- The President
- About Joy
- Priorities
- Conversations
- Statements
- 2022
- Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson named SFU’s first Vice-President, People, Equity and Inclusion
- Chris (Syeta’xtn) Lewis joins SFU in advisory role on Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation
- A World of Difference: How universities must evolve in a post-COVID world
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- SFU: What's Next?
- Celebrating National Indigenous Peoples day
- Please join us for the annual appreciation BBQ
- SFU begins process to become Living Wage Employer
- Staying engaged in an increasingly polarized world
- SFU: What's Next? - Message from the President to Faculty and Staff
- SFU: What's Next? - Message from the President to students
- Search Announcement: Provost and Vice-President Academic
- Statement from the VP, PEI: Addressing Racism and Hate at SFU
- 2021
- Welcome new SFU students
- UPDATED Jan. 6: My response to Dec. 11 event in SFU dining hall
- Celebrating Black History Month
- The University’s Role and Contributions to a Just Recovery Over the Next Decade
- Inspired by meetings with SFU Faculty and Staff
- Looking forward to Summer and Fall
- Opinion: This is why SFU is backing the Burnaby Mountain gondola
- External Review of December 11, 2020 Event
- Facing the future with hope
- President's statement on TransMountain Expansion Project and support for a fire hall on Burnaby mountain
- The road ahead
- Stronger Together: SFU, the pandemic and lessons for a better future
- SFU to observe moment of silence at 2:15 PM today
- Taking action: Reconciliation at SFU
- Join SFU President Joy Johnson for a tour of Burnaby campus
- Message from the President: Residential school findings
- Dr. June Francis appointed Special Advisor to the President on Anti-Racism
- My response to the open letter from SFU faculty and staff
- Resources and ways to support scholars in Afghanistan
- BC Vaccine Card
- Masks required on all SFU campuses, vaccine card required for residence, athletics, dining, events and others
- Vaccine declaration and follow-up screening at SFU
- Return to campus planning updates
- Welcome Back
- Work to review contract vs. in-house cleaning and food services
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- SFU and SFSS united in commitment to climate action
- Inclusion benefits us all
- Moving forward with kindness
- SFU commits to full divestment from fossil fuels
- Safety on SFU's campuses
- Thank you!
- Temporary shift to remote learning January 10 – 23, 2022
- 2020
- Statement on academic freedom
- Welcome back faculty and staff
- Welcome back students
- Statement on scholar strike
- Reflections on my first 30 days
- Taking care of ourselves, taking care of each other
- Equity, diversity and inclusion commitments
- Statement on SFU's Athletics Team Name Change
- Finding connection in times of adversity
- Wishing you a safe and restful holiday break
- Op-ed: SFU helping drive social, economic innovation in time of crisis
- 2022
- President’s Distinguished Community Leadership Award
- Strategic Plan
- Approach
- How to participate
- What we're hearing
- April 4, 2022: Updates and reflections
- April 19, 2022: Updates and reflections
- SFU: What’s Next? phase one results now available
- Research assistants shape SFU: What’s Next? analysis
- SFU: What’s Next? – Message from the President to Faculty and Staff
- SFU: What’s Next? – Message from the President to Students
- Search announcement: Provost and Vice-President Academic
- SFU: What’s Next? Phase 2 results now available
- Executive
- Executive Searches
- Contact
Andrew Petter
Andrew Petter is President Emeritus of Simon Fraser University and Professor in its School of Public Policy.
Prior to joining SFU in 2010, he was Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria where he served as Dean from 2001 to 2008. From 1991 to 2001, he served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia and held numerous cabinet portfolios, including Advanced Education, Intergovernmental Relations and Attorney General.
As SFU President, Professor Petter oversaw the development and implementation of a Strategic Vision that distinguished SFU as Canada’s Engaged University “defined by its dynamic integration of innovative education, cutting edge research, and far-reaching community engagement.”
In furtherance of this Vision, President Petter helped to establish SFU as a leader in areas such as experiential education; research mobilization and innovation; and community programming and development. This included expanding co-op and community-based education; supporting community research collaborations; and creating community engagement centres to serve as hubs for these activities. One of many university engagement initiatives established by President Petter is SFU Public Square, a signature program that offers year-round events and hosts an annual Community Summit to promote dialogue and deliberation on key issues of public concern.
An advocate for higher education locally and nationally, President Petter worked with partners across Canada to encourage post-secondary institutions to serve as ‘anchor institutions’ contributing to the social, economic, cultural, and environmental well-being of their communities. He oversaw significant expansion of all three SFU campuses, including a state-of-the-art Surrey building to house a new Sustainable Energy Engineering Program; a Student Union Building, Stadium and major residence expansion on Burnaby Mountain; and the Charles Chang Innovation Centre and new community-engaged research hub at 312 Main Street in Vancouver. He also championed the record-breaking “Power of Engagement” fundraising campaign during SFU’s 50th anniversary.
Throughout his presidency, he worked to further Indigenous initiatives and partnerships, convening the SFU-Aboriginal Reconciliation Council and acting upon its recommendations, including securing funding for expanding the Indigenous Student Centre and the construction of a First People’s Gathering House on the Burnaby campus.
Under his leadership, SFU was named Canada’s top comprehensive university in the Maclean’s University Rankings for nine of ten years, and in 2020 SFU was ranked first in the world for its impact on sustainable cities and communities in the globally recognized Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
Among other honours, Andrew Petter was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2018 in recognition of his commitment and leadership in advancing university-community engagement and higher education throughout the country.
An overview of these and other developments that occurred during President Peter’s time in office can be found in his video essay: The Making of The Engaged University.
Petter's Perspective
-
August 18, 2020
It’s been ten years since I became president of Simon Fraser University. Now, as my term in office...
-
July 14, 2020
Throughout my time as pres-archiveident of SFU, I have never ceased to be impres-archivesed by the...
-
July 10, 2020
As the weather turns warmer, I regret that we cannot gather as we normally do for the President’s...
Statements by Andrew Petter
-
August 12, 2020
I am writing to inform you of my decision to change the name of Simon Fraser University’s varsity athletics teams, following an extensive stakeholder engagement process.
-
June 11, 2020
Thank you Madam Chancellor … and welcome everyone … especially graduands who join us today. As I acknowledged earlier, this celebration is not how you expected to mark this milestone in your lives.
-
June 06, 2020
If there is a silver lining to be found in the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be that the enormous pain and dislocation caused by the worst global crisis in recent memory offers us an historic opportunity to shape a more humane and resilient future.