U of W president removed

The University of Winnipeg has terminated its president.

The board of regents, the governing body in charge of operations at U of W, removed Todd Mondor following a meeting Monday night.

Mondor began what was supposed to be a five-year term on April 1, 2022. His roles as president and vice-chancellor were up for renewal.

“As we begin a bold new five-year strategic plan, we believe it’s necessary for the university to refocus our leadership,” Michelle Pereira, chairperson of the board of regents, said in a news release Tuesday. “This decision was made with careful consideration and extensive deliberation.”

Multiple sources confirmed Mondor’s contract was cut short on the heels of a whistleblower complaint and related investigation into his office.

An employee alleging they had hard evidence of misconduct approached the Manitoba ombudsman at the end of April.

The ombudsman recently determined their six-page submission — which was obtained by the Free Press — required further investigation.

“It might be unusual to have a whistleblower complaint, but that may be more reflective of the person who filed it rather than the culture at the U of W,” Mondor said during a phone interview six months ago.

The president’s brief tenure was marked by sweeping budgetary challenges after a drop in international student enrolment.

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He also faced criticism in connection to an exodus of high-ranking staff members during the first 18 months of his term and a March 2024 cybersecurity attack that cancelled classes and shut down operations across the university.

Mondor did not immediately respond to a request for comment made Tuesday.

The Free Press has reached out to the board of regents, university administration and the faculty association for comment.

More to come.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Maggie Macintosh
Education reporter

Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.

Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.

Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.