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This month, Provost and Vice-President Academic Lisa Philipps was recognized by the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada as the recipient of the Angela Hildyard Leadership Recognition Award in the Influential Leader category.
Each year, this award is given to an emerging or influential leader who has continued to demonstrate innovative and impactful leadership in advancing the mission of, and achieving outstanding contributions to, their institution or to higher education.
Influential leaders are recognized for their ability to make rich and meaningful contributions at an institutional or community level, improve the educational experiences of post-secondary students at all levels and coaching or mentoring the next generation of Canadian educators, among other important qualities.
As provost and vice-president academic at York University, Philipps played a critical role in leading development of the University Academic Plan 2020-2025, charting a bold path to creating positive change for York’s students, its campuses, and its communities near and far. With a bold commitment to elevate the University’s collective contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, York has been recognized repeatedly among the top 40 institutions worldwide in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
As provost, Philipps continues to demonstrate her interest in empowering emerging leaders to make meaningful contributions to University communities and to strengthening the post-secondary sector’s impact in Canada and around the world. In 2021, she created the Provostial Fellows Program, an initiative aimed at creating pathways for diverse future academic leaders through mentorship and skill building. Fellows have gone on to assume associate dean positions, oversee undergraduate programming and take on senior Chair positions at other top post-secondary institutions.
Throughout her two terms serving as provost and vice-president academic, Philipps has overseen expanded experiential learning opportunities at York and the continued growth of the Academic Innovation Fund, which supports Faculty and campus partners in their efforts to develop new and exciting ways to educate students. She has also been an instrumental leader in expanding the University’s footprint, with a new Markham Campus set to serve one of the most diverse and dynamic urban communities in the province and country.
Beyond York, Philipps began her academic career in the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria. She later served as associate dean for research, graduate studies and institutional relations at Osgoode Hall Law School; associate vice-president of research at York University; and interim dean of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University. At Lakehead, Philipps helped support a new law school to realize its mandate of strengthening the Indigenous bar and preparing lawyers to practise in northern and rural communities.
Each year, a donation is made on an award recipient’s behalf to an institution of their choosing, in the form of a contribution to an endowment or fund that supports students, or to a registered charitable organization supporting educational initiatives. Philipps has chosen to direct these funds to York University’s Student Financial Aid fund to support future student success.