Education leaders pay tribute to President Stoicheff

Stoicheff’s second five-year term as USask president concludes on December 31, 2025, capping a decade of development that raised the profile of the university, including Stoicheff representing USask as chair of U15 Canada for the past three years and helping lead a record-setting comprehensive campaign that raised nearly $571 million.

During the recent session of the 30th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Minister of Advanced Education Ken Cheveldayoff honoured Stoicheff and his wife Kathryn Warden, a special advisor at USask.

“I want to take a minute to thank Peter Stoicheff and Kathryn Warden,” Cheveldayoff said. “Peter, as members will know, will be retiring at the end of the year. And he’s just done a fantastic job. And if you’ve ever heard—and many of you have heard—his 20‑minute stump speech about the last 20 years of the University of Saskatchewan, I will say that there wouldn’t be a negative word issued about the University of Saskatchewan in this legislature ever again. Peter is a great orator, a great leader, and I want to thank him for the opportunity to work with him and what he’s done.”

Gabriel Miller, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Universities Canada, said he appreciates Stoicheff’s commitment to advancing higher education in the province and across the country.

“President Peter Stoicheff’s leadership has left a lasting mark not only on the University of Saskatchewan, but on Canada’s entire higher education community,” Miller said. “Throughout his tenure, he has been a tireless advocate for the transformative power of universities—championing research, reconciliation, sustainability and collaboration across institutions and sectors. We’re deeply grateful for his contributions, his thoughtful leadership within Universities Canada, and his enduring belief in the role of education to build a stronger, more equitable future for all Canadians.”

Stoicheff’s work as chair of U15 Canada—the association of 15 leading research universities in the country—was lauded by U15 Canada CEO Robert Asselin.

“As chair of U15 Canada over the last three years, President Stoicheff’s national leadership reaffirmed the vital role of Canada’s leading research universities in building a more prosperous, successful, and secure country,” Asselin said. “During his term, U15 Canada successfully advocated for crucial investments in research funding in the 2024 federal budget, championed renewed support for major research infrastructure, including the Canadian Light Source and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, and strengthened international partnerships to realize the opportunities of Canada’s participation in the Horizon Europe research program. We are deeply grateful for President Stoicheff’s commitment to advancing national policy and advocating for Canada’s research community.”

USask Board of Governors Chair Keith Martell also paid tribute to Stoicheff’s leadership during the Aug. 18 announcement of the appointment of Dr. Vince Bruni-Bossio (PhD) as the next president of USask for a five-year term beginning January 1, 2026.

“Dr. Stoicheff has been an exemplary leader at USask for more than three decades,” said Martell. “As president for the past 10 years, his steady and inspiring leadership has strengthened our university and helped USask become among the best universities in not only Canada, but the world.”

Here is a look at 10 major advancements over the past 10 years under President Stoicheff:

1. Advanced Indigenous engagement by hosting the first national Building Reconciliation conference in 2015, initiated Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with Indigenous partners, increased Indigenous student enrolment and supports, and mandated the creation of ohpahotân | oohpaahotaan—the Indigenous Strategy, and deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin—the Indigenous Truth Policy on citizenship/membership.
2. Directed renewal of USask’s Mission, Vision and Values statement, completed in 2016.
3. Launched University Plan 2025 that guided university ambitions since the unveiling in 2018, including weaving Indigenization into all aspects of the plan.
4. Built the university’s reputation as a research leader, reflected in USask’s rapid rise in world university rankings as well as increased federal and provincial government funding, and donor support.
5. Strengthened community connections through partnerships, including historic MOUs with the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Remai Modern, and Wanuskewin Heritage Park.
6. Delivered on the promise to create a centralized Prince Albert Campus that opened in 2020.
7. Led the university through the pandemic as USask successfully navigated moving to remote teaching, learning and working in 2020/2021, with USask emerging as a leader in pandemic research.
8. Sponsored USask’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy in 2020, Sustainability Strategy in 2021, and EDI Framework for Action in 2023.
9. Presided over a period of record enrolment growth, with USask now attracting more than 26,600 students annually (an increase of nearly 2,600 from a decade ago), including close to 4,000 self-identified Indigenous students (an increase of 1,250 from 2015). Fall term enrolment in 2025 also reached a record of 23,888.
10. Helped drive the Be What The World Needs comprehensive campaign that raised a record $570,739,155 by June 18, 2025, in the largest fundraising campaign in the history of the university and in the history of the province.