Vice-Principal Academic and Research

Dr. Andrew Webster

Vice Principal, Academic and Research

andrew.webster@ubishops.ca

Welcome

Research at Bishop’s sometimes feels like a well-kept secret. Our strong focus on being a student-centred, premier institution for undergraduate studies can hide the academic excellence of our world-class professors, who are on a first-name basis with students on campus.

That’s part of the Bishop’s difference: outstanding researchers that choose Bishop’s because they also love to teach. 

They make it happen for our students, who get a first look at Webb Space Telescope data before other leading scientists around the world, while their professor works to develop Canada’s next space telescope.  Or those who rub elbows with seasoned international relations movers and shakers at prestigious international security conferences. 

Our intimate size makes this campus a true community, a perfect setting for developing leadership and encouraging initiative and innovation. That’s how we reinvent how teaching and learning take place, as our best and brightest have demonstrated in spades navigating through the exceptional challenges recently brought on by the pandemic. 

That’s the Bishop’s spirit that animates our professors and students alike: when they think it, they make it happen. Whether it’s about inventing the sustainable food systems of tomorrow by cultivating a farm on campus, or singing in the University choir at the highest levels of performance excellence. 

Even for a small university like ours, a strong research presence is critical. Along with our absolute commitment to a mission of teaching excellence, this research is part of how we fulfil the core purpose of what it means to be a university: to be a creator and propagator of knowledge for the benefit of our society.

Dr. Andrew Webster

VPAR Responsibilities

As per the Bishop’s University Statutes, the responsibilities of the Vice-Principal Academic & Research are as follow: 

• The Vice-Principal Academic and the Academic Deans shall be the Academic Officers of the University and the Executive Officers of Senate. The Vice-Principal Academic will coordinate with the Academic Deans the academic programs and research activities of the University. The Academic Deans shall also report to the Principal and Vice-Chancellor for non-academic matters or regarding other functions or projects assigned by the Principal and Vice-Chancellor from time to time. 
• The Vice-Principal Academic is the senior Academic Officer of the University, and shall be responsible for the coordination, in conjunction with the Academic Deans, of the delivery of the academic programs and research activities of the University. 
• The Vice-Principal Academic shall maintain close ties with other universities in Quebec, the rest of Canada and internationally, with government and government agencies, and with other institutions on matters of an academic nature. 
• The Vice-Principal Academic advises the Board of Governors on matters related to the faculty, contract faculty and librarian collective agreements and is the University’s chief negotiator for such agreements. 
• The Vice-Principal Academic is also responsible for the on-going development of support services in teaching and research, the coordination of the administration’s participation in academic planning, and for academic evaluation activities with respect to faculty and to academic programs. He or she is also responsible for the implementation and supervision of academic policy and programs in Continuing Education. 
• The Vice-Principal Academic shall supervise research and the international exchange programs and shall represent the University externally. 
• The University Librarian shall be responsible to the Vice-Principal Academic for the conduct and operation of the University Library, and may be required by the Senate to report to it from time to time on those aspects of the Library which the Senate considers to be of academic interest. 

Biography

After living and working for more than two decades in Australia, Dr. Andrew Webster has returned to his native Eastern Townships and been installed as the Vice-Principal Academic and Research at Bishop’s since August 2022.

Most recently he served as the Dean of Academic Operations for the College of Arts, Business, Law and Social Sciences at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia. Before that, he occupied the posts of Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Deputy Dean of the School of Business and Governance, Dean of the Murdoch University International Study Centre Dubai, and Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) in the School of Arts at the same institution.

As an historian of the politics, diplomacy and international relations of modern Europe, his research focuses on the period between the two world wars and the linked themes of international disarmament and the rise and fall of the League of Nations. He obtained a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge in 2001 and holds a master’s from the same institution, and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University.

Departmental Oversight

Academic Programs

At Bishop’s University, we believe offering an undergraduate education means much more than just sharing knowledge – it means creating opportunities for hands-on learning, and helping you see what you’re made of. The Vice-Principal Academic and Research works closely with the Academic Deans of Arts and Science, the Dean of the Williams School of Business, and the Dean of the School of Education to oversee the academic programs and research activities.  

Research

Despite being a small institute, BU’s researchers focus on big questions. Research, research creation and innovation are central to the mission of this vibrant university. Our Office of Research and Graduate Studies, under the mandate of the Vice-Principal Academic and Research and under the supervision of the Director of Research and Graduate Studies, supports a wide range of scientific, scholarly, and creative research activities conducted by the faculty and students of the university.

Library Learning Commons

The renovated Library Learning Commons was inaugurated in 2018 following a $17M dollar renovation. The space emphasizes active and collaborative engagement and encourages students to search and transmit knowledge. It will help students better understand critical issues, learn new skills, enjoy collaboration with others, and make new connections between facts and ideas as well as between students, instructors and researchers.  

Bishop’s University Academic Honours Society

The Bishop’s University Academic Honours Society celebrates the academic achievements of students who have risen to the top 15 percent of their respective divisions. By targeting these hardworking individuals and uniting them in a collective, the society offers opportunities for those like-minded folks to interact and grow with one another. 

Continuing Education

Bishop’s University Continuing Education’s mission is to be dedicated to lifelong learning by ensuring access to educational programs of the highest quality. 

Foreman Art Gallery

The Foreman Art Gallery of Bishop’s University is a space for thinking and producing knowledge about contemporary art and its relation to the global and local communities we share. 

Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning is learning through hands-on experience that is available for all students, and helps connect classroom theory to real-life situations, leading to broad and long-lasting outcomes. 

The Team

Maria Alekou
Administrative Assistant to the Vice-Principal Academic and Research

Assistant.VPAR@ubishops.ca

Kathryn Standish
Coordinator of Continuing Education

kathryn.standish@ubishops.ca

Jimmy Couturier
Graduate Studies Coordinator

jimmy.couturier@ubishops.ca

Jennifer Downey
Project Coordinator – Institutional Data and Planning

jennifer.downey@ubishops.ca