UVic selects next president after extensive search

UVic has selected its next president--Dr. David Turpin, currently Vice-Principal (Academic) at Queen's University in Ontario. The announcement was made today by UVic Board of Governors Chair Brian Lamb

Turpin, 43, was selected from among 46 candidates after an extensive 8 1/2 -month national search. He will start his five-year term on Sept. 1, 2000. He has received wide recognition as one of Canada's pre-eminent scientists, an accomplished teacher and one of the country's most outstanding academic leaders.

"We're tremendously excited about the appointment," says Lamb. "David Turpin is a brilliant teacher and researcher with an exceptional track record of accomplishment in administrative leadership. He's incredibly energetic with a national reputation for getting things done. UVic's already ranked among the country's leading comprehensive universities; we think we're now on the way to becoming the best."

Turpin has served as Vice-Principal (Academic) at Queen's for the past five years, and was Dean of Arts and Science from 1993-1995. He obtained his PhD in botany/oceanography from UBC in 1980 and served as Head of the Department of Botany at UBC from 1991-1993.

Turpin is considered to be one of the top plant physiologists and biochemists in the world. As a result of his contributions in teaching and research, he has received numerous academic honours. These include the 1989-90 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, which is awarded annually to Canada's top young scientists, and the Queen's Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching, the university's highest award for teaching. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1998.

Turpin says he is thrilled to accept the appointment. "UVic is recognized for its outstanding students, exceptional faculty, dedicated staff and enthusiastic friends and alumni. I am honoured to be coming to UVic at this exciting period in its distinguished history," he says.

Although Turpin has been at Queen's for all but two of the last 18 years, his British Columbia roots run deep. He was born in Duncan and raised in Esquimalt and Vancouver. He is married to Laurene Clark and has two children, Chantal, 12, and Joshua, 7.

Turpin succeeds current UVic President Dr. David Strong, who will finish his second five-year term on June 30, 2000.