Dr. Kim Fenwick Reappointed Vice-President (Academic and Research)

Dr. Kim Fenwick has been reappointed Vice-President (Academic and Research) at St. Thomas University for a five-year term to June 30, 2026.

“The input from our community on her areas of responsibility, leadership, and stakeholder relations was overwhelming positive—there was broad and enthusiastic support for renewal,” said Dawn Russell, President and Vice-Chancellor, in making the announcement to the community.

Russell noted that Fenwick’s accomplishments, both in her leadership and through her support of other academic leaders, were highly evident.

“Her leadership in the areas of experiential learning and the Senate Committee on Reconciliation, are noteworthy. As well, her input and support in moving forward the Master of Social Work degree and programs like Moot Court, Musical Theatre, and Visual Arts are successes,” said Russell.

She added that there has been progress on developing STU's research capacity through the Canada Research Chairs, an updated Strategic Research Plan, and research internships for students. Fenwick also led the improvements of harassment and discrimination, academic/non-academic misconduct, and sexual violence policies.

“Dr. Fenwick’s knowledge of STU and her continuing engagement with faculty and students ensures that she has an understanding of the perspective and interests of different parts of our community.”

"I am grateful for all the support I have received from the university community, and I look forward to serving St. Thomas University for a second five-year term. This is a challenging yet exciting time for STU, and I am confident we will meet those challenges and build on our strengths as move forward together," said Fenwick.

In addition to building on these accomplishments, Dr. Fenwick is interested in further progress in areas including reconciliation, recruitment and retention, and building a successful Master of Social Work program. The more immediate and time-consuming challenges, of course, relate to our planning for 2021-22 and the impact of the pandemic on our operations.

Fenwick holds a B.Sc. from Acadia and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Western. She joined St. Thomas’s Department of Psychology in 1995. She served as Chair of that department for seven years and has served on, and chaired, numerous Senate and University committees. She was appointed Dean of Social Sciences on July 1, 2012 and became Acting Vice-President (Academic and Research) on January 11, 2016. Following a national search, she was named to the position on July 1, 2016. She is the author of numerous scholarly publications and was the winner of our Teaching Excellence Award in 2006.

“From the renewal process, it is clear that Dr. Fenwick values the contribution and support of her colleagues and welcomes the opportunity to continue her contributions to STU. I want to congratulate Kim on her well-deserved renewal. Like many others, I look forward to continuing to work with her.”