First day on the job for President Petter
Andrew Petter, 778.782.4641; petter@sfu.ca
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323; Marianne_Meadahl@sfu.ca
Simon Fraser University’s new president, Andrew Petter, won’t be the only new face on campus when he begins his first official day on Sept. 1.
He’ll start by joining 1,600 new students in the heart of the Burnaby campus - Convocation Mall - to kick off SFU’s annual day-long orientation session. (Petter’s welcome address is planned for 9:15 a.m.)
“I will be feeling a definite sense of identity with the students,” says Petter, who made the physical move from Victoria late last week.
“It’s great to be here. I have such a positive feeling about Simon Fraser and its commitments to teaching, research and community engagement,” he adds. “I’m looking forward to getting on with the job. It’s an exciting time.”
Following his orientation address, it’ll be down to work with back-to-back meetings for the remainder of the day and the rest of the week.
Besides the routine, Petter has already planned a series of drop-ins and walk-abouts to get to know the various departments and faculty, staff and students, something he’ll continue throughout the fall semester.
Petter has been working towards his official start date ever since his appointment was announced in January.
“I’ve been out meeting community and government representatives for the past five months,” says Petter. “Now that I’ve arrived, I hope to spend my time connecting with the institution, working within the university community to develop a strategic vision that draws on SFU’s strengths and sets the stage for the future.”
Petter, the past dean of the University of Victoria’s law faculty, will be formally installed as SFU’s ninth president and vice-chancellor on Oct. 7 at 9:45 a.m. during the morning ceremony of Fall Convocation.
A former MLA (Saanich South) who held several key cabinet posts, including Minister of Advanced Education and Attorney General, Petter brings to SFU a life-long commitment to education and an extensive career as university teacher, constitutional scholar and academic administrator.
For more background see:
http://www.sfu.ca/pamr/print/media_releases/media_releases_archives/media_01191003.html
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William Lindsay
Congratulations to Professor Petter on his appointment as SFU's new President! He has a strong background in Aboriginal initiatives so we look forward to his bringing this with him to SFU. SFU is now catching up with other instituions in this regard. Perhaps it can become a leader in Canada in this area under Professor Petter's leadership.