Lorna Marsden

Lorna Marsden (born March 6, 1942) is a Canadian sociologist, academic, and former politician. She is the former President and Vice-Chancellor of York University and a former senator.

Born in Sidney, British Columbia, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in 1968 and a Ph.D from Princeton University in 1972. In 1972, she joined the University of Toronto where she was a Professor of Sociology. She was the Associate Dean of the Graduate School and the Vice-Provost (Arts and Sciences) at the University of Toronto.

She joined the Liberal Party of Canada, becoming national policy chair in 1975 and vice-president in 1980. In 1984, she was appointed by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to the Senate representing the senatorial division of Toronto-Taddle Creek, Ontario. She resigned in 1992 to become President and Vice-Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University. In 1997, she was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of York University. She was succeeded as President by Mamdouh Shoukri in 2007.

She attended the founding meeting of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women in April, 1972 and served as President of NAC from 1975-77.

She has been honoured as one of "Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100" and in 2005 was named one of "Canada's Top 50 Most Powerful Women in the Public Sector". In 2006, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. She holds honorary doctorates from the University of New Brunswick, University of Winnipeg, Queen's University, and the University of Toronto. She has received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, the Canada 125th Anniversary Medal, and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. She was named a YWCA Women of Distinction in 2003 and received an Honorary degree from the University of Victoria in 2003.

Controversies

In April, 2004, Marsden suspended York University student Daniel Freeman-Maloy for three years and banned him from campus property. Controversy erupted when it was discovered that the decision had been undertaken by Marsden without a tribunal hearing. The public justification offered for the summary expulsion was Freeman-Maloy's use of an unauthorized megaphone at two Palestine solidarity demonstrations in York University's Vari Hall Rotunda [http://www.ourtrent.com/news/archives/2007/05/student_settles.shtml#ref2] . The decision was rescinded in late July after faculty members and the York University Senate issued calls for Marsden to reconsider her action [http://www.monabaker.com/pMachine/more.php?id=A2064_0_1_0_M] [http://www.safs.ca/sept2004/birchard.html] . Freeman-Maloy later attempted to sue York University for denying him due process and issuing what he deemed libelous and defamatory comments against him [http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/article.cfm?section=news&articleID=83&month=10&day=14&year=2004] . On May 3, 2007, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement [http://www.yorku.ca/mediar/archive/Release.asp?Release=1231] .

On June 20, 2007, ten days before her departure as a President of York University, Lorna Marsden issued a press release condemning the boycott by some universities in the U.K. of Israeli universities. [http://www.yorku.ca/yfile/archive/index.asp?Article=8670]

External links

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* [http://www.yorku.ca/mediar/archive/Release.asp?Release=1259 Presidential statement on the autonomy of universities]
* [http://www.canlii.org/on/cas/onca/2006/2006onca10227.html Freeman-Maloy v. Marsden (2006 judgement)]
* [http://www.canlii.org/on/cas/onsc/2005/2005onsc13610.html Freeman-Maloy v. Marsden (2005 judgement)]
* [http://www.canlii.org/on/cas/onscdc/2004/2004onscdc10427.html Freeman-Maloy v. York University]
* [http://www.monabaker.com/pMachine/more.php?id=A2064_0_1_0_M Lorna Marsden under fire for her abuse of power] , "Committee for Free Speech at York University", May 30, 2004.
*David F. Noble. [http://excal.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=849&Itemid=2 Open letter to Lorna Marsden] , "Excalibur", York University's Newspaper, September 2005.
* [http://www.yufa.org/freespeech/freespeechsupport.html Canadian Faculty Associations Condemn Lorna Marsden] , "York University Faculty Association (YUFA)", March 1, 2005.
* [http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/17/28/News/tech.html York University prez Lorna Marsden flees her own campus in a cop car] , Now Magazine, March 12, 1998.