Toronto, June 13, 2011 – Michael Hill, the first president emeritus of Northern College of Applied Arts and Technology and a 30-year veteran of the Canadian community college system, has been named to the Board of Directors of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), for a three-year term starting June 11.
Hill was president of Northern College in north eastern Ontario from 1999 to 2009. Previously, he was president of Northwest Community College in British Columbia. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Victoria and his master’s in psychology from the University of Manitoba. He is working toward his doctorate in education from Uppsala University, Sweden, where he specializes in structuring and organizing educational offerings in remote and developing regions.
In a career dedicated to postsecondary education, Hill was involved in the successful lobby to start a new university in northern British Columbia. In 1991, he was seconded to work with the new University of Northern British Columbia to develop a working model for the regional character of the university. He was a participant in an international group working in service to the Omega University Project in Sweden from 1992 to 1995. In 1995, he was seconded by the Government of British Columbia to serve as the interim inaugural president and CEO of Royal Roads University. He also served as an advisor to the University of the Highlands and Island Projects in Inverness, Scotland while on sabbatical in 1997/98. In 2001, he was named to the Rural and Remote Colleges Task Force of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges — responsible for improving access to postsecondary education and training in rural and remote Canada to ensure on-going social and economic development.
“With his life-long dedication to the college sector and Canada’s rural communities, Michael brings critical perspectives to our organization,” says Frank Iacobucci, chair of HEQCO’s board. “We look forward to working with him and benefitting from his wealth of experience.”
About the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario
The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario is an arm’s-length agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to ensuring the continued improvement of the postsecondary education system in Ontario. The Council was created through the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario Act, 2005. It is mandated to conduct research, evaluate the postsecondary education system, and provide policy recommendations to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities with a view to enhance the quality, access, and accountability of Ontario’s higher education system.
For further information, please contact:
Susan Bloch-Nevitte
Executive Director, Communications
Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario
(416) 212-5242
sbnevitte@heqco.ca
www.heqco.ca