- James Downey (academic)
James Downey (born
April 20 ,1939 ) is a Canadian academic.Born in Winterton, Newfoundland, Downey was a graduate of
Memorial University of Newfoundland and of theUniversity of London where, as a Rothermere Fellow, he earned aPhD in English literature in 1966.At
Carleton University , where he began his career, he held a series of academic and administrative posts, including chairman of the English department, dean of the faculty of arts, vice-president (academic) and interim president for the first five months of 1979.From 1980 to 1990 he was President of the
University of New Brunswick . During that period he also served terms as president of the Canadian Bureau for International Education, chairman of the Association of Atlantic Universities and chairman of the Corporate-Higher Education Forum.From 1990 to 1993 he was special advisor to the Premier of New Brunswick and co-chairman of the New Brunswick Commission on Excellence in Education, which published two reports that guided educational reform in that province.
Downey was president of the
University of Waterloo from 1993 to 1999, during which time he also served terms as chairman of theCouncil of Ontario Universities and Chair of theAssociation of Commonwealth Universities .His publications include "The Eighteenth Century Pulpit" (Oxford University Press, 1969), "Fearful Joy" (McGill-Queen1s University Press, 1973), "Schools For A New Century and To Live and Learn" (reports of the New Brunswick Commission on Excellence in Education, 1992, 1993), and "Innovation: Essays by Leading Canadian Researchers", edited with Lois Claxton (Key Porter Books, 2002). Among his awards are honorary degrees from six Canadian and two American universities. In 2000 he was the recipient from the Association of Commonwealth Universities of the Symons Medal for outstanding service to higher education in the Commonwealth, and in 2003 he received the David C. Smith Award from the Council of Ontario Universities for his contributions to universities and public policy in Canada.
In 2005, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of the
Royal Military College of Canada .He was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada in 1996.
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