Alan Shepard (academic)
{{Short description|Canadian academic (born 1962)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{infobox officeholder
| image =
| name = Alan Shepard
| order = 11th
| title = President of the University of Western Ontario
| term_start = 1 July 2019
| term_end =
| predecessor = Amit Chakma
| successor =
| chancellor = Kelly Meighen
| order1 = 4th
| title1 = President of the Concordia University
| term_start1 = 1 August 2012
| term_end1 = 30 June 2019
| predecessor1 = Judith Woodsworth
Frederick Lowy (interim)
| successor1 = Graham Carr
| chancellor1 = L. Jacques Ménard
Jonathan Wener
| birth_date = {{circa}}{{birth year and age|1962}}
| birth_place = Iowa, U.S.
| citizenship = Canadian, American
| occupation = University academic and administrator
| partner =
| children =
| module = {{Infobox academic | child=yes
| thesis_title = Marlowe's anatomy of desire
| thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/303963905/
| thesis_year = 1990
| doctoral_advisor =
| academic_advisors =
| influences =
| era =
| discipline = English literature
| sub_discipline = Early Modern English literature
| workplaces = {{plainlist|
- Texas Christian University
- University of Guelph
- Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University)
- Concordia University
- University of Western Ontario
}}
| doctoral_students =
| notable_students =
| main_interests =
| notable_works =
| notable_ideas =
| influenced =
}}
| education = St. Olaf College (BA)
University of Virginia (PhD)
}}
Alan Shepard (born {{circa|1962}}){{cite web|url=http://theconcordian.com/2014/01/queer-concordia-hosts-dr-alan-shepard/|title=Queer Concordia hosts Dr. Alan Shepard|date=21 January 2014|website=The Concordian|access-date=13 April 2019}} is an American-Canadian academic and the current and 11th president and vice-chancellor of Western University in London, Ontario, effective July 2019. He previously served as the president and vice-chancellor of Concordia University in Montreal.
Early life and education
Shepard was born in Iowa, and is a dual citizen of both Canada and the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4711539/unveiled-as-western-universitys-next-president/|title=Alan Shepard named as Western University's next president - London {{!}} Globalnews.ca|date=29 November 2018|website=globalnews.ca|access-date=13 April 2019}} He has a background in Early Modern English literature. He received a B.A. in English literature from St. Olaf College in 1983{{cite web |url=https://wp.stolaf.edu/alumni/alumni-awards/alumni-awards-by-year-received/alan-shepard/ |title=Alan C. Shepard '83: Alumni Achievement Award Recipient |work=St. Olaf College}} and received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia in 1990.{{Cite web|url=https://president.uwo.ca/alan_shepard/|title=Introducing Western's 11th President & Vice-Chancellor|last=University|first=Department of Communications and Public Affairs, Western|website=president.uwo.ca|access-date=13 April 2019|archive-date=29 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429201030/https://president.uwo.ca/alan_shepard/|url-status=dead}}
Career
Shepard served as the chair of the English department at Texas Christian University from 1998 to 2002. He moved to Canada in 2002, where he began working as a visiting research fellow at the University of Toronto.
Shepard was hired as an associate vice-president academic at University of Guelph in 2005. In 2007, Shepard became the provost and vice-president academic at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), where he worked until 2012. At Ryerson, Shepard led the development of a business incubator called the Digital Media Zone.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/western-names-alan-shepard-as-new-president-1.4926595|title=Western names Alan Shepard as new president|date=29 November 2018|work=CBC News}}
In August 2012, Shepard became the president and vice-chancellor of Concordia University in Montreal.{{cite web |url=https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/main/stories/2012/05/04/alan-shepard-named-concordia-president-and-vice-chancellor.html |title=Alan Shepard named Concordia president and vice-chancellor |date=4 May 2012 |work=Concordia University}}{{Cite web|url=http://theconcordian.com/2019/01/leaving-concordia-for-western/|title=Concordia President Alan Shepard leaving Concordia for Western|date=15 January 2019|website=The Concordian|access-date=13 April 2019}} His two predecessors, Judith Woodsworth and Claude Lajeunesse, were both removed midway through their terms due to scandals.{{Cite web|url=https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/concordia-university-president-to-leave-in-2019-1.4198941|title=Concordia University president to leave in 2019 {{!}} CTV News Montreal|website=montreal.ctvnews.ca|date=30 November 2018 |access-date=13 April 2019}}
In November 2018, Shepard announced he would be leaving Concordia on 30 June 2019 to become the president and vice-chancellor of Western University in London, Ontario.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/concordia-shepard-western-university-1.4926645|title=Concordia President Alan Shepard leaving for top job at Western|date=29 November 2018|work=CBC News}} In July 2019, Shepard replaced Amit Chakma to become the 11th president of Western.{{Cite web|url=https://westerngazette.ca/news/chakma-honoured-for-global-efforts-at-farewell-luncheon/article_1d23e3c2-781a-11e9-a2c1-77d33a8d4088.html|title=Chakma honoured for global efforts at farewell luncheon|first=Emily|last=Tayler|website=The Gazette |date=16 May 2019 |access-date=5 July 2019}} In December 2022 he was reappointed to a second term as President.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-05 |title=Western News - President Alan Shepard appointed to second term |url=https://news.westernu.ca/2022/12/president-alan-shepard-appointed-to-second-term/ |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=Western News |language=en-CA}}
Shepard has served on the board of directors at Universities Canada, Stratford Festival, and the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal.{{Cite web|url=https://mediarelations.uwo.ca/2018/11/29/western-names-dr-alan-shepard-11th-president-vice-chancellor/|title=Western names Dr. Alan Shepard as 11th President and Vice-Chancellor|last=University|first=Department of Communications and Public Affairs, Western|date=29 November 2018|website=Media Relations|access-date=13 April 2019}} He is currently chair of the Canadian Research Knowledge Network.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://president.uwo.ca/president/bio.html Biography at Western University]
- [https://www.concordia.ca/alumni-friends/applause/search/alan-shepard.html Biography at Concordia University] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118210117/https://www.concordia.ca/alumni-friends/applause/search/alan-shepard.html |date=18 January 2022 }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepard, Alan}}
Category:Canadian people of American descent
Category:St. Olaf College alumni
Category:University of Virginia alumni
Category:Texas Christian University faculty
Category:Academic staff of the University of Toronto
Category:Academic staff of the University of Guelph
Category:Academic staff of Concordia University
Category:Academic staff of Toronto Metropolitan University
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Presidents of the University of Western Ontario