Joël Dickinson was installed as the 14th president and vice-chancellor of Mount Saint Vincent University in 2022. - ContributedSaltWire's Atlantic regional weather forecast for September 12, 2023 | SaltWireWhen Joël Dickinson became Mount Saint Vincent University’s 14th president and vice-chancellor in 2022 – and the university’s first openly gay president – she broke ground and made waves in the university sector.
Dalhousie University has appointed Kim Brooks as the school's 13th vice-chancellor and president. - Contributed“I had serious internal debates about the risks involved. Sometimes I felt I had to hide who I was. Once during an interview process, I mentioned I had a son. A person on the selection committee asked, ‘What does your husband do?’ I decided at that moment to be true to my identity and answered, ‘She is a teacher.’ Silence followed.
The power of these appointments is significant. Approximately 10 per cent of Canadian university presidents identify publicly as 2SLGBTQI+. For 2SLGBTQI+ students, seeing people like themselves in leadership roles is a strong message that it’s OK to be yourself.