Acadia president tenders resignation

By Wendy Elliott

The Advertiser

NovaNewsNow.com

The Acadia University Board of Governors announced Friday it has reluctantly accepted the resignation of current president Dr. Gail Dinter-Gottlieb. She will step down Feb. 29.

“The Board of Governors would like to thank Dr. Dinter-Gottlieb for her service to Acadia University – our students, our faculty, our alumni, our supporters and our staff – and we wish her all the best as she explores new opportunities and interests,” said chair Ron Smith.

“Dr. Gottlieb has a number of accomplishments at Acadia that she can be very proud of, including new facilities for students and faculty, a capital campaign that has been the most successful in Acadia’s history, a strategic plan that distinguishes Acadia as one of Canada’s leading undergraduate institutions.”

Last August,Gottlieb had informed the board of governors that she would not seek a second term, citing personal and family reasons for her decision. The board has been working on a transition plan since then and members of a presidential search committee will be named in the next week or two.

Gottlieb’s resignation will allow this committee greater flexibility when considering potential presidential candidates, including recommending the possible appointment by the board of an acting president until a permanent replacement is found.

“It has been a genuine privilege to lead Acadia University through a time of tremendous change in the post-secondary education sector,” Gottlieb said. “I believe Acadia’s reputation is well-deserved and I have enjoyed working with our wonderful students and alumni, our faculty and staff and our network of supporters.

“The successes we’ve realized during the past four years position Acadia to meet the rising expectations of future students and preserve Acadia’s standing as an innovative, high-quality undergraduate university,” she said.

Smith noted, “we’re now turning our attention to a period of transition and the important task of finding a new president and vice-chancellor who will build on Acadia’s proud tradition of excellence in post-secondary education.”

"AUFA has had very difficult relations with our employer over the past few years,” Acadia faculty spokesman Dr. Peter Williams said. “We have been working hard to improve those relations and are hopeful that that work will be able to continue. We remain committed to working with our board to maintain the high quality education that Acadia is known for."

Before coming to Acadia in 2003, Gottlieb, who is a molecular biologist, served as Dean of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences at Pace University, New York.