Year in Review: New U of S president looks ahead to 2016

Nearly two months into his new role as university president, Peter Stoicheff is still getting comfortable with the school he thought he knew quite well.
 
The seasoned professor spent many years as a faculty member at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) and was most recently the dean of the College of Arts and Science. But Stoicheff admits he didn’t fully understand the impact the university had on the province and beyond until taking the reins in late October.
 
“Certainly in agricultural areas, but also in the arts, in health research with the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron and our vaccine facility, so that’s remarkable and that was really notable for me,” Stoicheff said.
 
Looking ahead to 2016, the president anticipates there will be a lot of opportunities for the U of S.
 
Stoicheff said universities in other parts of the country are forecasting reduced student populations in coming years, but that’s not the case in Saskatchewan, where the population continues to grow.
 
“One of the big things for me is to begin a conversation at this university about our vision, about our mission, about our values.”
 
He said aboriginal student success is also important, which is why he’s looking forward to the opening of the Gordon Oakes Redbear Student Centre in February.
 
“I’ve been very public and emphatic about how this university has to be the very best place it can be for aboriginal students and their communities,” he said.
 
Stoicheff was installed as the 11th president after former president Ilene Busch-Vishniac was fired in May 2014 amid controversy over the cost cutting Transform US model.