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Governance & administration

The University of Victoria operates under the authority of the University Act. We are governed by a Board of Governors and a Senate.

Executive

The role of our executive, headed by the President, is to lead and manage the affairs of the university. We operate in accordance with the University Act and the policies established by the university.

Kevin Hall, PhD

Office of the President
pres@uvic.ca
250-721-7002

Kevin Hall is the president of the University of Victoria. His five-year term began Nov. 1, 2020.

Responsibilities

As the Chief Executive Officer of the university, the President provides overall leadership to the university. It is the President's responsibility to fulfill the vision and goals of the university.

The President directs the operation of the university. This includes its academic work, business affairs, alumni relations, government relations and engagement with the broader community.

Qwul’sih’yah’maht Robina Thomas, PhD

Vice-President Indigenous
vpi@uvic.ca
250-472-5510

Responsibilities

Qwul’sih’yah’maht Robina Thomas is the founding Vice-President Indigenous (VPI). The VPI reports to the president and provides leadership and direction that furthers UVic's commitment to truth, respect and reconciliation as identified in UVic's Strategic Plan and our Indigenous Plan.

Elizabeth Croft, PhD

Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost
provost@uvic.ca
250-721-7626

Responsibilities

The Vice-President Academic and Provost (VPAC) provides academic leadership to the university and leads UVic's integrated planning process. The VPAC office ensures outstanding experiences for students and fosters an environment of academic excellence and innovation.

The VPAC office is committed to:

  • integrating teaching, learning, research and civic engagement across disciplines
  • advancing research-inspired teaching in our classrooms
  • recruiting and retaining faculty of the highest national and international standards
  • ensuring excellence of academic programs
  • supporting rewarding career development for faculty, librarians and academic leaders
  • championing equity and diversity excellence across campus

Positions that report to the vice-president include 12 deans, the university librarian and the director of institutional planning.

Through three associate vice-presidents, the VPAC portfolio includes responsibility for the Office of the Registrar, Enrolment Services, Student Services, Campus Services, Athletics and Recreation, Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement, Co-operative Education and Career Services, Equity and Human Rights, and the Division of Learning, Teaching, Support and Innovation.

Lisa Kalynchuk, PhD

Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation
vpr@uvic.ca
250-721-7973

Responsibilities

The Vice-President Research and Innovation (VPRI) promotes and facilitates research and creative activities at UVic. The VPRI:

  • develops and implements strategic plans to support a rich research environment
  • creates and oversees research policies and procedures that meet the highest ethical and regulatory standards
  • works with potential research funders to enhance available resources
  • promotes the mobilization of knowledge created through research for societal benefit
  • seeks to enhance the reputation of the university through the excellence of the research conducted by its faculty and students

Through two associate vice-presidents and four directors, the VPR portfolio includes responsibility for eleven Senate and Board approved research centres and institutes, the Office of Research Services, Animal Care Services, and the Research Partnerships and Knowledge Mobilization unit.

Kristi Simpson

Office of the Vice-President Finance and Operations
vpfo@uvic.ca
250-721-7018

Responsibilities

The Vice-President Finance and Operations (VPFO) is Chief Financial Officer at UVic.

The VPFO leads a large and varied portfolio that includes financial, human resources, computing and systems services, security and physical plant functions of the university.

Through department directors, the vice-president is responsible for:

  • the overall quality of services
  • meeting legal and reporting requirements within portfolio areas
  • deploying resources
  • planning improvements that enhance the university's ability to carry out its strategic plan

Chris Horbachewski

Office of the Vice-President External Relations
eavper@uvic.ca
250-472-5474

Responsibilities

The external relations portfolio includes Alumni Relations, Government and Community Relations, University Communications + Marketing, Ceremonies and Events, and Giving to UVic.

Carrie Andersen

Office of the University Secretary
usec@uvic.ca
250-721-8101

Responsibilities

The Office of the University Secretary supports UVic’s good governance through the administration of our governing bodies and respective committees, which includes the Board of Governors, Senate, and the Foundations. The Office is also responsible for the oversight of the Equity and Human Rights Office, and institutional policy development.

Board of Governors

In accordance with the University Act, the Board of Governors is responsible for the management, administration and control of the property, revenue, business and affairs of the university. This fifteen-member body consists of the chancellor, the president, two elected faculty members, one elected staff member, two students elected from the university’s undergraduate or graduate student societies, and eight members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

Current Board of Governors members

Senate

Under the University Act, the Senate is responsible for the academic governance of the university. This includes matters related to libraries, faculties, departments, courses of instruction, fellowships, scholarships, exhibitions, bursaries, prizes, admissions, student appeals and the granting of degrees (including honorary degrees, diplomas and certificates).

Current Senate members

University Chancellor

As of January 1, 2022, renowned legal scholar and judge Marion Buller has been appointed chancellor of the University of Victoria.

Chancellor Buller received her undergraduate degree in anthropology (’75) and her law degree (’87) from UVic. In 2012, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the UVic Faculty of Social Sciences. In 1994, Ms. Buller became the initial First Nations woman to be appointed as a judge in British Columbia after working as a civil and criminal lawyer for six years. She was the chief commissioner for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls from 2016 to 2019.

She is a member of the Mistawasis Nêhiyawak, a Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan, but lives in the Lower Mainland, where she served as a provincial court judge. In 2006, she established and presided in the First Nations Courts—now known as Indigenous Courts—and provided the foundation for the Aboriginal Family Healing Court conferences, meant to incorporate traditional restorative justice principles into sentencing proceedings and child protection matters. She has served as both a director and president of the Indigenous Bar Association and has been a member of BC’s Law Courts Education Society, the province’s law foundation and the BC Police Commission. As well, she was commission counsel for the Cariboo-Chilcotin Justice Inquiry and published reports and articles dealing with Aboriginal rights and legal services for First Nations in BC In October 2021, Thompson Rivers University bestowed on Buller an honorary Doctor of Laws

More information about the Chancellor