Lorna Marsden
Encyclopedia
Lorna Marsden, CM
, O.Ont
(born March 6, 1942) is a Canadian
sociologist
, academic, and former politician. She is the former President and Vice-Chancellor of both Wilfrid Laurier University
and York University
, and a former senator.
, British Columbia
, she received a Bachelor of Arts
degree from the University of Toronto
in 1968 and a Ph.D
from Princeton University
in 1972. In 1972, she joined the University of Toronto
where she was a Professor of Sociology. She was the Associate Dean of the Graduate School and the Vice-Provost (Arts and Sciences) at the University of Toronto.
She joined the Liberal Party of Canada
, becoming national policy chair in 1975 and vice-president in 1980. In 1984, she was appointed by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
to the Senate representing the senatorial division of Toronto-Taddle Creek, Ontario. While serving on the senate, she chaired the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
from 1989-1991 as well as being a member of committees ranging from National Finance
to a special committee on Youth. She resigned in 1992 to become President and Vice-Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University
. In 1997, she was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of York University
.
She was succeeded as President by Mamdouh Shoukri
in 2007.
She attended the founding meeting of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women
in April, 1972 and served as President of NAC from 1975-77.
Marsden was named one of "Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100", She became a Member of the Order of Canada
and a member of the Order of Ontario
in 2009. She received the Order of Merit (First Class) of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2007. She holds honorary doctorates from the University of New Brunswick
, University of Winnipeg
, Queen's University
, the University of Toronto
, Wilfrid Laurier University
and the University of Victoria
. She has received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
, the Canada 125th Anniversary Medal
, and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
. She was named a YWCA Women of Distinction in 2003 and was made an Honorary Alumnae of the University of Victoria
in 2003.
As President of York University
, Marsden founded the university's Culture and Communications program (joint with Ryerson University
) and she led a major building campaign. One outcome of the building campaign was the construction of the university's first green building: for computer engineering. Her presidency saw a lengthy faculty strike in 2001, and she underwent a dispute with student in 2004 about his right to make Palestineian solidarity speeches during class times. http://www.yorku.ca/mediar/archive/Release.asp?Release=1231.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, O.Ont
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
(born March 6, 1942) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
sociologist
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, academic, and former politician. She is the former President and Vice-Chancellor of both Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....
and York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, and a former senator.
Career
Born in SidneySidney, British Columbia
Sidney is a town located at the northern end of the Saanich Peninsula, on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities. It has a population of approximately 11,300. Sidney is located just east of Victoria International Airport,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, she received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1968 and a Ph.D
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1972. In 1972, she joined the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
where she was a Professor of Sociology. She was the Associate Dean of the Graduate School and the Vice-Provost (Arts and Sciences) at the University of Toronto.
She joined the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
, becoming national policy chair in 1975 and vice-president in 1980. In 1984, she was appointed by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
to the Senate representing the senatorial division of Toronto-Taddle Creek, Ontario. While serving on the senate, she chaired the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
The Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology is a Canadian Senate committee of the Government of Canada.It has a mandate to examine legislation and matters relating to social affairs, science and technology generally, including: veterans affairs; Indian and Inuit affairs; ...
from 1989-1991 as well as being a member of committees ranging from National Finance
Canadian Senate Standing Committee on National Finance
The Committee on National Finance is a standing committee of the Senate of Canada. It was first created in May 1919 under the name of the Committee on Finance. Its name was changed to the Committee on National Finance in 1968. The Committee has juridsiction over government spending.- Members...
to a special committee on Youth. She resigned in 1992 to become President and Vice-Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....
. In 1997, she was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
.
She was succeeded as President by Mamdouh Shoukri
Mamdouh Shoukri
Mamdouh Shoukri, BSc, MEng, PhD, was appointed the seventh President and Vice-Chancellor of York University on July 1, 2007. On April 25, 2011, the Board of Governors of York University announced Dr. Shoukri's renewal for a second term.-Biography:...
in 2007.
She attended the founding meeting of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women
National Action Committee on the Status of Women
The National Action Committee on the Status of Women is a Canadian feminist activist organization. NAC was founded in 1971 as a pressure group to lobby for the implementation of the 167 recommendations made in the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada's 1970 report on matters such as...
in April, 1972 and served as President of NAC from 1975-77.
Marsden was named one of "Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100", She became a Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
and a member of the Order of Ontario
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
in 2009. She received the Order of Merit (First Class) of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2007. She holds honorary doctorates from the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
, University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
, Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
, the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....
and the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
. She has received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II...
, the Canada 125th Anniversary Medal
125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal
The 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada...
, and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II...
. She was named a YWCA Women of Distinction in 2003 and was made an Honorary Alumnae of the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
in 2003.
As President of York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, Marsden founded the university's Culture and Communications program (joint with Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
) and she led a major building campaign. One outcome of the building campaign was the construction of the university's first green building: for computer engineering. Her presidency saw a lengthy faculty strike in 2001, and she underwent a dispute with student in 2004 about his right to make Palestineian solidarity speeches during class times. http://www.yorku.ca/mediar/archive/Release.asp?Release=1231.
Books and reports
- Canada's women university presidents: social change in Canada. (2004) Canadian High Commission, Canada House, London.
- Doctors who teach: an influence on health delivery in Ontario. (1972) Princeton University. Thesis.
- Family formation in a new land: Dutch, Portuguese, and West Indian women in Toronto. (1975) Research Branch, Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Service, Toronto.
- Population probe. (1972) Copp Clark, Toronto.
- The recession, women's work, and social welfare in Canada. (1992) University of British Columbia Centre for Research in Women's Studies and Gender Relations.
- Report of the North York family formation study. (1975) Toronto.
- Social and economic debates on the impact of microelectronics in Canada: a report to the Task Force on Micro-Electronics and Employment. (1982)
- Sorokin's dilemma: sociology and public policy development. (1989) University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.
- Technological change in Ontario: the questions of innovation and control in the small office. (1987) Studies in Communication and Information Technology, Queens University, Kingston.
- Timing and presence: getting women's issues on the trade agenda. (1992) Gender, Science and Development Programme, International Federation of Institutes for Advanced Study, Toronto.