It is with great pleasure that I let the McMaster community know that both Senate and the Board of Governors have approved the appointment of David Wilkinson as McMaster’s new provost and vice-president, academic, effective July 1, 2012.

David, who has served as our dean of engineering since 2008, exemplifies the experience and qualities that have helped generate innovation and success at McMaster. He is a researcher who is one of the world’s foremost experts in mechanical behaviour of materials. He is a teacher who has continued to inspire students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is a leader who can turn ideas into real projects and believes an administrator is most successful when he helps support the success of faculty, students and staff.

He is taking on the provost’s role at an important time at McMaster. The Forward with Integrity task forces and advisory group have made real progress over the past few months and David’s focus on the next steps in this process will help evolve the letter’s principles into new approaches and programs. David brings to the position a passion for experiential learning and a history of promoting student engagement, along with a dedication to empowering the community to think deeply about building a sustainable society.

I would like to thank the selection committee for its dedication to the process of finding such an ideal candidate.

Please join me in welcoming David Wilkinson to his new role. A video with David discussing his thoughts on becoming McMaster’s provost is below.

Sincerely,

Patrick Deane