McEwen is a technologies expert and current president of Victoria University at the University of Toronto
Photo courtesy of the University of Victoria.
Concluding the exhaustive search for a new leader, the University of Victoria announced on June 2 Dr. Rhonda McEwen will be the next president and vice-chancellor come fall.
McEwen is the current president of Victoria University (VICU), a federated university in the University of Toronto which contains Victoria College and Emmanuel College.
Her appointment as president was recommended by a committee containing members of the Board of Governors, Senate, faculties, staff, the student body, and alumni.
Victor Marrugat Arnal, director of external relations of the UVic Graduate Students’ Society (GSS) said in a statement that a member of their board served on the Presidential appointment committee and advocated for graduate student voices.
“At this moment, UVic needs leadership that reflects the complexity of our time and the diversity of our campus community…. I am hopeful that we will be able to work closely on important issues related to student wellbeing, support, affordability, and the overall student experience,” said Tam Aljundi, director of campaigns and community relations for the UVic Undergraduate Students’ Society (UVSS), in an emailed statement.
McEwen will be the ninth president of UVic, succeeding Qwul’sih’yah’maht, Dr. Robina Thomas, who has served as acting president and vice-chancellor since Dr. Kevin Hall’s unexpected departure in the summer of 2025. Thomas will retire on June 30.
She served as the University of Toronto Mississauga’s inaugural special advisor on Anti-Racism and Equity, and is a champion for diversity and inclusion. She will be the first female Black president in UVic’s 63 year history.
McEwen hails from Trinidad and Tobago, and moved to the United States with her family when she was young. She went on to earn a Bachelors in Sociology and Management from the University of the West Indies, a Masters in Business Administration from City University of London, and a Masters in telecommunications from the University of Colorado.
After developing a career in technology and communications, she returned to higher education, where she earned her Ph.D in Information from the University of Toronto studying the role of mobile phones in social networks. McEwen subsequently took on teaching roles before finding she had a knack for leadership, the Toronto Star reported.
As the current Canada Research Chair in Tactile Interfaces, Communication, and Cognition, McEwen’s “s interdisciplinary research spans technology, equity, governance and public impact. Her work particularly concerns “artificial intelligence (AI) and society” and the “social and cognitive effects of technologies,” according to a UVic press release.
In a video published by the university, McEwen praised UVic in particular for being a “powerhouse for research”, noting she was excited to join a community of “some of the top researchers in Canada.”
McEwen’s appointment comes as the university takes steps to account for generative artificial intelligence. In a Toronto Star Op-Ed, McEwen recommended incorporating AI into academia, likening the technology to calculators.
Some might also recognize McEwen’s work from her past collaboration with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind beloved children’s program “Sesame Street.”
As a parent to an adult daughter with autism, McEwen served on an advisory committee which devised the newest muppet character, Julia. A four year old with Autism, Julia’s portrayal has helped kids and adults alike navigate the realities of neurodivergence in children.
Following the announcement of her appointment, McEwen’s peers at Victoria University gave their praise and congratulations in a statement, bidding the leader farewell after a four year spell at the school.
In her first year, McEwen led the institution through post-pandemic recovery and the announcement of a hard-fought fossil fuel divestment plan, ratified by VICU’s Board of Regents.
That 2030 divestment deadline arose from an 18 day student occupation by activist group Climate Justice U of T, but ultimately drew criticism from students advocating for a faster 2025 target. McEwen was criticized by some student leaders as being inaccessible and evasive during the protest, the Toronto Star reported.
In a UVic announcement describing her vision for the future, McEwen mentioned growing financial challenges for Canadian institutions, including decreased international student enrollment.
She went on to highlight her previous track record delivering financial stability, as well as her confidence brokering creative solutions for secure funding.
In a video posted on UVic’s social media McEwen also spoke about being welcomed to Coast Salish lands, as Elders on campus greeted her. She expressed in the video a desire to learn more about the Indigenous peoples of the region, and how the university can “contribute to making sure that we live in one with the land and the people who have taken care of this land.”
Moving from one Victoria namesake to another, McEwen will begin her term October 14. After a recent visit to UVic campus, she has returned to Ontario to close out her role at VICU, where she will be working through the summer.
A UVic spokesperson said the Board of Governors is “working on an interim leadership plan” for the months between Thomas’ retirement and the beginning McEwen’s term, and will share “more details in the coming weeks.”
