Federation welcomes Guy Laforest as new President – Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Laforest assumes presidency during largest Congress on record, with 10,014 attendees

OTTAWA, June 2, 2017 — The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to welcome Guy Laforest as its new President of the Board of Directors.

Guy Laforest assumed this role at the Federation’s May 28, 2017 Annual General Meeting held at Ryerson University in Toronto, succeeding Stephen Toope who has completed his two year term. Laforest’s term as President extends through May 2019. The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is also welcoming three new members to its Board of Directors.

“It is my great honour to assume the position of President of the Federation’s dynamic and engaged Board of Directors,” said Guy Laforest, President of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. “I extend my heartfelt thanks to outgoing President Stephen Toope for his stewardship of the Federation over the last two years and for the leadership he has shown in advancing the organization’s membership focus.”

“It is a particularly auspicious time to take on this role, as the Federation wraps up what has been the largest Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in the event’s 86-year history, hosted this year on the Ryerson University campus. With 10,014 in attendance from 70 different associations, I am so proud to head up an organization that brings the spotlight to the important work of the humanities and social sciences both for the intellectual heritage of Canada and for the future of the country,” Laforest stated.

Guy Laforest is Full Professor in the Department of Political Science at Université Laval and is an acclaimed scholar whose main areas of teaching and research are modern political theory, intellectual history, Canadian constitutional politics, and the theories of federalism and nationalism. Widely published in Canada and internationally, his current work is focused on the reinterpretation of Canadian federalism. Laforest is a Member of the Royal Society of Canada (2014) and a Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Pléiade de l’Association des parlementaires de la francophonie, at the National Assembly of Quebec (2013).

The composition of the 2017-2018 Board membership for the Federation was announced April 6, 2017, following an online nomination and election process, and all Board members who were elected, acclaimed or re-appointed in that process assumed their new roles effective on May 28, 2017.

The Federation’s new Board of Directors for 2017-2018, effective May 28, 2017:
Guy Laforest, President – Full Professor, Université Laval
Stephen Toope, Past President – Director, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto
Carmen Charette, Treasurer – Vice-President, External Relations, University of Victoria
Cindy Blackstock, Director, Equity and Diversity – Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada; Professor, McGill University, and Director, First Nations Children’s Action Research and Education Service (FNCARES)
Anne-Marie Fortier, Chair, ASPP Academic Council – Professor, Département des littératures, Université Laval
Tim Goddard, Director, Teaching and Learning – Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Prince Edward Island
Sandra Lapointe*, Director, Associations – Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, McMaster University
Claudia Malacrida*, Director, Research Policy – Associate Vice-President Research, Professor of Sociology, University of Lethbridge
Michael E. Sinatra, Director, Research Dissemination – Professor, English Department, Université de Montréal
David Sylvester*, Director, Institutions – Principal, Associate Professor, Department of History, King’s University College at Western University
Julia Wright, Director, Associations – Professor, Department of English, Dalhousie University
Lisa Young, Director, Institutions – Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Calgary

*Indicates new members to the Board

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About the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences promotes research and teaching for the advancement of an inclusive, democratic and prosperous society. With a membership now comprising over 160 universities, colleges and scholarly associations, the Federation represents a diverse community of 91,000 researchers and graduate students across Canada. The Federation organizes Canada’s largest academic gathering, the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, bringing together more than 8,000 participants each year. For more information about the Federation, visit www.ideas-idees.ca.

Media inquiries
Nicola Katz
Manager of Communications
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
C: 613-282-3489
nkatz@ideas-idees.ca
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