SASKATOON — With her deep knowledge of the structure, funding, governance, and leadership roles that guide the University of Saskatchewan (USask), Dr. Vicki Squires (BEd’84, MEd’04, PhD’10) is serving as the new chair of University Council.
Squires has been involved with University Council since she joined the College of Education as a faculty member in the Department of Educational Administration in the fall of 2014. As an elected member, she has served on various committees within council. Previously, she was chair of the nominations committee and, most recently, held the position of chair of the planning and priorities committee (PPC).
“Being named chair gives me a chance to see the workings of the whole university from the angle of all eight committees that are a part of University Council,” said Squires, who assumed the leadership role from former chair Dr. Marjorie Delbaere (PhD) of the Edwards School of Business.
Squires began her term as chair on July 1, 2024, and will serve until June 30, 2026.
Squires’ primary role in the College of Education is as associate dean, research, graduate support and international initiatives. She has developed and taught leadership in post-secondary education courses in the Master of Education program, while continuing to publish in the areas of leadership, policy development and health promotion and well-being on campuses.
Her academic work has been recognized across campus, as well as nationally and internationally. As the director of the Saskatchewan Educational Leadership Unit, she was instrumental in hosting delegations of teachers from Chile and Ukraine focusing on English as a Global Language instruction training. Squires was awarded the 2024 USask J.W. George Ivany Internationalization Award, which has created a full-circle moment as Ivany was the first University Council chair from 1995-1997.
When reflecting on her academic career, Squires recognizes that she is the product of many mentors, particularly women, who have been key to her journey.
“I have been fortunate to work with many women faculty members who have helped connect me to others and who facilitated collaborations across the campus and beyond,” she said. “There are many faculty who reached out and let me tag along in their academic work.”
Squires, who was promoted to full professor as of July 2024, also credits Dr. Mark Dooris (PhD) from University of Central Lancashire in England for being a lead mentor in health promotion, which is her primary research area.
“[Dr. Dooris] allowed me to work with him on some projects that really springboarded my work in that area. I'm on different Canadian and international committees aligned with that work because of his influence,” Squires said.
With more than 110 members of University Council, including the president, provost, faculty members, and students, Squires is committed to conducting inclusive, effective and efficient meetings.
“I think collaborating across the different council committees with senior leadership and student leadership are all important pieces of what makes a good, strong meeting. [It is important] when everybody feels that they can make their point [and that the audience is] respectful and working for the best of the university and for all members, including staff, faculty and students.”
Working within a tight two-hour meeting time about issues that aim to move USask forward, Squires will use her breadth of skills to lead effectively.
“If there is a tense moment, I’ll occasionally try to diffuse a bit of tension using humour, but it's all good, collegial discussion for the most part,” said Squires. “I need to ensure that all university members are aware of what's going on in all of our big council committees, build up the trust that the members of the university have in the work that's going on behind the scenes in the senate, board of governors and the council. I’m ultimately trying to bring the ideas back to what the point of University Council is and how we can make a difference.”
With opportunities to grow USask’s influence in academia, research and within the community, Squires is pleased with the collective effort and engagement from council members.
“I'm happy to see that people are interested in understanding how the university runs as a whole system. It’s a systems approach that people are thinking about [when it comes to] governance in post-secondary,” said Squires.
Join Dr. Vicki Squires for a special lecture on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, at 4 p.m. in the College of Education, celebrating her promotion to professor, Department of Educational Administration.
— Submitted by USask Media Relations
