Following a meeting of its Board of Governors, McGill announced that Angela Campbell will be the University’s next Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic). She will assume the new role on February 1, 2026.
The news comes after months of consultations and candidacy reviews by an advisory committee made up of members of the Senate, Board and student body.
“The task of choosing our new academic lead was no easy one. The requirements of our university are such that we needed a person whose own academic accomplishments stand out among a pool of the most brilliant minds in higher education. At the same time, we need someone with a proven record of wise and courageous leadership as well as a deep understanding of the political, regulatory, linguistic and financial particularities of the McGill context. I’m happy to state that Professor Campbell is that person,” said Deep Saini, McGill President and Vice-Chancellor.
A dynamic academic
Presently a full professor in the Faculty of Law, Campbell’s link to McGill goes back to her first university degrees in Arts and Law: a B.A. (Hons (‘95)), B.C.L. and LL.B. (‘99) She then completed her LL.M. at Harvard Law School as a Frank Knox fellow and Langdon H. Gammon fellow.
Prior to joining faculty at McGill, Campbell clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada for The Honourable Justice Frank Iacobucci and taught at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law. Her areas of specialty include Family, Health and Criminal Law.
At the same time as being an active researcher, her commitment to teaching earned her awards from both McGill and its Graduate Law Students’ Association.
“My student engagement philosophy centres on dialogue and care,” said Campbell. “I will go to bat for any student who needs support, and I pay particular attention to student communities that experience adversity and hardship.”
A builder of strong policies and strategic plans
Because of her commitment to removing barriers, Campbell was named Associate Provost for Equity and Academic Policies in 2015. She played a leadership role in the creation of McGill’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Plan – a first for a Canadian university – as well as the Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education, the Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism and the Initiative against Islamophobia and Antisemitism. She has also helped draft complex policies crucial to campus climate including those on academic freedom, sexual violence prevention, discrimination and harassment.
“To arrive at a robust policy, it is important to identify common ground among diverse stakeholders, especially among community members that might see themselves as being on opposite sides of certain questions. I work to facilitate conversations so that we not only arrive at well-thought-out policies but also achieve broad community buy-in,” she said.
Some of her other leadership roles have included Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) and Interim Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning), a position she will continue to occupy until a new interim can be appointed.
Priorities for her term as Provost
“As Provost, my top priority will be to ensure that McGill maintains and advances its place as a world-class university. While we are proud of our standing, we must never take it for granted. We must meet the challenges of our time by reinforcing our institutional foundations and adapting to evolving technological, geopolitical, economic and social realities that will shape higher education.”
Campbell says she will begin her tenure with a focus on three areas: McGill’s budget model, its academic program development and communication and community engagement across the campuses.
“Our revised budget model must transform to meet our university’s present-day fiscal realities. Our sources of revenue must be enhanced and diversified, then reinvested to sustain and advance the strategic priorities McGill sets for itself,” she said.
Campbell says she plans to work closely with the faculty leadership to reimagine and develop academic programs.
“We need programs that transcend conventional disciplinary, pedagogical and geographic norms and boundaries. Even as we preserve the strength of traditional modes, there is a pressing need to design programs that are more learner-centred, flexible, technologically integrative, open to collaboration across jurisdictions and connected to industry and other economic actors.”
To that end, Campbell plans to lead the development of a new Strategic Academic Plan, to be shaped through dialogue with the McGill community.
Fostering community and communication
Along with the President, the Provost is one of the main voices of the university. That responsibility is one that Campbell takes very seriously.
“While the Provost must bring ambition and vision to our university communities, one must also be able to constantly toggle between leading and listening. McGill is enriched by intelligent, committed students and colleagues whose perspectives must inform our path forward,” she says.
Beyond a commitment to deep collaboration with the McGill community, she also sees a need to improve communication with external stakeholders, not least of which are the various levels of government, notably Quebec.
“We are both globally renowned and locally anchored, and we have a responsibility to ensure that Quebecers see the concrete value of McGill’s mission here at home.”
Gratitude for the current Provost
Campbell will be taking over from Christopher Manfredi, who has occupied the position of Provost since 2015 – minus a seven month period where he was Interim President and Vice-Chancellor.
“We cannot overstate our gratitude to Professor Manfredi,” said Saini. “He has guided McGill through the development of key institutional priorities and helped steer the university through challenges of all sorts. His deep knowledge of the academic world, of the McGill community and of our mission have kept us strong and dynamic.”
“Chris is leaving big shoes to fill! I am fortunate to have learned from him over the past decade as a member of his leadership team,” said Campbell.
To learn more about some of the other priorities and initiatives under the auspice of the Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic), please visit the office webpages.