The Collegium of the University of St. Michael’s College is pleased to announce that Dr. David Sylvester has accepted a second term as the University’s 8th President and Vice-Chancellor. The appointment, effective July 1, 2023, marks Dr. Sylvester’s 6th term as a university/college president, and his 24th year in senior administration since being appointed the Founding President of Corpus Christi College in Vancouver in 1999. 

University of St. Michael's College President David Sylvester

One of Canada’s most experienced leaders in Catholic higher education, Dr. Sylvester has also served as Principal of St. Mark’s College at the University of British Columbia and as Principal of King’s University College at Western University. 

Among his many accomplishments during his first term, Dr. Sylvester oversaw the federation of Regis College and St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology, creating a groundbreaking new theologate. He also worked with the Loretto Sisters to assume the responsibilities of the historic Loretto College women’s residence

“We are delighted that David Sylvester has agreed to serve another term as President,” says Rosanne Rocchi, who is Chair of Collegium, the University’s governing board of directors. “David initiated an important mission with St. Mike’s 180 (strategic plan). We are pleased that he will be able to continue realizing that vision and shepherding the many other initiatives he has stewarded to establish and continue USMC as an educational leader.” 

The reappointment process began in 2021, when Collegium delegated authority to the Executive Committee to design and oversee the presidential review process prior to reappointment. The ensuing process included consultations with stakeholders both across the university and beyond. The overwhelmingly positive feedback led to a unanimous motion passed by Collegium to reappoint Dr. Sylvester to a second term. 

“I am honoured to serve St. Michael’s as it continues on a path of revitalization and a recommitment to its historic mission to lead for change. The ambitious strategic initiatives conceived by this remarkable community inspire me in my work,” President Sylvester says. 

“I am especially grateful to the leadership and support provided by our governing Collegium members; their critical engagement and support of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni exemplify the best in university governance in this country.  It is a true privilege and a source of pride to work here, and I look forward to working with my colleagues as we continue to live into our commitment to be Canada’s leading Catholic university,” he adds. 

“David Sylvester’s re-appointment is an important step towards the ambitious goals of St. Mike’s 180 strategic plan,” says Paul Harris, who served as Chair of the Collegium when the process began. “David’s approach as President has resonated with students, faculty, and the administration. He has built a strong team around him, which will help St. Mike’s become the premier Catholic university in North America. David has built an inclusive community at St. Mike’s that treats everyone with dignity and respect and creates an environment for our students to be successful during their studies and after graduation.” 

The Executive Committee continues to support Dr. Sylvester as he establishes ambitious goals for this second term.  

“During the pandemic, this community responded compassionately and creatively as a source of hope for our immediate community. Our task now is to look beyond our campus to take up the responsibilities that face our graduates, our society, and our Church. St. Mike’s is committed to engaging in these new challenges and unleashing the limitless resources of our people to build up the common good,” Dr. Sylvester says. 

Dr. Sylvester is a social economic historian whose area of research focuses on the nature of community in the Middle Ages. He is appointed Full Professor, Teaching Stream, in the Mediaeval Studies program in St. Michael’s College, is an Associate Fellow and Board Member at the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, and holds a status appointment in the University of Toronto’s Centre for Medieval Studies. 

He has an M.A. and a Ph.D. in mediaeval history from Fordham University, New York City, has taught in the departments of history at the University of British Columbia, Corpus Christi College, and Fordham University, and was a tenured associate professor in the department of history at King’s. He has served as the Chair of the Governance Committee of Universities Canada and as a member of the boards of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Boston College Institute for Administrators in Catholic Higher Education. He is the past Chair of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities of Canada. 

Dr. Sylvester and his partner of thirty years, Dr. Allyson Larkin, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Social Justice and Peace Studies at King’s, have four children. 

“David’s enthusiasm for leading USMC in a respectful and collegial manner has been a singular factor in making our campus an open and welcoming environment, building on our Catholic traditions and equipping our students to look forward with confidence to face the challenges of the future,” Rocchi says. “We are fortunate to have his leadership.” 

On March 17, 2023, University of St. Michael’s College President David Sylvester and Collegium Chair Rosanne Rocchi welcomed Archbishop-Designate Francis Leo and Cardinal Thomas Collins to campus. 

L-R: President David Sylvester, Collegium Chair Rosanne Rocchi, USMC Chancellor Cardinal Collins, and Frank Leo, the newly appointed Archbishop of Toronto
L-R: President David Sylvester, Collegium Chair Rosanne Rocchi,
USMC Chancellor Cardinal Collins, and Frank Leo, the newly appointed Archbishop of Toronto

Leo will be installed as the next Archbishop of Toronto during a special Mass and ceremony at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica in downtown Toronto. The ceremony will be live-streamed, details will be posted on the Archdiocese of Toronto website: https://www.archtoronto.org/.

Anniversaries are normally a time to reflect, to take stock, and to celebrate. Well, here we are, one year since it became real, since COVID-19 arrived officially at Clover Hill, and remained. 

Since last March, I have written and spoken at length in alumni updates, board reports and national university roundtables about both the practical steps and the heroic deeds undertaken by this community; our staff, students, faculty (and alumni and trustees) rose together to face the challenges of this pandemic. We should be very proud of the efforts of each and every member of our community, and when the time comes for us to be together again, we will have much to celebrate.

But though there is light ahead, and I am particularly hopeful these days, there remains much to do. I am especially aware of the inequities this pandemic has exposed, that some members of our community continue to struggle with the myriad impacts of COVID-19 in ways that may not be visible to us. Today, I am thinking about them, and while we prepare for life after the pandemic, we should also be attentive to the quiet voices in our community that look to us not for bold actions, new policies, or press releases, but for understanding and loving support. These are not problems to be fixed, but the relationships that bind this community together and make St. Mike’s different. 

So, while you’ve heard me speak frequently and enthusiastically in the last year about St. Mike’s resolve, resilience, and good fortune, my thoughts today are more inclined to what really holds this community together and the blessings we enjoy that never quite find their way into a president’s annual report.  

Sometimes, it’s just best to leave it to the poets. 

You can have the other words—chance, luck, coincidence, serendipity.

I’ll take grace.

I don’t know what it is exactly, but I’ll take it.

Mary Oliver

June 8, 2020

Image depicts St. Michael's president David Sylvester seated at a table in his office on campus.

Dear members of the St. Michael’s community,

I trust this message finds you in good health and holding up in these uncertain times. The 2019/2020 academic year has ended like no other, and I have watched our community respond with grace, courage and resilience to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Once again, St. Michael’s is showing that even in very difficult times, our strength and generosity marks us as an anchor of hope in our community.

Social media use of #allinthistogether has gathered traction as the world responds to COVID-19, but I am particularly struck by how, at St. Mike’s, we really are in this together. Together, our students, faculty, alumni, and staff have worked to respond to these unique times, enabling classes to continue while ensuring the safety and security of campus, and the community. Students have been particularly resilient, and they have shown great understanding and patience in the face of a dramatically upended school year. As I look forward not only to the coming academic year but also to the future of St. Mike’s, I am confident that the lessons learned in these challenging days will help strengthen this incredible place, a place with compassion and community at its very heart.

When it became clear in mid-March that we needed a drastic response to the looming health crisis, creative problem-solving swung into action across the University. Within days, faculty and staff began offering classes and advising remotely, and students rose to the challenge. Residence students were able to pack up and head home early. The library remained open online, even offering a town hall on research. With a dedicated skeleton staff on campus to ensure that our students who could not leave were safe and supported, colleagues began working remotely, and virtual meetings became the norm. For the first time in history even Collegium and Senate meetings moved online.

This period will forever be remembered as a time when the world faced challenges above and beyond the norm, and we offer our support to those who are suffering. For St. Mike’s, the pandemic has forced us to sacrifice some much-loved traditions. We had to cancel spring reunion on campus and move to online anniversary activities, and the Class of 2020 missed out on an in-person, on-site convocation. As always, however, our community has responded with energy and hope. Whether it’s our Student Life team working on a virtual orientation for the incoming class, staff in the Registrar’s office taking additional time and care to respond to new and returning students’ concerns, or one of our students arranging to donate thousands of masks to protect those still on campus, this community is motivated by a concern for others, and it has been deeply moving and inspiring to witness.

We were in the midst of our St. Mike’s 180 planning when the pandemic hit. The pause in this project has allowed us time to reflect on our efforts to date and has affirmed what we already knew, that it is the strength of this community that is helping us weather this difficult storm and gives us hope for the future. We remain focused on our plans for renewal and I look forward to restarting conversations with you all about who we want to be as an institution and how we plan to achieve that. Obviously, we are stepping into a very different world, but St. Mike’s is prepared and must take up the mantle of leadership and think of new ways to build hope for our university and society, through our academic and student life programs and through our alumni and community partnerships.

Looking ahead to the 2020-2021 academic year, much remains unknown and difficult decisions must be made in the face of ongoing uncertainty. The health and safety of our community continues to come first, as well as the ability to reopen and resume operations when we are able to do so safely. The university is also facing challenges with regard to reduced revenues, and must also ensure that it remains fiscally sustainable. In early April, we implemented a hiring freeze, along with temporary redeployments. More recently, faced with prolonged shutdowns of parts of our campus and operations the University has worked with the United Steelworkers so that employees in our Facilities and Services Department and Physical Plant Departments can self-identify if they are willing to take a temporary leave. Staff who are affected by this decision have already heard from us directly.

Despite the challenges we are facing as the result of the pandemic, we remain committed to our community and charting a path forward. We are doing everything we can to sustain our workforce and adapt as we move through this crisis. We have established an advisory group, focused on plans for the fall, and we will continue to follow advice from public health and government guidelines. The University of Toronto has recently announced a plan to support employees in working from home where possible until at least September. St. Michael’s is part of this collaborative effort to achieve a gradual and safe reopening of the city’s workplaces.

Fortunately, in addition to calling on the expertise of our in-house resources, we can also tap into the knowledge and best practices of organizations such as Universities Canada to help us continue to do what we do best as a centre of learning and faith committed to building the common good.

Our Collegium remains a strong sounding board and a source of advice, responding wisely and compassionately to the unique concerns raised by the pandemic. Last week, the USMC Senate discussed the impact of COVID-19 on our academic community. We head into the coming year in especially capable hands, with former St. Michael’s Principal Dr. Mark McGowan returning as Interim Principal, as Prof. Randy Boyagoda becomes Vice-Dean, Undergraduate in the Faculty of Arts & Science at U of T. As well, Dr. John McLaughlin will again serve as Interim Dean of the Faculty of Theology as Dean James Ginther returns to the classroom following a leave. We are also very fortunate to have continued great student leadership, and I have already begun to work with Cianna Choo and the newly-elected executive of SMCSU.

While there is still so much we do not know about the course of this pandemic, rest assured that we will continue to communicate via email, social media and our website, stmikes.utoronto.ca, with important information about the 2020-2021 academic year and how and when the campus will reopen. Yes, we are in extraordinarily challenging times, but we are truly all in this together, and with your help St. Michael’s serves as an anchor of hope, an engaged and compassionate community dedicated to serving the greater good.

I am proud to be a member of this remarkable community.

Gratefully,

David Sylvester, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor
University of St. Michael’s College