McGill University Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations) Draft Position Profile The Opportunity McGill University is seeking a Vice Principal (Research and International Relations). Research is at the heart of what McGill does from teaching undergraduates to extending the frontiers of knowledge by world standards and contributing to the cultural and economic development of Quebec and Canada. A top Canadian university, and Canada s best known internationally, McGill is a leading research intensive university in terms of both sponsored research income and peer reviewed publications per full time faculty member. The new Vice Principal (Research and International Relations) will play a central role in the evolution and implementation of McGill s research and international policy, and will devise and implement efforts to advance McGill s internationalization and its research standing in the global economy. The University McGill s distinguished history dates back to 1821, when James McGill, a Scottish immigrant and Montreal merchant, bequeathed his estate to establish what has become McGill University. Over the last two centuries, the University has built on James McGill s original gift, the generosity and bequests of numerous philanthropists, and the support of governments to become the modern public university that it is today. The University, whose language of instruction is English, is enriched by its location in Montreal, a vibrant bilingual and multicultural city. Of McGill s 1600 tenure track full time faculty complement, over 800 have been appointed within the past ten years bringing renewed vitality to the research endeavour. McGill is committed to continuing to renew its faculty annually. The University s reputation for excellence and achievement is recognized worldwide, and its outstanding faculty are drawn from leading academic centres around the globe. McGill University boasts 131 Rhodes Scholars, the highest number of any university in Canada. McGill s outstanding teaching and research programs attract some of the most gifted students from around the world. International students comprise twenty percent of McGill s enrolment of 35,000 students (6000 are full time graduate students; 3000 doctoral and 600 post doctoral appointees), complementing the highly qualified students drawn from Quebec and other parts of Canada. McGill University s campuses consist of 70 buildings, both heritage and modern, 80 acres of prime real estate in central Montreal, and a much larger agricultural and biosciences campus in the western part of the Montreal island. McGill has 22 faculties and professional Schools, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in more than 300 disciplines.
The University has 17 libraries, 6 student residences, and relationships with 73 affiliated research institutes, 6 teaching hospitals, 3 affiliated theological colleges, and, 4 remote research and teaching stations. The Princeton Review praised McGill as the Harvard of Canada in its publication The Best 345 Colleges, described it as among the most diverse of any university in North America, and ranked it first overall for its harmonious race and class relations. To find out more about McGill, please consult the University s website at www.mcgill.ca. McGill Research McGill ranks as one of Canada s leading research institutions. It also ranks high in the North American context and is a member of the American Association of Universities, a select group of North American universities that includes only McGill and the University of Toronto as non US members. McGill has widely distributed research strength in the biomedical and natural sciences, social science and humanities, including neurosciences, pain and cancer research, genomics, music, information technology, environmental studies, nanoscience, astrophysics, new materials and food technology. McGill has always supported both fundamental and applied research. Founded on its medical program in 1821, McGill has always had superior strength in the medical and life sciences, which indeed form a core strength today. The life sciences are linked to interdisciplinary teaching and research, with many faculties and a powerful clinical and academic relationship with McGill s affiliated teaching hospitals. Total annual research funding from all sources for all McGill units, including affiliated hospitals, is approximately $one half billion. McGill currently has 143 active Canada Research Chairs and 149 active James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars. Created in 2000 to complement the Canada Research Chair program, the James McGill Professors are equal in number to Tier I CRCs and the Dawson Scholars correspond to the Tier II CRCs. McGill has used the CRC program exclusively to recruit into strategic areas from outside the University and often outside the country. The following honours and awards were conferred on McGill researchers in 2009: two Steacie Fellowships; one Killam Research Fellowship; three Killam Prizes; Canada s Health Researcher of the Year: CIHR Michael Smith Prize in Health Research; three appointments to the Royal Society of Canada; Les Prix du Québec prix Marie Victorin; the McNeil Medal for the Public Awareness of Science; the Canadian Medical Association Medal of Honor; a Grawemeyer Award; the International Balzan Prize; and one of Canada s Top 40 Under 40. Three members of McGill faculty received l Ordre national du Québec, and one the Order of Canada. For more information, please see www.mcgill.ca/research. 2
The Position Reporting to the Principal, the Vice Principal (Research and International Relations) is the Chief Research Officer of the University and a member of the University s executive management team. He/she will lead McGill s national and international research and related activities. Specifically, the Vice President (Research and International Relations) will be expected to: Work closely with the Principal, Provost and Deans to achieve the research strategy for the future of McGill University; Lead in the evolution and implementation of McGill s research and international policy; Create unique opportunities for research (including cross disciplinary research) and international collaboration; Play an active role in shaping Canada s research agenda, nationally and internationally; Devise and implement efforts to advance McGill s internationalization of its research and related graduate programs and its standing in the global knowledge society; Oversee all aspects of the new Office of Sponsored Research (a consolidation of four units: the Office of International Research, the Research Grants Office, the Office of Technology Transfer and the Strategic University Research Funding); Promote publicly, both locally and more widely, the research and scholarly achievements of the McGill community; Establish and maintain productive relations and/or partnerships with agencies and institutions such as the provincial and national granting councils, research foundations, and external research institutes and centres as well as business, industry, and governments; Engage in fund development for research and seek out appropriate funding opportunities, including granting agencies, new government initiatives, foundations, industry, and other partnerships; Encourage both core disciplinary and professional research, with special expression in collaborative, interdisciplinary, and international research of distinction; Continue to build on McGill s historic and current strengths in the medical and life sciences; Optimize the research relationships between the University and the teaching hospital network and associated research institutes; Foster an environment that ensures that researchers and the University itself are provided with efficient services to enable research success; 3
Increase strategically McGill s success in attracting research prizes, awards, fellowships, and other distinctive recognition of outstanding research achievements; Provide leadership in deepening and extending the nexus between research and teaching across the University s programmes; Promote knowledge transfer and the commercialization of research, and oversee the management of intellectual property issues, including the financial, legal, ethical, and social implications of research for the wider community; and Promote ethical and accountable research practices, and an effective research policy environment. Opportunities and Challenges for the Vice Principal (Research and International Relations) The new Vice Principal will assess the Vice Principal (Research and International Relations) portfolio with special focus on research support, business operations, commercialization and international activities; The Vice Principal (Research and International Relations) will continue to actively and creatively seek funding from various sources, and develop strategic partnerships for McGill to increase its role in contributing to research at the international level; The Vice Principal will continue to develop close, positive relationships with both the federal and provincial governments, in order to help shape the national research agenda and obtain greater levels of funding; and The Vice Principal will continue to develop new strategies to communicate research results, not only to the University community, but also to the broader external community. The Candidate Qualifications The Advisory Committee is seeking a person with an outstanding record of scholarship and research and demonstrated academic leadership capabilities, with superior administrative, communications and interpersonal skills. Although it recognizes that no one individual is likely to possess all the following qualities in equal measure, the Committee has developed a list of criteria related to the desired background, experience, and personal qualities that will be sought in candidates for the position: The proven ability to lead and manage a high profile academic research portfolio; The ability to encourage, inspire, influence and persuade others, across the various disciplines at McGill, and the capacity to work closely with the Deans to help mobilize Faculty research efforts; 4
The ability to support the research efforts of the teaching hospitals and affiliated research institutes; Experience in advancing research excellence and building research infrastructure; The ability to interact effectively and develop creative partnerships, at the provincial and federal levels, with external agencies, foundations and institutions; A refined understanding of commercialization and knowledge transfer; The ability to lead and coordinate interdisciplinary efforts and major grant proposals; Appreciation for McGill s teaching and research mission and keen understanding of the University s goal to optimize research/education synergies; A track record of attracting top calibre outside professionals, as well as financial and other resources, in support of innovative research projects; Demonstrated ability to work effectively with senior executives at operating and board levels, both within an institution and beyond to the broader business and government communities, domestically and internationally; Sound financial acumen appropriate to the complexity of a Vice President (Research and International Relations) office; The ability to work with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to raise funds and develop profile; Superior negotiating and advocacy skills and the ability to command respect; and Excellent communication skills, both verbally and written. The ability to communicate in both of Canada s official languages is preferred. Magnificent Montreal One of the most liveable cities in the world is home to McGill University. Cosmopolitan, urbane, culturally exciting, and safe and affordable for families, Montreal (with a population of over 1,800,000) is a cultural crossroads that combines Canada s French and English traditions and forms a bridge between North America and Europe. Montreal is home to four universities and several colleges, making it a city with one of the highest concentrations of students per capita in North America. There are excellent educational opportunities at the elementary and secondary levels, in the private and public sectors. Visitors find many attractions: major league sporting events; world class concerts and entertainment; terrific shopping; fabulous restaurants; unique architecture; and neighbourhoods that afford leisurely safe strolling in a large cosmopolitan city with an excellent public transit system. 5
The Appointment The Advisory Committee for the Selection of a Vice Principal (Research and International Relations) will begin the review of candidates documentation in June, 2010 and continue until an appointment is made. The initial appointment will be for five years, and may be renewed. McGill University is committed to equity in employment. Expressions of interest, applications and nominations will be held in confidence and may be sent to Dr. Janet Wright or Dr. Marie Owens at Janet Wright & Associates Inc., 174 Bedford Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 2K9, Phone (416) 923 3008, Fax: (416) 923 8311, E mail: admin@jwasearch.com. 6