Bill Flanagan, Honorary Alumni Association President
Bill Flanagan became the 14th president and vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta in July 2020. Born and raised in Alberta, he has been recognized for his transformative and entrepreneurial leadership.
As soon as he was appointed, President Flanagan launched the largest and most ambitious program of academic and administrative restructuring ever undertaken by a Canadian university. With a vision for the University of Alberta for Tomorrow (UAT), he set the goal of turning the university’s acute financial pressures into a strategic transformation, repositioning the U of A for long-term success.
With the creation of an entirely new and university-wide operating model, UAT dramatically enhanced the efficiency of administrative services through the establishment of shared service centres and the introduction of new technologies. By 2023, the U of A will have permanently reduced its administrative costs by $127 million annually.
With the establishment of three new colleges — the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, the College of Natural and Applied Science, and the College of Health Sciences — the university grouped 13 existing faculties into three discipline-aligned colleges, with the goal of elevating interdisciplinary teaching and research with global impacts. With a more dynamic, nimble and aligned academic structure, the university is now positioned to be an even stronger driver of economic growth, innovation and creativity in Alberta, Canada and the world.
With UAT, a significantly higher proportion of funding and resources now goes directly into classrooms and research, generating greater impact while enabling the university to more quickly and collaboratively drive international research opportunities that address the world’s greatest challenges.
The transformation and associated savings achieved under UAT since 2020 are unprecedented in Canadian post-secondary history. The University of Alberta is now more sustainable, poised for ambitious enrolment growth and prepared to lead globally with purpose. Amid these profound changes, the university has continued to advance in international rankings, recently placing fifth in Canada and 92nd in the world — its best showing ever.