Announcing Inaugural Provost Fellow in Black Excellence and Leadership

Dr. W. Andy Knight has been appointed Provost Fellow: Black Excellence and Leadership for a two-year term.

Dr. W. Any Knight, Provost Fellow: Black Excellence and Leadership, University of Alberta

In alignment with our institutional commitment to the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education, and continuing our work to champion equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of Alberta, I am thrilled to share that we have created a new position: Provost Fellow in Black Excellence and Leadership. Dr. W. Andy Knight has accepted this inaugural role for a two-year term, effective January 1, 2023.

Working in collaboration with Dr. Carrie Smith, recently-appointed Vice-Provost EDI, this new role aims to address Anti-Black Racism in the academy. Dr. Knight will assist in a variety of projects which include developing a strategy and plan for Black excellence recruitment and retention, helping to identify and address inequities, and supporting the development of training and curriculum in Black Studies, the Black lived experience and countering anti-Black racism.

Dr. Knight’s extensive experience will bring invaluable insights to these initiatives.

About Dr. Andy Knight

W. Andy Knight is Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science, and past Chair of the Department. He is the former Director of the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad & Tobago, and co-founder and the former head of the Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Dr. Knight was named among Alberta's top 50 most influential people by Venture Magazine, and designated the Harry Jerome Trailblazer by the Black Business and Professional Association of Canada. Dr. Knight is a Senior Fellow of the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy in Toronto and of McLaughlin College at York University.In March 2021, Dr. Knight was awarded the University of Alberta’s highest honour - the University of Alberta Distinguished Professor. He was the 2021-22 Fulbright Distinguished Chair in International and Area Studies at Yale University, and co-hosts the Black Talk podcast.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Knight and welcoming him to this new leadership role at the U of A.

Verna Yiu
Interim Provost and Vice-President (Academic)