New president to lead Mount Royal through next decade
David Docherty will replace Dave Marshall as Mount Royal's president on Aug. 1, 2011. Photo courtesy of: citizensassembly.gov.on.ca
By Bryan Weismiller & Zoey Duncan
A months-long process by a selection committee has culminated in today’s announcement of Mount Royal University’s ninth president.
David Docherty, of Wilfrid Laurier University, will fill Dave Marshall’s position on Aug. 1, 2011.
“I am thrilled to be moving to Mount Royal to take on the responsibilities of president,” Docherty said in a release. “I have been aware for years of the stellar reputation of Mount Royal University as an institution that excels in teaching and learning. One of the defining features of Mount Royal is the commitment of its people — faculty, students and staff.”
Docherty, a political scientist, is currently the senior advisor on multi-campus initiatives to the office of the vice-president academic and provost at Wilfrid Laurier University. He was previously the dean of the faculty of arts. He was chosen unanimously by the presidential search and nominating committee, which was made up of student, faculty and administration representatives.
“Despite having the same first name, I think we’re likely different people,” current president Dave Marshall told The Reflector. “I suspect students will see a difference in style and I think students should reflect on the relationship that I’ve had with them… There may be things they’d like to see kept in that relationship, but there may be things they’d like to see changed as well and they shouldn’t hesitate to let David know.”
Marshall said there are many things to juggle, but it’s the president’s job to create the setting in which everybody in the university can do their jobs to the best of their ability.
“There’s a great faculty, staff and administration here,” Marshall said. “This is a real powerful engine, it just needs somebody to drive it.”
The generally positive reviews for Docherty as a teacher range on RateMyProfessors.com, from “Bit of a hard marker but he’s cool to talk to,” to “Stopped taking politics thanks to him,” to “Very funny and a GREAT lecturer!”
According to mtroyal.ca, Docherty is the author of two books on the Canadian federal government, a soccer coach and a musician.
“I think it’s absolutely wonderful that David has agreed to take over the reigns of Mount Royal University for the next decade,” Marshall said. “It’s a new decade, a second stage of Mount Royal’s transformation process and Dave will spend the next decade working to solidify its reputation as the best undergraduate University in Canada.”
Said Docherty, “All groups share a desire for excellence in and out of the classroom and I am honoured to be joining the University.”
