Dr. Kevin Wamsley installed as seventh President and Vice-Chancellor

Nipissing University officially installed Dr. Kevin B.Wamsley as its seventh President & Vice-Chancellor on Tuesday morning during a formal ceremony at the R.J. Surtees Student Athletics Centre. 

Last spring, the Nipissing University Board of Governors announced Dr. Wamsley’s appointment following an extensive search. Although Wamsley officially took the helm on August 1, 2021, a formal ceremony was not held until this week due to the pandemic.

Wamsley delivered an inspiring address to faculty, staff, students, alumni and other dignitaries in attendance. His message was one of hope and purpose and focused on the university's role in addressing the challenges and chasms in our society by "creating an environment to inspire minds both young and old to take on these great responsibilities with confidence and compassion."

"Today is about our collective release and the empowering capacity of education, the fundamental role of post-secondary education in people's lives, our commitments to equity, freedom and revolutionary thinking. It's about preserving and celebrating the academic freedom to make systematic, critical arguments - even about the university itself - based on data, based on evidence and in the absence of political and economic pressure. The dissemination of scholarly findings in the absence of political and economic pressure: that is what scholars fight for, that is what universities stand for."

Wamsley spoke of the importance leading with compassion, understanding and love for others and charged students and graduates to go forth with confidence and build bridges. 

"There is so much hope in the building of bridges and the sharing and synthesizing of knowledge and wielding it against that which may tear us apart. There is so much work to be done, even on our own campus, but there is hope."

Prior to coming to Nipissing, Wamsley completing a five-year term as Academic Vice-President & Provost at St. Francis Xavier University and served for one year as Interim President. Previously, he served as Professor, Associate Dean, Acting Dean, and Director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies over the course of 18 years at Western University. Prior to that he was a Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Calgary.

Dr. Wamsley has a keen interest in academic leadership, gleaned from a 30-year career in teaching, research, and administrative roles. Along with this scholarly background, he brings extensive leadership experience within the university and larger communities.

Recognized as one of the world’s leading Olympic Games experts and historians, Dr. Wamsley has appeared in various media publications/broadcasts nearly 1,600 times throughout his academic career, including with such news agencies as CTV, Global, CBC, BBC, CNN, New York Times, Times of London, and the Wall Street Journal.

His full bio can be found here. 

The ceremony kicked off Nipissing’s convocation week celebrations, with a total of eight ceremonies taking place June 14-17, 2022.