New Chancellor
July 6, 2007
Vera Pezer, a former assistant dean of Arts and Science and associate vice-president of what was then called Student Affairs, was voted in as the University’s 13th Chancellor in June.
Submitted photo
By Silas Polkinghorne
To Vera Pezer, holding the position of U of S chancellor seems like a perfect fit.
Pezer, who began her association with the U of S in 1960 as an Arts and Science student and started work in Student Counselling Services and as a Psychology instructor in 1966, will be installed as the University’s 13th chancellor at fall convocation in October. She earned her PhD from the U of S in 1977.
“Most of my work on campus dealt with students in one way or another, and now being able to confer degrees seems like the next step,” she said.
Pezer has also held the positions of director of Student Counselling, assistant professor of Psychology, assistant dean of Arts and Science, and the associate vice-president of Student Affairs.
She said she is “thrilled” at her election as chancellor, counting it as an opportunity to contribute to the University again in a substantial way. “It’s an important role on campus and has been for a very long time,” she added. “It’s symbolic, but there’s also very active involvement on the part of the chancellor.”
In addition to conferring degrees, the chancellor presides over Convocation, chairs the University Senate, and is a member of the Board of Governors. It’s also important for the chancellor to play an “ambassadorial role” for the U of S at events outside the campus, Pezer said.
This year’s election was unusual because some candidates openly campaigned for votes. Pezer did no active campaigning herself, she said, although friends did work on her behalf. She said the chancellor’s job is not a political one, and she hopes future elections remain largely non-political.
Nevertheless, Pezer said it was “gratifying” to receive so much support from alumni. Her long-term involvement on campus meant that her “resume stood up on its own.”
An accomplished athlete, Pezer was four-time Canadian ladies curling champion, Canadian softball champion, two-time member of the Saskatchewan senior women’s golf team, and a member of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame. She acted as an advisor and trainer to Canadian curling teams in two Olympic Games, and over the past year, has been working on a book on the psychology of curling to be titled Smart Curling. It will be published by Fifth House in January.
In addition, she serves on the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners and is on the planning committee for an upcoming golf championship tournament. She’s also involved with the committee fundraising for the new Persephone Theatre.
Pezer’s term as chancellor lasts for three years, renewable for a second three-year term. She is the third woman to hold the position.