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Calgary Herald's Deborah Yedlin named new U of C chancellor

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Veteran business journalist Deborah Yedlin has been appointed University of Calgary chancellor.

The Calgary Herald columnist and Edmonton native succeeds astronaut Robert Thirsk in the role and was chosen from a field of eight self-nominated candidates.

She’ll be assuming the four-year position July 1, which makes her chair of the U of C Senate and ambassador for the post-secondary institution.

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Yedlin said the vital role education has played in her life has made the new challenge a natural one.

“I grew up in a very academic environment and that’s what I bring to this position,” she said.

“I sort of grew up at the University of Alberta because my mother was doing her PhD when I was a little girl.”

Yedlin noted that her appointment coincides with a period of considerable change at the U of C, something that made the opportunity all the more appealing.

“It embarks in a period of transition, with a new president coming in and a new chair of the board of governors… and it’s also being integral in a changing Calgary as it pivots to a new economy,” she said.

Yedlin will continue to write her business column for the Calgary Herald on matters not related to the university, through the end of May, said Lorne Motley, the newspaper’s editor in chief.

That background enables her to be a conduit between the university and the corporate world, she said.

“There’s comfort in being able to translate the academic to business and business to academic,” said Yedlin.

“Those are two things we need to bring together.”

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U of C senator James McNeil said Yedlin’s roots in Calgary and the backing she had helped form their decision to appoint her to the position.

“She had an extraordinary number of Calgarians who asked her to put her name forward,” he said.

Yedlin has been involved in numerous community initiatives, including co-chairing the 2016 Calgary United Way campaign, Calgary Opera, WinSport and the Calgary Philharmonic. 

As its 14th chancellor, she’ll seek to promote the U of C’s pursuit of excellence and its place in the community.

In addition to her work for the Herald, Yedlin has written for the Financial Post and the Globe and Mail.

BKaufmann@postmedia.com

on Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn

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