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Leading by Example
photography by Mike FOrd
In her first weeks as York’s interim president and vice-chancellor, Lisa Philipps (LLM ’92) has been spending as much time in classrooms as in her office high up in Kaneff Tower on the Keele Campus. Rather than easing into the role behind closed doors, the law professor and long-time provost has been dropping into lectures, labs and seminars to see first-hand how the University’s plans are playing out day to day. She wants a direct view of how growth and new programs are affecting students and faculty before setting priorities for the rest of her interim term.
This is a good moment to be looking closely.
Philipps took over on Jan. 1, following Rhonda Lenton’s nearly nine-year leadership, a period when York expanded rapidly with the launch of Markham Campus and a new medical school. Those projects now anchor York’s next phase of growth and will shape the University’s academic profile and financial planning for years to come. As provost, Philipps helped chart that trajectory; as interim president, she is now testing how well it works in practice, course by course and hallway conversation by hallway conversation.
An alumna of Osgoode Hall Law School and a respected scholar in tax law and public policy, Philipps has spent much of her career at York, moving from faculty member to senior administrator. As provost, she was central to academic planning and budget strategy during a volatile period for Ontario universities, balancing expansion with pressures on funding and enrolment.
Now, as interim president, she wants to deepen research intensity, widen access to transformative learning experiences and strengthen the University’s partnerships with governments, employers and community organizations in the GTA and beyond.
The classroom visits are a way of grounding those goals in what is already happening on the Keele and Glendon campuses, and now at Markham, rather than treating them as abstract targets.
“I am honoured to serve this vital institution and look forward to working together with the York community to advance our mission,” Philipps says.
An international search for a permanent president will begin later this year. ■
— Staff
