Jacques Frémont, a lawyer and president of Quebec’s human rights commission will succeed Allan Rock as the 30th president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa, the university announced on Dec. 2. Rock has been president since 2008, and his term expires on June 30, 2016.
After a long search for a successor, which began last fall, Frémont was elected by the university’s Board of Governors (BOG) in a unanimous decision.
“As an experienced leader and academic, Jacques Frémont will unite our community and help us write the next chapter in the history of the University of Ottawa,” said Robert Giroux, BOG chair and chair of the Selection Committee, in a press release.
Frémont is a professor emeritus of the University of Montreal, where he occupied a number of titles, including dean of the Faculty of Law, director of the Public Law Research Centre, and provost and vice-rector academic affairs.
“The University of Ottawa is renowned in Ontario, throughout Canada and around the world for its excellence in teaching and research and I look forward to joining such a powerhouse of knowledge,” said Frémont, whose appointment will be effective July 1, 2016.
Rock said in a press release that he had high hopes for his successor. “His knowledge and experience will benefit not only to our university but also our entire community.”
In a previous interview with the Fulcrum, Rock said he plans to stay on campus and teach law once his term as president comes to an end.
