Acting on the recommendation of the Review Committee for the President—including feedback from the campus community and beyond—USask’s Board of Governors has approved Stoicheff’s re-appointment, effective July 1, 2020. Stoicheff, who began his career at USask 33 years ago back in 1986, was officially installed as the 11th president of the university on Oct. 24, 2015.
“I am extremely honoured to have the chance to continue to serve the university and grateful for the support that I have received from the board, from faculty and staff and from stakeholders,” said Stoicheff. “I am proud to represent the university and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead in the new year and a new decade. Our university continues to make tremendous strides and I look forward to what the future will bring.”
The Review Committee for the President was established in accordance with a process approved by University Council and the Board of Governors in December, 2004. The review process included multiple campus-wide invitations to submit feedback, as well as an extensive list of external stakeholders (in government, business and industry, and other institutions) who were contacted to provide feedback.
The submissions highlighted that, in his first term, Stoicheff delivered on his promise to remain true to the university's storied past, while enhancing its focus on the future and the university's commitment to being the university the world needs. Some highlights under his leadership include:
- Launch of the University Plan 2025 that guides the university’s ambitions;
- Renewed Mission, Vision and Values statement that links its past with its future;
- Highest student enrolment in university’s history;
- Built Indigenous engagement, including MOUs with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Saskatoon Tribal Council, and Métis Nation of Saskatchewan;
- Strengthened community connections through multiple partnerships, including first-of-a-kind in Canada MOUs with the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra and Remai Modern Art Gallery;
- Increased the university’s reputation as a national and global research leader; and
- Increased university engagement with 160,000 alumni worldwide.
“USask has taken great steps forward under President Stoicheff’s visionary leadership,” the board stated. “He has the personal and professional qualities, in combination with education and experience, to lead our university to be among the best in the world in a number of key areas. The committee unanimously recommended his reappointment for another five-year term as president.”
Stoicheff, who was born in Ottawa, received degrees from Queen’s University and the University of Toronto, where he completed his PhD in literature in 1983. Stoicheff served as a professor and the dean of the College of Arts and Science prior to becoming president in 2015.