Rhonda Lenton, vice-president academic and provost, has issued the following announcement to the York University community:
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Will Gage, of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health, to the position of interim associate vice-president teaching and learning in the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost. Sue Vail will be taking a well-deserved sabbatical leave and Professor Gage has agreed to take on this important role for the 2015-16 academic year effective July 1.
Professor Gage will continue the work that has been undertaken in this portfolio by Professor Vail and her predecessor Professor Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt. As we move forward with our goal of enhancing all aspects of the quality of the student experience at York, he will play a key role in leading, supporting and facilitating initiatives to advance institutional priorities in relation to teaching and learning, and faculty development in support of those efforts. In so doing, he will work collaboratively with colleagues in the provost’s office, the Faculties, the Office of the Vice-Provost Students, the Teaching Commons and a range of other areas from across the University. In particular, he will be working towards the achievement of plans for, and the sharing of ideas about, technology-enhanced learning and experiential education, including supporting recipients of funding from the Academic Innovation Fund.
Professor Gage brings a great deal of experience to the position of AVP teaching and learning. He has been at York since 2006, and has served in a number of administrative capacities, including acting associate vice-president research and innovation and – currently – associate dean research and innovation in the Faculty of Health (since 2011) and inaugural director of the York University Centre for Aging Research & Education (since 2014). He holds BSc and MSc degrees in kinesiology and a PhD in kinesiology and neuroscience from the University of Waterloo. He studies biomedical aspects of human health and his areas of research and teaching interest include age and risk factors, as well as arthritis, osteoarthritis and the motor system. He holds affiliations with the Centre for Stroke Recovery and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.
I am very grateful that Professor Gage has agreed to bring his skills and experience to the advancement of the teaching and learning enterprise as AVP. The important initiatives he will be pursuing will be of enormous benefit to the entire institution and, in particular, our students. I look forward to working with him in this new capacity.