John Ferguson elected as 17th U of A chancellor

New Chancellor John Ferguson

Former Board of Governors chair John Ferguson has been elected the new chancellor of the University of Alberta by the university senate. He begins his four-year term as the university's 17th chancellor on June 14.

Among his ambitions are to raise the international profile of the university, foster the development of technology and encourage the recognition of academic achievement, he told a press conference announcing his appointment May 12.

"I'd love to have our outstanding academics recognized equally as well as our top athletes," he said. "I'd like them to be recognized on the street, just like [Edmonton Oilers] Doug Weight or Bill Guerin."

Ferguson added he hopes to dramatically improve attendance at the university's annual general meeting held in October, which has drawn about 800 members of the public in recent years.

President Rod Fraser called Ferguson an ideal choice to carry on the outstanding work done by outgoing Chancellor Lois Hole in "connecting the university to our community." Hole steps down from her position after two years to fulfill her duties as Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.

"To follow the tradition she's created is such a huge honor and a big challenge," said Ferguson. "I'm proud and humbled that I've been elected by the senate to fulfill this role."

Ferguson was born and raised in Edmonton and graduated from the U of A in 1964 (B.A. commerce). In 1975 he founded Princeton Developments Ltd., a world leader in cold-weather climate property development.

Ferguson was chair of the U of A's Board of Governors between 1994 and 1997, and serves on the boards of the Royal Bank of Canada, RBC Insurance Holdings Inc. and TransAlta Corporation (as chair). He also serves on the boards of The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the CD Howe Institute and the University of Alberta Business Advisory Council.

In 1995 he was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Alberta in 1998.

Acting as a volunteer liaison between the university and the community, the chancellor is the titular head of the university, chairing all senate meetings, serving as a member of the Board of Governors, conferring degrees at convocation and representing the university at all ceremonial occasions.