Carleton University officially has a new president.
Wisdom Tettey officially assumed his position as Carleton’s 17th president and vice-chancellor on Jan. 1.
Tettey has also taken on a tenured position with the school’s department of political science, where his research fields include African politics, political communications and development studies.
In a video message emailed to students on Jan. 6, Tettey said he is “excited about the transformative possibilities that lie ahead” for the university community.
“Over the coming days and weeks, I’ll be meeting with many of you, listening closely, learning from you and getting to know this amazing community better,” he said in the video.
Carleton’s Board of Governors announced Tettey’s appointment on April 16, 2024.
In an April news release, now-former chair of the Board of Governors Greg Farrell described Tettey as “an inclusive and authentic leader.”
Farrell also said Tettey hopes to foster a “bold community of conscientious and adaptable global leaders who challenge the status quo and champion transformative change.”
Tettey succeeds Jerry Tomberlin, who began his interim presidency in September 2023, following former president Benoit-Antoine Bacon’s resignation in July 2023.
Tettey served as vice-president at the University of Toronto and principal of its Scarborough campus for six years before coming to Carleton.
He was appointed to his role at U of T in 2018 and was reappointed for a second five-year term beginning in 2023.
In 2020, Tettey chaired the Inter-Institutional Advisory Committee, which created the Scarborough Charter on anti-Black racism and Black inclusion in Canadian higher education.
The charter recognized systemic anti-Black racism in post-secondary institutions and declared universities’ commitments to promoting equity and inclusivity for Black community members in university governance, research, teaching, learning and community engagement.
The charter has been signed by 58 Canadian post-secondary institutions, including Carleton in 2021.
Tettey also served as dean of the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences and the faculty of creative and critical studies at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia from 2015 to 2018. Prior to that role, he was an associate dean-designate in the University of Calgary’s faculty of arts and an assistant professor in its department of communication and culture.
Born in Ghana, Tettey completed his bachelor’s degree and a graduate diploma at the University of Ghana. Tettey holds a PhD from Queen’s University and a master’s degree from UBC.
Featured graphic by Alisha Velji.
