Looking elsewhere
Our dear President may be leaving . . .
Vianne Timmons may be leaving the U of R
Article: Eman Bare – News Writer
[dropcaps round=”no”]S[/dropcaps]t. Francis Xavier University is looking for its 18th president to replace Sean Riley as president of the university, and according to All Nova Scotia, Vianne Timmons is one of the three candidates that have been short-listed.
“You may not be aware that presidential searches for universities are normally confidential. Thank you for your inquiry,” replied Timmons to email inquiries by All Nova Scotia. The decision as to who will become the 18th president of St. FX will be made public on March 21, 2014.
Dr. Timmons has been President of the University of Regina since 2008 and is the first woman to hold that position. If she becomes the president of St. FX, she would become the first woman president there as well.
Earlier this past academic year, Timmons escaped a non-confidence vote by council members. She narrowly passed the vote, scrapping by with 135 votes against the non-confidence motion and 134 for it. This year the university has also been dealing with a series of controversies, including the university paying $380,000 in fallacious overtime fees to at least two employees.
In addition, the university has also made substantial budget cuts. This includes ending the arts and culture program and investing in a nearly million dollar sign, amidst budget cuts and overspending.
“The President has made a commitment to a second term at the University of Regina and her intent is to fulfill that commitment,” said Erin Limacher, the manager of strategic communications at the University of Regina, in an email exchange with the Carillon.
Timmons began her second term as President of the University of Regina in 2012, when her contract was extended an additional five years. Her contract is set to end on June 30, 2017. Currently, the President’s office “has no further comment on this,” this being whether or not Dr. Timmons did apply for the position at St. FX.
“I can tell you that the President does not comment on other universities’ presidential searches as their processes are confidential,” said Limacher. “When opportunities arise across the country, it is common practice for search firms to contact sitting presidents both to gauge interest and to seek advice on potential candidates.”
The question remains, why is Vianne Timmons being shortlisted for the presidential seat of St. FX, according to All Nova Scotia, when her contract at the University of Regina does not end until June 2017.
For her second term at the University of Regina, Timmons says that her focus will be on student engagement and success, sustainability, promoting teaching and research, community outreach, fostering international relationships, and improving Aboriginal post-secondary education.
Although the President’s office will not comment on whether or not Vianne Timmons is searching for a new position at St. FX or elsewhere, what is known is that as of March 21, 2014 St. FX will have a new president, and it may or may not be Vianne Timmons.
[pullquote][button style=”e.g. solid, border” size=”e.g. small, medium, big” link=”” target=””]UPDATE:[/button] The Carillon published this article earlier today, March 18th, online and it had a couple errors. We’ve changed them since, and we sincerely apologize for them and any inconvenience they may have caused.[/pullquote]
[button style=”e.g. solid, border” size=”e.g. small, medium, big” link=”” target=””]Image: Arthur Ward[/button]
It’s “scraping by,” with one p.