SSC Chancellors

At the November 2022 Convocation, the Senate of St. Stephen's College conferred upon Michael Phair, the honour and responsibility of the St. Stephen's Chancellery.

Michael has served as a strong advocate for social-justice issues, education, championed efforts to reduce homelessness, promoting affordable housing, and advocacy for the advancement of 2SLGBTQ+ rights in Edmonton and beyond. In 1992, Michael joined Edmonton’s city council and became Alberta’s first openly gay elected official. He went on to found HIV Edmonton (then known as the AIDS Society of Edmonton) and has served as a board member with Edmonton Homeward Trust, the Edmonton Community Legal Centre, the Edmonton Pride Society, and the North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society. Mr. Phair is an adjunct professor with the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services (iSMSS) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta and was recently awarded honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta.

These are just a few of his lifelong endeavors and accomplishments and we are delighted to have him champion our community of learning as the College’s Ninth Chancellor.