Hargurdeep Saini (Punjabi: ਹਰਗੁਰਦੀਪ ਸੈਣੀ), also known as Deep Saini, is a scientist,[1] and is the President and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University.[2] He previously served as President of Dalhousie University as well as further administrive positions at Canadian and Australian universities. His time at McGill has been marked by resistence to both French language legislation made by the provincial government of Quebec and a push to quash protest movements at his university.
Deep Saini FRSN | |
|---|---|
ਹਰਗੁਰਦੀਪ ਸੈਣੀ | |
 | |
| Born | Hargurdeep Saini |
| Occupation(s) | President and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Punjab Agricultural University (1977), University of Adelaide (1982) |
| Thesis | Physiological studies on sterility induced in wheat by heat and water deficit (1982) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Biology |
| Sub-discipline | Plant biology, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology |
Career edit
Hargurdeep Saini was previously the President and Vice-Chancellor of Dalhousie University,[3] a Vice-Chancellor and President of University of Canberra, a vice-president of University of Toronto, and principal of the university's Mississauga campus, and dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario.[4][5] Saini became a noted plant physiologist[1][6] and served as director general of the Plant Biology Research Institute in Montreal before moving into university administration.[7]
McGill University edit
On 14 November 2022, it was announced that Deep Saini will step down from his role as president of Dalhousie, effective 31 December 2022,[3] to become Principal (now known as 'President' since December 2023) and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University.[8]
One of his first acts was to state that he planned to potentially move some McGill operations out of Quebec for the first time since its founding about two hundred years prior in response to French-language geared legislation by the provincial government.[9] During an early test of his presidency, McGill saw protest encampments established on the campus during the Hamas-Israeli conflict of 2023-24. Three days after the encampment, Saini called upon the police to break up the protest, however the police told him that no crime was being committed. He also called upon the court system to disperse the encampment, and was again told that this would be inappropriate.[10] About this time, a professor at the school stated of Saini that the faculty was "strongly opposed to our university administration's relentless campaign against the students."[11]
References edit
- ^ a b Advances in Agronomy, pp ix, Volume 68 By Donald L. Sparks, San Diego [etc.] : Academic Press, cop. 2000.
- ^ "McGill University appoints H. Deep Saini as new Principal and Vice-Chancellor". 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Important announcement regarding President Deep Saini". Dalhousie News. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ Singh, Gurmukh (22 January 2010). "Indo-Canadian gets top post in Canada's top university". IANS. Retrieved 30 December 2018 – via TwoCircles.net.
- ^ "UofT appoints new Vice President and Principal of the University of Toronto Mississauga". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ Bulletin - American Society of Plant Physiologists, Issue 52, Bethesda, Md. [etc.] American Society of Plant Physiologists.
- ^ "Introducing Deep Saini, Dalhousie's 12th president". Dalhousie News. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Important announcement regarding President Deep Saini".
- ^ Andy Riga (8 December 2023). "McGill won't rule out moving some operations to another province". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ JOE FRIESEN and FRÉDÉRIK-XAVIER DUHAMEL (30 April 2024). "McGill University calls on police to break up pro-Palestinian encampment". Globe and Mail.
- ^ Joe Lofaro (6 May 2024). "Pro-Palestinian encampment members say little progress made in meeting with McGill". CTV.