Bill Flanagan | |
---|---|
14th President of the University of Alberta | |
Assumed office July 1, 2020 | |
Preceded by | David H. Turpin |
Personal details | |
Born | 1960or1961(age 63–64) [1] Edmonton,Alberta,Canada |
Spouse | Saffron Sri [2] |
Relations | Jack Horner (uncle) [2] Hugh Horner (uncle) Norval Horner (uncle) Doug Horner (cousin) |
Education | Carleton University (BA) University of Toronto (JD) University of Paris (MAS) Columbia University (LLM) |
William F. Flanagan (born 1960) is a Canadian academic. In March 2020,his appointment was announced as the next president of the University of Alberta,succeeding David H. Turpin in July 2020. He previously served as the dean of the faculty of law at Queen's University from to 2005 to 2019. [3]
Flanagan is married to his husband Saffron Sri,who is originally from Sri Lanka. [2]
Flanagan was born in Edmonton,Alberta,the son of two teachers. In his teen years,he worked as a page in the Canadian House of Commons,where his maternal uncle Jack Horner was a Member of Parliament. [2] He attended Carleton University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree,then the University of Toronto Faculty of Law,earning a J.D. degree in 1985. He also earned a DEA from the University of Paris in 1986 and a master's degree in law from Columbia Law School in 1989. In 1987,he served as a law clerk for Supreme Court of Canada justice Willard Estey. He joined Queen's University's faculty of law in 1991. [4] He taught international trade and investment,property law and corporate law,and founded the International Law Spring Program at the International Study Centre in the United Kingdom at Queen's University. [5]
On May 9,2024,a peaceful encampment organized by The People's University for Palestine was established on the University of Alberta main quad in solidarity with international student protests against the Israeli actions during the Israel-Hamas war (and since the 1948 Nakba) which has been characterized as a genocide. [6]
A May 9th communication by President and Vice Chancellor Bill Flanagan reinforced the university's commitment to freedom of expression including non-violent protest and dissent as “foundations of the university”. [7] This memo also indicated that the university would not tolerate any violation of law or university policies,such as hate speech or violence. [8]
On May 10th,Campus Security visited the encampment and read a notice of trespass and eviction. Video evidence shows that Frank Page,head of Campus Security,announced a ban of all encampment participants from the University of Alberta campus for the period of a year. [9] [10]
In the early morning of May 11th,a day after the encampment participants had been given notice of trespass and eviction,the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) was deployed against the encampment. [11] Protestors alleged violence on the part of the EPS officers. [12]
Shortly after the dispersal of encampment-goers,Bill Flanagan released a May 11th statement citing the possibility of “serious violence”instigated by counter-protestors. [13]
Criticism from across the University of Alberta community against Bill Flanagan were launched as a result of these events. [14] In response,Bill Flanagan released a May 12th communication acknowledging the criticism but reiterating his belief that the action taken had been necessary. [15]
Edmonton is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region,which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchors the northern end of what Statistics Canada defines as the "Calgary–Edmonton Corridor",a region spanning between Edmonton and the city of Calgary,Alberta's largest city,which includes the many smaller municipalities between the two.
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton,Alberta,Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,the first premier of Alberta,and Henry Marshall Tory,the university's first president. It was enabled through the Post-secondary Learning Act. The university is considered a "comprehensive academic and research university" (CARU),which means that it offers a range of academic and professional programs that generally lead to undergraduate and graduate level credentials.
The University of Alberta Students' Union (UASU) is the student society that represents undergraduate students at the University of Alberta. Originally established in October 1908 as the Students' Council,the UASU is a non-profit corporation that operates under the authority of the Post-Secondary Learning Act (Alberta). Its membership consists of the roughly 31,000 undergraduate students enrolled at the university.
Indira Vasanti Samarasekera is the former president and former vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta. She has been a member of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments,which advises on appointments to the Senate of Canada,since 2016.
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is the municipal police force for the City of Edmonton,Alberta,Canada. The current chief of the EPS is Dale McFee. McFee is the second highest paid police chief in Canada with an annual salary of $357,000 (2023),following Vancouver's police chief Adam Palmer,who in 2022 was paid $493,932.
The University of Alberta Faculty of Law is the graduate school of law of the University of Alberta in Edmonton,Alberta,Canada. Established as an undergraduate faculty in 1912 it is the third oldest law school in Canada,and often considered the oldest law school in Western Canada.
The Alberta Legislature Building is in Edmonton and is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and the Executive Council of Alberta. It is often shortened to "the Ledge".
Thomas Adam LukaszukICD.D B.Ed. is a Polish-born Canadian politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He represented the constituency of Edmonton-Castle Downs from 2001 to 2015 as a Progressive Conservative. He served in the provincial cabinet from 2010 to 2014,and was the 8th Deputy Premier from 2012 to 2013. He was the first Polish-born cabinet minister and deputy premier in Canada.
Michael Albert Phair is a Canadian politician,who served on Edmonton City Council from 1992 until 2007. He was the first openly gay elected politician in the province of Alberta,as well as one of the earliest openly gay elected officials anywhere in Canada.
The Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) is a large and long serving hospital in the Canadian province of Alberta. Operated by Alberta Health Services and located north of Edmonton's downtown core,the Royal Alexandra serves a diverse community stretching from Downtown Edmonton to western and northern Canada. The total catchment area for the RAH is equivalent to 1/3 of Canada's land mass,stretching north from Downtown Edmonton to enpass both the Northwest Territories and Yukon territory,and stretching as far west as British Columbia's pacific coast.
Micheal George Henry Hudema is a Canadian activist who has worked for advocacy organizations including Greenpeace,Global Exchange,the University of Alberta Students' Union,and the Ruckus Society. He is best known for his work opposing the development of the Alberta oil sands and reliance on fossil fuels in general,but has also engaged in civil liberties and student activism. He is also the published author of a book on direct action tactics.
Namao is a hamlet in central Alberta,Canada within Sturgeon County. It is at the intersection of Highway 37 and Highway 28,approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of Edmonton's city limits. It was the namesake of RCAF Station Namao,now CFB Edmonton,which is directly south of the hamlet.
The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at University of Alberta is located in Edmonton,Alberta,Canada. Established in 1913,it is one of the oldest medical schools in Western Canada and is composed of 21 departments,two stand-alone divisions,9 research groups,and 24 research centers and institutes. Educational,clinical and research activities are conducted in 29 buildings on or near the University of Alberta north campus.
Andrew Robert "Bob" Turner is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Edmonton-Whitemud as a member of the Alberta New Democratic Party. He won his seat with 12,803 votes,defeating incumbent health minister and former mayor of Edmonton,Stephen Mandel by 5,622 votes,or around 57% of the vote to Mandel's 32%. Mandel had previously beaten Turner in an October,2014 by-election after Mandel was appointed as an unelected minister by then-Premier Jim Prentice.
The University of Alberta Library is the library system of the University of Alberta.
Bruce Peel Special Collections is a library in the University of Alberta Library system that includes more than 100,000 rare books and archival materials. The library is named for Bruce Braden Peel,chief librarian at the University of Alberta from 1955 to 1982.
In May 2024,pro-Palestinian student protesters at the University of Virginia demonstrated on the campus. The protesters organized an occupation on university grounds in support of Palestinian nationalism in the context of the Israel–Hamas war.
The pro-Palestinian campus occupations at the University of Oxford are ongoing occupation protests in Oxford,England,organised by Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P). The occupations started on 6 May 2024 on the Museum of Natural History's lawn,in front of the Pitt Rivers Museum. Escalating the protests,a second encampment was established on 19 May outside the Radcliffe Camera. Protests have taken elsewhere in the city,including on Wellington Square,where 17 students were arrested after occupying the Vice-Chancellor's office on 23 May. Protesters demands include disclosure of investments and divestment from Israeli companies,among others. The university refused to negotiate with protesters until responding to an email to arrange discussion on 5 June. The protests have been supported by over 500 members of staff,and criticised by the university as intimidating.