Two familiar York faces take on new roles within the University

Rhonda Lenton, dean of the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies, and Lorna Wright, professor of international business at York’s Schulich School of Business and chair of the Faculty of Graduate Studies Council, have been appointed to new roles within the University. The announcement was made yesterday by Patrick Monahan, dean of Osgoode Hall Law School and York vice-president academic & provost-designate. Both appointments are for three-year terms and take effect July 1.

Left: Rhonda Lenton

Lenton has served as dean of the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies since 2002. A sociologist by training, she was a faculty member and associate dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Hamilton’s McMaster University before joining York. For the last two years, Lenton has been a member of the restructuring team guiding the consolidation of Atkinson and the Faculty of Arts and, in that capacity, has gained invaluable experience working with a diverse range of academic units, other faculties and all the senior administrative offices in the University. She is the chair of the President’s Task Force on Community Engagement and is on the executive committee of the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada. She will succeed Rodney Webb, professor of biology in the Faculty of Science & Engineering, as associate vice-president academic.

Wright is currently a professor of international business at the Schulich School of Business and chair of the Faculty of Graduate Studies Council. She is the former director of the International MBA Program at Schulich (2000-2005) and was the co-founder of the Asian Business Consortium (1997), which included Queen’s University, York University, the University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business. She has had extensive international experience and, over the course of her career, has worked with various organizations world-wide, and particularly in Asia. Wright succeeds Adrian Shubert, professor of history in the Faculty of Arts, as associate vice-president international.

Right: Lorna Wright

“Please join me in congratulating Dean Lenton and Professor Wright on their new appointments and thanking Professors Webb and Shubert for the outstanding contribution they have made to the University,” said Monahan. Both Webb and Shubert will resume their roles as professors.