Press Releases

Dr. Luc Vinet to be Next Rector of the Université de Montréal

Montreal , March 19, 2005 — Chancellor André Caillé is pleased to announce that the Board of the Université de Montréal has unanimously chosen Dr. Luc Vinet to succeed Robert Lacroix as rector of the University. Dr. Vinet will take office on June 1, at the end of Dr. Lacroix’s term, for an initial mandate of five years.

The Board’s decision reflects its evaluation of the Canadian and Quebec climate the Université de Montréal will be faced with over the next few years.

Chancellor Caillé pointed out that the challenges facing the Université de Montréal in the years ahead will be considerable. Among them, he mentioned the acute under-financing of Quebec research universities and of the Université de Montréal in particular, the recruitment of high-caliber professors at a time of international shortages, and the necessity of ensuring a strong presence for the Université de Montréal in national and international forums in order to increase its network of partnerships. Mr. Caillé says he is convinced that Dr. Vinet is the right person to help the Université de Montréal take on all these challenges and improve the leadership position it has taken in both Quebec and Canada.

Dr. Vinet is currently Provost of McGill University. With a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the Université de Montréal, he has been a professor of physics in the Université de Montréal Department of Physics, director of the Centre de recherches mathématiques, and president of the Network for Computing and Mathematical Modelling (ncm2). Since 1999, he has been a full professor in McGill University’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and Department of Physics.

About the Université de Montréal

Founded in 1878, the Université de Montréal counts 13 faculties and, along with its two affiliated Schools, HEC Montréal and l'École Polytechnique, is Quebec's largest institution of higher learning, second in Canada, and among the most active in North America. With a faculty of 2,300 professors and researchers, the university has a student population of close to 55,000, offers more than 550 undergraduate and graduate programs and awards some 3,000 Master's and PhD degrees each year.

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Information
Marc Tulin
Press Officer
Université de Montréal
(514) 343-7593

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