Dr. Thomas will serve as acting president until Nov. 2, 2025
Photo via the University of Victoria.
In a statement released on July 31, UVic announced that President Kevin Hall would be stepping down — months after the April 24 announcement that he was reappointed for a second five-year term.
According to the statement, Hall is stepping down because “has accepted a role as president and CEO of an international university.”
In the statement announcing his departure, UVic said Dr. Hall “led the university through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of international conflicts on our campus, navigat[ed] a changing international enrolment landscape,” and “spearheaded the renewal of the university’s strategic plan, the creation of the Vice-President Indigenous position, and global engagement efforts.”
However, Hall also faced criticism from students during his term for UVic’s approach to the Pro-Palestinian encampment erected on the quad last summer, and for the University’s response to the death of Sidney McIntyre-Starko by overdose in January 2024.
According to a memo released by the Office of the University Secretary following Hall’s reappointment, 50.4 per cent of faculty voted against reappointing Hall on the advisory ballot, with 49.6 per cent voting in favour of reappointment. By contrast, 63.1 per cent of staff and librarians voted to reappoint Hall.
The memo reveals that 48.6 per cent eligible faculty members filled in a ballot, while only 21.7 per cent of eligible staff and librarians voted.
UVic’s new president, Qwul’sih’yah’maht, Dr. Robina Thomas, will be serving for the next three months as the Board of Governors initiate a plan to look for UVic’s next permanent president.
“Dr. Thomas brings a deep understanding of our university, our strategic, academic, and research priorities, and our commitment to community partnership,” said a press release from UVic following her appointment.
In a statement to the Martlet, a UVic spokesperson said that Dr. Thomas will work alongside the university’s leadership team to help prepare the UVic for a new president. The process of presidential search and the arrival of a new president can take up to 12 – 18 months, according to the spokesperson. They told the Martlet that the Board of Governors is “currently laying the groundwork for a longer-term acting president” in addition to searching for a new president and vice-chancellor.
Thomas has been a member of UVic’s community since 1998. She received her PhD from UVic in Indigenous Governance, and was previously a professor in the Department of Social Work, prior to her role as acting president.
Her research focuses on residential schools, Indigenous ways of knowing and being, Indigenous women and children, social work education, and storytelling.
Thomas’ dedication to helping students, especially Indigenous students, is apparent in her work. She was the first Vice-President Indigenous at UVic, the first director and executive director of the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement (IACE), and special advisor to former president Kevin Hall.
Additionally, according to her biography on the UVic Board of Governors website, Thomas has expanded both Indigenous programming at UVic, as well as student support to local First Nations.
The bio states that Thomas has also worked to create scholarships for Indigenous students, revised eligibility criteria for Indigenous-specific opportunities, and played a part in the expansion of Indigenous academic senior leadership positions.
According to her bio, “Thomas has expanded the university’s relationships with local Nations, Knowledge Keepers and cultural workers to strengthen local laws and protocols within the university.”
A team within the Office of the Vice President Indigenous was also built by Dr. Thomas, which focuses on community engagement, institutional accountability, and culture change.
According to a press release by UVic, Thomas said that the executive team, president, and vice-president, is working together to move the university forward and prepare for a new president.
The team is also working to respond to many of the challenges the university has experienced over the past couple of years.
“We are committed to collaborative leadership, supporting UVic students, staff, faculty and community, community partnerships, and to the university’s strategic priorities,” said Thomas in a press release.
In the statement, Thomas said that Lalita Kines — UVic’s Director of Indigenous Strategic Priorities and Community Engagement — will be stepping into the role of Acting Vice-President Indigenous.
The Board of Governors said they are confident in Thomas — as a long-standing member of UVic leadership — to serve as acting president for three months, while the Board prepares to seek a new long-term president.
Who will fill the role of long-term acting president while the University searches for a replacement is unknown, but Thomas is set to retire at the end of the year. The spokesperson said Thomas will provide input during the search for a new president during her remaining time at UVic.
