U of S announces new provost and VP academic

Tony Vannelli is set to join the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) as its next provost and vice-president academic on August 1, 2017 for a five-year term.

In this role, Vannelli will be the senior academic, planning and budget officer at the U of S, and will be responsible for developing an academic agenda that is connected to the financial decisions of the university and best supports the student experience in all colleges and schools. Vannelli most recently completed a second five-year term as dean of the College of Physical and Engineering Science at the University of Guelph.

“It’s a privilege to step into this role. The U of S has always aspired to provide support to the development of individuals and the impact they can have in communities in the province, country and world,” said Vannelli, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in applied mathematics from Concordia University, and a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo. “I am really enthusiastic to start working with faculty, staff and students as well as senior leaders to continue this effort.”

Prior to joining the University of Guelph in 2007, Vannelli spent almost 20 years at the University of Waterloo as a professor of electrical and computer engineering, serving as chair of the department (1998 to 2006), and later as associate dean of research and external partnerships. An internationally renowned expert in electrical and computer engineering, Vannelli held the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada University Research Fellowship at the Universities of Waterloo and Toronto.

“My priority will be to continue aligning the strong academic mission of the university with our resources to assure success,” said Vannelli, who is an award-winning teacher and researcher with more than 100 publications to his credit. “This is a very collegial and collaborative university and that strength is very important to me. I look forward to working with members of the campus community to ensure strong continued success.

“I try to bring a lot of energy to decisions I make, but I am thorough and want to have everyone engaged in building this great university’s future,” the incoming provost explained. “I strongly believe in making planning transparent to increase participation and achievement and I am motivated to be an advocate for all of the innovative ideas at the U of S.”

“I am extremely excited to welcome Dr. Vannelli to the U of S leadership team,” said Peter Stoicheff, U of S president and vice-chancellor, who was head of the search committee. “Tony combines exceptional experience, an outstanding record of achievement and a deep knowledge of the post-secondary landscape in Canada—all of which will contribute to solidifying our place among the best universities in the country.”

Vannelli will replace Michael Atkinson who has been serving as interim provost since Oct. 1, 2016. Perrett Laver assisted in the global search.