Michaëlle Jean, the former governor general of Canada, has been appointed as the University of Ottawa’s new chancellor, according to a university press release.
“The unifying values championed by Ms. Jean fully match our university’s desire for a healthy academic environment, open to the world and looking towards the future,” Robert Giroux, president of the univeresity’s Board of Governors, said in the press release.
When she replaces Huguette Label on Feb. 1, 2012, Jean will become the university’s 13th chancellor, according to the press release.
“All students, professors and staff at the University of Ottawa are very happy and proud to welcome [Jean] as a member of our extended family,” president and vice–chancellor Allan Rock said in the release.
Jean served as Governor General of Canada from Sept. 27, 2005 until Sept. 30, 2010 when her term ended. She is the co-founder of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation, which strives to to initiate social change in underprivileged communities across the country, focusing on young people, according to its website.
“I’m very excited about this appointment and I thank the members of the Board of Governors and the Senate, as well as the president of the [university], for the trust they have placed in me,” Jean said in the press release.