By McGill Reporter Staff
Denis Brière, Rector of Université Laval, has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors of CREPUQ, the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities, succeeding McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor Heather Munroe-Blum in the role as leader of the province’s most important forum for university leadership.
Prof. Munroe-Blum, who will serve a year as Outgoing Chair, was first elected President of CREPUQ in June, 2007, and had her two-year term extended to 2010. In the last year of her term, restructuring at CREPUQ saw the position’s title change from President to Chair of the Board of Directors.
“I am honoured to have had the opportunity to serve Quebec and Quebec’s universities as Chair of CREPUQ at a time when universities were called upon to respond to a number of public policy initiatives affecting higher education, and to contribute to the renewal of the Stratégie québécoise de la recherche et de l’innovation,” Prof. Munroe-Blum said in a statement released by CREPUQ. “I look forward to working with the new Chair and my colleagues over the coming months and years to ensure that our universities remain positioned to deliver a high-quality education and contribute to research and innovation for the benefit of all Quebecers.”
Brière, who had served as Laval’s Dean of Forestry before being elected Rector in April 2007, will promote excellence in university education and work to support the remarkable development of Quebec university research, CREPUQ said, with a view to helping innovation better serve the knowledge-based economy.
“Quebec universities are facing significant challenges, particularly in the areas of financing and governance,” Brière said in the CREPUQ release. “The role of CREPUQ is more important than ever in ensuring that university education and research achieve the recognition they deserve in the eyes of society and those who govern it. I intend to pursue the work our outgoing Chair has been doing with elected representatives, business people and education partners so that our universities may continue contributing to growth and innovation in Quebec.”
Founded in 1963, CREPUQ represents Quebec universities in dealings with the government and other partners concerned with higher education; provides research services for university administrations; co-ordinates and administers shared services for the universities; and is a resource centre and think-tank for its members.