The campus community is invited to welcome The University of Western Ontario’s next president Amit Chakma at a Great Hall reception Friday (Jan. 23) from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Chakma will begin serving a five-year term as Western’s president on July 1, succeeding Paul Davenport who will complete 15 years of service.
Chakma, 49, is currently Vice-President, Academic & Provost, and a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo.
Prior to that, he served as Dean of Engineering and then Vice-President (Research) at the University of Regina. Before Regina he was a professor of chemical and petroleum engineering at the University of Calgary.
In his role at Waterloo, Chakma acted as chief operating officer, responsible for developing the annual budget of the university, skills that will be valuable as he leads Western through the months and years ahead that will present economic challenges for all universities.