President and Vice-Chancellor William Lahey (Photo Credit: Paul Adams, Adams Photography)
Douglas G. Ruck, QC, Chair of King’s Board of Governors, announces the reappointment of Professor William Lahey as President and Vice-Chancellor for a second term of five years.
“On behalf of the Board, I thank President Lahey for his intelligent, steady and trusted leadership that has proven so effective in his first term. The Board is happy that ‘President Bill’ has accepted a second term.”
In accordance with the university’s Governance Policy, a review and evaluation process required for renewal began in early 2020 with consultations and feedback sought from all constituencies of the university.
“President Lahey has built resounding support within the university and externally,” says Ruck. “To encourage care for one another was an attribute of Bill’s before the onset of COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic, we continued to receive strong endorsements, voiced by students, faculty, parents, alumni and staff, for the way Bill worked to safeguard us all through these difficult times.”
Lahey became the 25th President and Vice-Chancellor in 2016. During his first term, King’s has: improved its financial stability; investigated its historical links to slavery; achieved new levels of success in fundraising and developing partnerships; created new scholarships, increased the value of existing scholarships, and increased the money available for student bursaries; created new employment, fellowship and internship opportunities for students; created new staff positions to support students; advanced faculty renewal, including to bring greater diversity to the College; restored three historic residences; and broadened its academic offerings while successfully growing and developing existing programs. King’s has also strengthened its association with Dalhousie University and the range of relationships among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and administration that have always been crucial to the College’s unique collegial culture and governance.
“Bill’s compassionate, authentic and transparent leadership is appreciated at King’s and beyond. There is a high degree of support for the president as he moves forward into his next mandate,” says Ruck.
Alongside its cherished traditions, King’s continues to evolve and adapt, with an increased focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
“It’s an honour to be reappointed,” says Lahey. “I love King’s and the people of King’s and above all our amazing students – who I am eager to once again regularly host in the President’s Lodge when we get through this pandemic. My family and I happily anticipate another five years living in the heart of the King’s community.
The mandate I have been given is ambitious and exciting. I will work with the King’s Board, my colleagues at King’s and Dalhousie and our students, as well as with our alumni and donors, to continue to provide students with the transformative education in the arts, journalism, sciences, music and professional writing for which King’s is famous–and to make our university more welcoming for all. In the coming decade, we will celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of our relocation to Halifax and of our association with Dalhousie. I look forward to all we will do in the next five years to position ourselves for success in our next century in Halifax.”
Beyond his role as President and Vice-Chancellor, Lahey is a professor of law who teaches at Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law. He also lectures annually in the King’s Foundation Year Program. He is the Chair of the Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents and the Chair of the Board of Directors of EfficiencyOne (Efficiency Nova Scotia). In 2019, he received the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration.
