Dr. Michael Quinn takes on critical leadership role with Vancouver Island University
Vancouver Island University (VIU) has appointed Dr. Michael (Mike) Quinn Provost and Vice-President Academic. In this role, Quinn will guide and enhance the academic mission across VIU campuses and Research Centres and Institutes. His work will ensure the efforts of the divisions he oversees are directed toward achieving the key goals of the University’s academic goals, which are articulated in the new Academic Plan, Weaving Our Journey Together, while fostering a culture that is known for embracing innovation and promoting educational equity, and remains proudly student-focused.
“I am so excited to be joining the VIU community on Vancouver Island and feel privileged to be making my new home on the traditional lands of the Snuneymuxw, Snaw-Naw-As, Quw’utsun, Tla’amin and Qualicum peoples,” says Quinn. “My priorities will be guided by the place-based, community-engaged and student-focused values of VIU and the desire for high-quality education and research that improve the economic, social and environmental quality of the region and beyond.”
Quinn brings valuable academic leadership experience to this role, most recently serving as Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Academic at Mount Royal University (MRU) in Calgary since 2019. Previously to this, Quinn held the role of Associate Vice-President, Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement (2015) and Founding Director and Talisman Energy Chair of Environmental Sustainability (2013), both at MRU.
Dr. Quinn’s academic leadership roles were preceded by 16 years spent as associate and full professor in the faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary (1997) with oversight on interdisciplinary research programs in parks and protected areas, landscape planning and management, ecological design, human dimensions of wildlife, and sustainability and resilience.
Quinn holds a PhD from York University (Environmental Studies), an MSc (Conservation Biology) and a BSc (Forest Science) both from the University of Alberta. He is passionately committed to reconciliation, decolonization and growing the space of Indigenous engagement. He is often published; has been the recipient of numerous grants, awards and fellowships; and is a multi-SSHRC and NSERC recipient.
Quinn has been active in his community as a board member for the Calgary Zoo Animal Welfare Committee (2014-2019); as board chair and member-at-large of the Miistakis Institute (2001-2016); and several other board roles including the Chinook Institute for Community Stewardship and the Calgary Foundation. When not working, Mike enjoys the outdoors, including hiking, boating, fly fishing and backcountry skiing.
Quinn assumed his new role on June 22, 2022.
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