Brandon University to welcome new President and Vice-Chancellor

Brandon University will welcome as its next President and Vice-Chancellor an accomplished academic and administrator who has a distinguished history of leading institutions through growth and transformative change. Dr. David Docherty will commence a five-year term on May 1, 2019.

“The success of any university is measured by the success of our students, our faculty and our staff, and by that measure I am privileged to be joining an extremely successful institution,” said Dr. Docherty. “I am eager to contribute as President to Brandon University’s continuing success, to meeting the challenges and opportunities of growth, and to celebrating and deepening BU’s collaborative and collegial campus culture.”

Dr. Docherty will be coming to BU from Mount Royal University in Calgary, where he is concluding an extended term as President. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto as well as degrees from McMaster University and Wilfrid Laurier University.

The BU Board of Governors confirmed Dr. Docherty’s selection at a special meeting last week.

“This is an exciting time for Brandon University, rich with opportunity as we grow in size and in ambition. Dr. Docherty brings the right mix of experience and enthusiasm to be a visionary and effective leader for BU,” said Derrick Stewart, chair of the BU Board of Governors. “Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Docherty has demonstrated commitments — to diversity, to transparency, to personal accessibility, to community-building, and more — that make him a perfect fit for our closely-knit campus.”

Dr. Steven Robinson will remain as Interim President until April 30, 2019.

“We are pleased that Dr. Robinson will continue to serve the University for a few more months in this demanding role. His guidance and hard work have been essential over the past year,” Stewart said. “Brandon University will continue to benefit from his leadership both through the coming academic year and as he returns to his ongoing duties as Vice-President (Academic).”

The appointment of Dr. Docherty is the result of an extensive national search by the BU Presidential Search Committee, supported by executive search firm Perret Laver, who are specialists in educational leadership.

Since 2011, Dr. Docherty has led the completion of Mount Royal’s transition to a university, including building new degree programs, forging national partnerships with other Canadian universities, introducing a 10-year strategic plan, and completing Phase Two of the University Campus Master Plan. He also oversaw the completion of the largest fundraising campaign in Mount Royal’s history, which raised over $250 million for capital projects, scholarships and learning opportunities, as well as completing other major capital projects.

Prior to his time at Mount Royal, Dr. Docherty spent more than 17 years at Wilfrid Laurier University, serving as a Professor of Political Science, as Dean of Arts, and as a Senior Advisor on Multi-Campus Initiatives in the Office of the Vice-President, Academic, among other roles.

At Wilfrid Laurier, Dr. Docherty led the introduction of seven new graduate programs and was a founding member of the university’s Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion, among other successes.