First female president at University of Sudbury to start in September

There is a new president at the helm of the University of Sudbury.

The school announced Friday that Dr. Sophie Bouffard would take on the role starting September 1.

She is the first female president in the school's 103-year history.

Bouffard is leaving her position at the University of Regina where she is the Director and founder of La Cité universitaire francophone.

The search to find the new president took seven months. Chair of the school's board of regents, Josée Forest-Niesing headed the six-member search committee.

She said they started looking for a replacement in December, as soon as Dr. Pierre Zundel announced he was leaving for a new job with Laurentian University.

Forest-Niesing said the University of Sudbury hired a headhunting firm to help with the process. After the first round of applicants the search team narrowed down the pool to seven candidates.

Forest-Niesing said Bouffard stood out among the candidates because of her energy and enthusiasm, as well as her Francophone background.

U of S faculty and staff met Bouffard at an event Friday afternoon on campus.

Bouffard will be moving to Sudbury with her husband. Once she starts, she said she plans to speak to everyone right off the bat. She said that includes faculty, staff, board members and students of the school to others around the Sudbury community.

The University of Sudbury is bilingual and offers courses in French and English. It is a federated school of Laurentian University. Students can take courses in religious studies, philosophy, Indigenous studies and folklore.

The post secondary school celebrated its 100th anniversary during the 2013-2014 academic year.