From first-generation university student to U of W president

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This article was published 23/11/2021 (1465 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A longtime academic leader and psychology professor is taking the reins as the University of Winnipeg’s 10th president and vice-chancellor.

Todd Mondor, who has spent more than two decades in various academic and administrative roles at the University of Manitoba, has been selected to lead the U of W.

“It feels almost a little bit unreal,” said the incoming president, who is a member of U of W’s Class of 1987. “It’s very exciting and humbling, at the same time, to have come from (being) a first-generation university student to this position.”

The post-secondary institute announced the five-year appointment, which will begin on April 1, 2022, on Tuesday.

Mondor graduated from U of W with an honour’s degree in psychology before moving to Ontario to pursue both a master’s and doctorate in cognitive psychology at the University of Waterloo. He later completed a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute.

The seasoned academic’s resume includes a teaching stint at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick and numerous posts at the U of M, since he was first hired by Manitoba’s largest post-secondary institute in 1999.

Mondor, who is currently deputy provost of academic planning and programs at U of M, describes his leadership style as “very consultative.”

“In my view, the only really successful vision is one that’s shared,” he said Tuesday.

Mondor has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses and supervised dozens of theses. He developed a course titled “Thinking Critically About Psychological Research,” which was later made a requirement for the U of M’s psychology honours program.

In 2000, Mondor accepted a U of M Rh award for his excellence in research in the field of cognitive psychology. He is primarily interested in auditory perception and the interactions between perception, attention and memory.

“Mondor is an innovative thinker and a collaborative leader who strives to foster a respectful and inclusive working and learning environment, and is committed to engaging with all communities — ensuring that equity, diversity, and inclusion principles are integrated in all processes,” said Rohith Mascarenhas, chairman of the presidential search committee, in a release announcing the appointment.

Mascarenhas said he is confident Mondor will do “an excellent job” leading U of W into a post-pandemic era.

James Currie has been interim president and vice-chancellor of the institution since July 2020.

Currie, a researcher interested in the intersection of mathematics and computer science, oversaw both the pivot to virtual learning in 2020-21 and phased return of in-person learning on campus this fall.

Mondor said he suspects remote learning will play a bigger role at U of W in the future because asynchronous courses in particular offer students more flexibility.

He said he’s hopeful on-campus activity will resume to pre-pandemic levels in 2022.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie