Update #5: Approved President Criteria and Position Profile
Date: November 20, 2025
To all members of the Algoma University Community,
Further to our update in late October, the Presidential Search Advisory Group (PSAG) and our Presidential search partners at Boyden have been engaging Algoma University constituents, internal and external to the university, over the last number of weeks to gather feedback and help inform the qualities and attributes we seek in our next leader. We are happy to report that the Board of Governors has finalized and approved the President Criteria and Position Profile. As we move towards the holidays, our search partners at Boyden will remain active in the market with the goal of presenting a suitable list of candidates for the PSAG to review in early February 2026. Additionally, we do have an advertisement that is live on Algoma’s careers webpage.
Thank you to all those who participated in the consultation process and we look forward to the future steps in our process towards appointing Algoma’s next President and Vice Chancellor.
Sincerely,
Rob Battisti, Chair of the Board of Governors
Kate Lamb, Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors
Update #4: Consultations with Algoma University Constituents
Date: October 30, 2025
To all members of the Algoma University community,
Over the last few weeks, our Presidential search partners at Boyden have been engaging Algoma University constituents, internal and external to the university, to gather feedback. These insights will be used to help inform the profile of our next President and Vice Chancellor, with the goal of finalizing and approving the profile in November. Meanwhile, Boyden has posted a preliminary high-level advertisement for the role of President and Vice-Chancellor at Algoma University.
Over the coming months, our search partners will be actively engaging with candidates to bring forward a diverse slate of options for the Presidential Search Advisory Group (PSAG) to consider.
Sincerely,
Rob Battisti, Chair of the Board of Governors
Kate Lamb, Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors
Update #3: Presidential Search Process Underway
Date: September 12, 2025
To all members of the Algoma University community,
Algoma University has begun the search for its next President and Vice-Chancellor. To guide this process, a Presidential Search Advisory Group has been formed, and an external search firm has been selected: Boyden Ontario Inc.
As Board Chair and Vice-Chair, we are pleased to welcome the members of the Presidential Search Advisory Group. Their commitment, experience, and varied perspectives will be vital as we work together to select a leader who will help shape the University’s future.
There will also be opportunities for our wider community to share input through a variety of channels during the search. We look forward to your participation and will share more details in the weeks ahead.
Sincerely,
Rob Battisti, Chair of the Board of Governors
Kate Lamb, Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors
Update #2: Appointment of Dr. Sheila Embleton as Interim President
Date: June 26, 2025
Appointment of Dr. Sheila Embleton as Interim President
Update #1: Departure of Dr. Asima Vezina as President & Vice-Chancellor
Date: February 7, 2025
Departure of Dr. Asima Vezina as President & Vice-Chancellor
Presidential Search Advisory Group
Rob Battisti, Chair of the Board of Governors
Kate Lamb, Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors
Dr. Sonja Kosuta, Chair of Governance Committee and External Governor-at-Large
Rajat Marwah, Chair of the Finance, Property & Investments Committee and External Governor-at-Large
Mario Turco, Chancellor and External Governor
Arjun Batra, Vice-Chair of Finance, Property & Investments Committee and External Governor-at-Large
Vrusha Rangrej, Student Governor (AUSU), Internal Governor
TBD, Student Governor (SASA), Internal Governor
Dr. Nikki Shaw, Senate Member of the Board, Internal Governor
Dr. Dwayne Keough, Teaching Staff Governor, Internal Governor
Heather Douglas, Non-Teaching Staff Governor, Internal Governor
The Board of Governors established the following documents related to the the Presidential search and appointment process:
- Policy – President Search and Appointment
- Procedures – President Search and Appointment
- Mandate – Presidential Search Advisory Group
The Presidential search will be a closed process, conducted with complete confidentiality at the discretion of the Board of Governors.
- Consultation: The Advisory Group and the consultants will engage with individuals and groups across the Algoma University community to develop a thorough understanding of the strategic needs and selection criteria to be used. Members of the University community may be consulted on the qualities, attributes and experience required for the position of President.
- Candidate Identification and Engagement: The Advisory Group and consultants will develop a strategy to attract diverse candidates that will be identified through internal and external advertising, calls for nominations or applications, and direct outreach as deemed appropriate.
- Longlisting: The consultants will create a longlist of candidates based on the selection criteria and position profile. They will then assess each candidate’s suitability through a thorough vetting process, gathering all relevant information. To further evaluate candidates, the consultants may also conduct informal interviews with longlisted candidates. For each longlisted candidate, the consultants will prepare a submission package summarizing their credentials and relevant details.
- Shortlisting: The Advisory Group will review the longlist of candidates and their submission packages, and then determine the shortlist of candidates who will move forward in the process.
- Advisory Group Interviews: The Advisory Group will conduct interviews and may hold second-round interviews as needed. Interviews will be fair, unbiased, and compliant with the Ontario Human Rights Code.
- Selection and Recommendation: The Advisory Group will make recommendations to the Board’s Human Resources Committee (BHRC) in accordance with section 5.4 of the Policy – President Search & Appointment.
- Recommendation to the Board, Negotiation and Appointment: The BRHC will review the candidate recommendations, and if they are in support of such, they will present the recommendations to the Board of Governors. The Board will review the recommendations and make its decision in accordance with section 5.4 of the Policy – President Search & Appointment. Subject to approval, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board will negotiate the contract with the preferred candidate, supported by the BHRC, the Chief Human Resources Officer, legal counsel and consultants (as applicable).
Thank You to the Algoma University Community
The Presidential search partners at Boyden have engaged with Algoma University constituents, internal and external to the university, over several weeks in Fall 2025 to gather feedback. This feedback has led to the development and final approval from the Board of Governors of a job description and profile of our next President and Vice-Chancellor which can be found under the POSITION PROFILE & ADVERTISEMENT section.
The Presidential Search Advisory Group thanks all who shared their wisdom and experience through participating in the consultation process.
Routinely ranked by Forbes as one of the 10 best executive recruitment firms in the world, Boyden is a global leader in executive search and leadership consulting with 70 offices in 45 countries. Their clients span the private and public sectors, including organizations at all stages of development, from startups to multinationals, governments, non-profits and social enterprises in a broad range of industries.
Their approach to executive search and leadership consulting is based on the understanding that the most effective leadership teams, and the most high-performing organizations, are comprised of individuals from varied backgrounds. In recruiting executives, they give their clients this advantage by making diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) an integral part of the search process.
Boyden is a founding member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), the internationally recognized search industry professional association that has created the best practices and ethical approach to search. They are also a proud member of the 30% Club Canada and the Canadian Board Diversity Council.
The Board of Governors approved Criteria and Position Profile for the role of President and Vice-Chancellor can be found here:
President Criteria and Position Profile
To learn more about leading Algoma University and the Presidential recruitment, please contact Kathy Rahme ([email protected]) and Collin Ritch ([email protected]) of Boyden Executive Search. To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume directly at: boyden.thriveapp.ly/job/2993.