- Stephen Toope
Stephen J. Toope (born
1958 ) is the President of theUniversity of British Columbia , a post he assumed onJuly 1 ,2006 for a term of five years. He was formerly the president of thePierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation .A scholar specializing in
human rights ,public international law andinternational relations , Toope is the 12th President and Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity of British Columbia , succeedingMartha Piper , after 9 years of service. He also holds an academic position at the university as a tenured professor of law.Education
Toope earned a bachelor's degree from
Harvard University in History and Literature in 1979, and law degrees fromMcGill University in 1983. In 1987, he earned a PhD fromCambridge University and subsequently joined the faculty at McGill. [cite news
last =
first =
title = Tuum est, Mr. President
publisher =Ubyssey
date = 2006-03-24
url = http://www.ubyssey.bc.ca/20060324/index.html
accessdate = 2006-05-20 ]Career
Toope was, until recently, the head of an independent, private, and non-partisan Canadian educational foundation, the Trudeau Foundation, named in honour of the late Prime Minister
Pierre Elliott Trudeau and his legacy. The Foundation, of which he was the first president and one of the initial founders, focuses on identifying outstanding talent in the social sciences and humanities and building a network to promote public debate on issues of societal importance. The Foundation awards five fellowships and up to 15 doctoral candidate scholarships annually to recognize outstanding achievement in the humanities and social sciences that exemplify innovative public policy approaches and a commitment to public engagement. Established in2002 , the foundation manages an endowment of more than C$140 million.Prior to this, Toope served as dean of
McGill University Faculty of Law from 1994 to 1999. He is the youngest person to have held the position. During his tenure as dean, he led the then-largest capital campaign in Canadian law faculty history to build a new Law library, and oversaw the renewal of the faculty’s curriculum.Toope has consulted extensively to the
Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and to theCanadian International Development Agency . He has won publishing awards from the American Society of International Law and theCanadian Tax Foundation .He has conducted human rights seminars for government officials in Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, and was a member of the UN observer delegation to the first post-apartheid
South Africa n elections. He has also served as Research Director, Office of the Special Representative concerning theRoyal Commission on Aboriginal People in 1991.His service to the community includes serving on the boards of non-governmental organizations that promote human rights and international development, including the
Canadian Human Rights Foundation , theWorld University Service of Canada and theUnited Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances .As the President of UBC, Toope received salary and benefits of $578,936.79 in 2007, making him the highest paid public-sector employee in
British Columbia . [cite web|author=McElory, Justin|url=http://www.ubyssey.ca/?p=3113|title=Toope takes home $580,000 in 2007|work=The Ubyssey |date=2008-08-06|accessdate=2008-09-04]University pledges
As UBC president, Toope says he hopes to work on prioritizing student learning. In particular, he wishes to create more opportunities for students to work with high-profile researchers. Issues affecting
First Nations students on campus will also receive more attention, with a focus on student integration and transition into university life, as well as on trying to engage First Nations students with lower levels of education.Toope has said he will not focus on the expansion of the university beyond UBC Okanagan.
Personal
Toope currently lives in Vancouver with his wife, Paula Rosen, and their three children. [cite web
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title = University of British Columbia names new President
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publisher = UBC Public Affairs
date = 2006-03-22
url = http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/2006/mr-06-035.html
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doi =
accessdate = 2006-07-22]References
External links
* [http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=17440 New president wants to root UBC in the city]
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