Two Senior Management Positions Extended
President Wade MacLauchlan, on behalf of the Board of Governors of the University of Prince Edward Island, has announced the extended appointment of Dr. Katherine Schultz as Vice-President of Research and Development, and of Dr. Vianne Timmons as Vice-President of Academic Development. They are key members of the UPEI Senior Management Group and have played pivotal roles at the university during a period of unprecedented development. Both appointments have been extended for five years.
Dr. Katherine Schultz joined UPEI in May 2001 after seven years as Associate Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies, at the University of Winnipeg. In addition to her position as Vice-President of Research and Development, Dr. Schultz is also an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at UPEI. Her research focus is on spatial problem-solving. She is a council member of the National Research Council of Canada, a member of the Advisory Board for Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI), and a member of the Canadian Association of University Research Administrators.
"Katherine Schultz is a highly-talented colleague and member of UPEI's senior team. As our inaugural Vice-President, Research and Development, she has provided leadership during a time of unprecedented growth in our research portfolio," says President MacLauchlan. "She has also been an important contributor to regional and national initiatives and partnerships, to the benefit of UPEI and Prince Edward Island."
Dr. Vianne Timmons leads academic planning at UPEI. She is also at the forefront of the internationalization efforts of the university. She previously served as Dean of Education at UPEI, and Chair of Education at St. Francis Xavier University. Dr. Timmons is the founder of the Children's Health Applied Research Team (CHART). She has developed a family literacy program for rural PEI and is developing a family literacy program for rural Mi'kmaq communities. Her research is funded by the Social Science Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institute of Health Research. She has led numerous conferences, workshops, and symposia, provincially, nationally, and internationally, on literacy and inclusive practices.
"Vianne Timmons is a wonderful leader for our core vocation of teaching and learning," says President MacLauchlan. "Her diverse portfolio embraces student success, all of our academic support departments, and academic innovation, outreach and partnerships. It is more than a coincidence that UPEI is increasingly being recognized as a very special place for teaching excellence and student success."
In national Maclean's rankings of primarily undergraduate universities, UPEI now ranks eighth in Canada. Enrolment levels have reached an all-time high, and the number international students has increased substantially. The University has also undergone a tremendous surge in research activity and ranked 10th last year among Canada's top 50 research universities for its growth in annual funding for research.
