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New Yukon University President Announced

Wednesday, 25 March 2020 16:09

The Yukon University Board of Governors is pleased to announce Dr. Mike DeGagné as president and vice chancellor of Yukon University, Canada's first university north of 60.

DeGagné will begin a five-year term on July 1, 2020. He will be the eighth president of Yukon's only post-secondary institution, succeeding Dr. Karen Barnes, who has served two terms since 2011 and will retire June 30.

Dr. DeGagné comes to YukonU from Nipissing University, in North Bay, Ontario. He was appointed Nipissing president and vice chancellor in 2013, as one of the first Indigenous presidents of a Canadian public university.

While president of Nipissing, DeGagné dedicated much of his life to Indigenous issues and ensuring Nipissing University took a leading role in the Indigenization of the post-secondary education sector.

He is a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario as well as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. Most recently, he was inducted into the Nipissing District Human Rights Hall of Fame, awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Dalhousie University and an Indspire award for Public Service.

Yukon College became Yukon University in February when the Yukon University Act came into force. Yukon University will officially launch in May 2020.

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