Past Presidents
Please see the the biography of Dr. Mamdouh Shoukri, our current president and vice-chancellor.
Lorna R. Marsden, 1997-2007
A renowned sociologist and women’s studies scholar, Lorna Marsden was York University’s sixth president and vice-chancellor. She joined York from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo where she was president and vice-chancellor from 1992-1997 after serving in the Senate of Canada from 1984-1992. Among her numerous honours and awards, she was recognized in 2006 for exceptional career achievements in academia and administration with her appointment to the Order of Canada.
Susan Mann, 1992-1997
A prominent historian whose groundbreaking research into women’s issues has been extremely influential, Susan Mann was York University’s fifth president and vice-chancellor. She came to York via the University of Ottawa, where she was the vice-rector and founder of the women’s studies program. Her achievements in research and academic administration have been widely recognized and include becoming a Member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Harry W. Arthurs, 1985-1992
One of Canada’s most distinguished legal scholars, Harry Arthurs was York University’s fourth president and vice-chancellor. He joined the faculty of Osgoode Hall Law School in 1961, later became its dean and remains an important faculty member there to this day. This year he won the prestigious Killam Prize for outstanding career achievements in the social sciences. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
H. Ian Macdonald, 1974-1984
An economist and academic who held senior posts in the Ontario Government, Ian Macdonald was York University’s third president and vice-chancellor. He presided over York’s dramatic growth into one of Canada’s largest and most distinguished universities. Currently, he is the Graduate Programme Director of the Public Administration Program at York’s Schulich School of Business. Among his many honours and awards are his Rhodes scholarship and his place in the Order of Canada as an officer.
David Slater, 1970-1973
An economist by training, David Slater was York University’s second president and vice-chancellor. A native of Manitoba, he has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an academic, a university administrator (he also served as the Dean of Graduate Studies at Queen’s University), and an economist serving as Chairman of the Economic Council of Canada, and a senior civil servant at the Department of Finance.
Murray G. Ross, 1959-1970
Murray G. Ross was the founding president and vice-chancellor of York University and its visionary and principal architect. He also held an academic appointment as a professor of sociology. A native of Nova Scotia, he was a vice-president at the University of Toronto from 1957 until he assumed the presidency of York University in 1960. At York’s inception there were a few handfuls of students, faculty and staff on a parcel of land donated by the University of Toronto (what is now Glendon College). By the end of his term in 1970 there were thousands of students, faculty and staff on York University’s Glendon and Keele campuses and York was firmly established as a high quality degree-granting university. Murray Ross was an Officer of the Order of Canada. Among his publications are The New University and The Way Must Be Tried, both of which deal with York University’s early history. He passed away in 2000.