda will be serving as Acting Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life from January 1 2023 to December 31 2023. He will serve as Vice-Provostial Advisor to Professor Boon, undertaking specific high-priority projects from July 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022.

Professor Boyagoda, a Professor of English, has been serving as Vice-Dean, Undergraduate in the Faculty of Arts and Science since 2020. Before taking on that position, he served as Principal and Vice-President of the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto.

As Vice-Dean, Professor Boyagoda has been responsible for working with academic leaders centrally and throughout the division to advance the Faculty of Art and Science’s priorities and strategies for undergraduate education and experience. He has served as divisional lead for ensuring academic continuity for the Faculty’s undergraduate programs and courses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professor Boyagoda is a writer, critic and essayist. He has published six books, including the novels Governor of the Northern Province, Beggar’s Feast, Original Prin, and, most recently, Dante’s Indiana. As a teacher, critic, and researcher, his interests include U.S. literature and culture, the Catholic intellectual tradition, contemporary literary fiction, and the role of ideas in Canadian and international public life.