News Release Archive
NEWS RELEASE (CNS705) -->> EDUCATION/CULTURE--COUNCIL CHAIR AND ACTING PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED EDUCATION/CULTURE--COUNCIL CHAIR AND ACTING PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen Wetmore has been appointed chair and Marilyn Gaudet, acting president of the Nova Scotia Council on Higher Education, Education and Culture Minister Robbie Harrison announced today. For the first time, both a chair and president have been appointed to work as a team and lead the council in its enhanced role as an advisory body, bringing diverse perspectives from inside and outside universities to the same table, Mr. Harrison said. Landmark Consulting Group Inc. has been hired to conduct a national search for a new president. Ms. Gaudet will serve until the new president is in place. "These announcements will ensure the important post-secondary agenda will continue to move forward until a permanent president is appointed," said Mr. Harrison. Stephen Wetmore is executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Air Atlantic. He was appointed to the council in June 1996, and assumes the duties of chair immediately. Mr. Wetmore will act as spokesperson for the council and will chair council meetings. Marilyn Gaudet was appointed deputy minister of Education and Culture in April, 1996. She will manage and support council activities during the transition period, and remain deputy minister to ensure continued smooth operation of the department, with support from senior staff members. Supporting both Ms. Gaudet and Mr. Wetmore are the recently appointed council members. Mr. Harrison said the varied backgrounds of the new members are a valuable asset to the many activities of council. "Council continues to play an important role in supporting post-secondary education in Nova Scotia. With these appointments we have brought the right partners with a broad range of viewpoints to the table," he said. Members of the Nova Scotia Council on Higher Education are: Kellie Burns, president, Students' Union of St. Francis Xavier University; Grace White, entrepreneur; David Cameron, chair, political science department, Dalhousie University; Denise Comeau, visual artist; Hector F. MacIntyre, barrister and solicitor, H.F. MacIntyre & Associates; Ronald J. MacKinnon, mathematics computing and information systems Professor, St. Francis Xavier University; Donald McLeod, former vice-president administration, Acadia University; Shirley Mitchell, director, post-secondary education, Mi'kmac Kina'masuti Centre; Judith Murray, director, institutional analysis and planning, Saint Mary's University; David Precious, chair, oral and maxillofacial surgery department, Dalhousie University and Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre; Robert Shaw, president, Clayton Developments Limited; and David H. Webber, teacher, George Bissett Elementary School. The Nova Scotia Council on Higher Education acts as liaison between the Nova Scotia government and universities on issues such as funding and the development of a cooperative, high quality and effective system of university education in the province. -30- Contact: Catherine MacIsaac 902-424-2795 trp Oct. 23, 1996 - 11 a.m.