WINNIPEG -- A sitting member of the Canadian Senate has been named the new chancellor at Brandon University.
Senator Mary Jane McCallum was announced as the new chancellor on Thursday, after the university’s senate unanimously confirmed her. She will be officially installed in the position later this month. She is the first Indigenous chancellor in the university’s history, and the first woman to be appointed to the role.
McCallum replaces Michael Decter, who completed the maximum two terms as chancellor.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled,” said BU president Dr. David Docherty in a statement. “Senator Mary Jane McCallum inspires us all, she is full of energy and action, and we will greatly benefit from her knowledge and experience as Brandon University works towards Reconciliation and continues to grow. We are deeply honoured to have Senator McCallum agree to serve as our Chancellor.”
“The honour I am receiving is not through individual effort but represents a culmination of all the people who have been involved in my life and the profound impact they have had on me,” McCallum said in a statement. “My character has been shaped through demonstration and by the sharing of teachings and ceremonies; through conversations; through stories; through hard times and good times with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike.”
McCallum was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 2017, and sits with the Independent Senators Group.
McCallum, who is of Cree heritage, is from the Barren Lands First Nation in Brochet, Man. She has worked in the dental field from 1979 to 1997 throughout the prairies, and also worked in Brochet, helping manage community health programs. She officially retired from dentistry in April, but is still a non-practising member of the Manitoba Dental Association.
