News

The Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) is pleased to announce the appointment of Deborah MacLatchy, president and vice-chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University, as its new university co-chair of the Board.

“On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to welcome Deborah as ONCAT’s new co-chair representing the universities,” says Cheryl Jensen, president and CEO of Algonquin College, and ONCAT Board co-chair representing the colleges. “Deborah possesses a wealth of experience and expertise in postsecondary education, and I am confident that she will be a tremendous asset to the organization as we build a mature transfer system in Ontario.”

Deborah MacLatchy is the president and vice-chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University, having begun her term in July of 2017. MacLatchy joined Laurier in 2007 as dean of the Faculty of Science. She then became the vice-president academic and provost, and for a year was also the acting vice-president of research. MacLatchy began her academic career at the University of Winnipeg and the University of New Brunswick and completed her PhD in zoology at the University of Manitoba.

“As a sector, we have made great strides, through ONCAT, to develop a better understanding of who are our transfer students, why they may be interested in transfer, and what they hope to gain, but there is still more work to do,” says MacLatchy. “I am thrilled to be taking on this new role as we work with colleges, universities, Indigenous Institutes, as well as the Ontario government over the years to come.”

Added Yvette Munro, executive director of ONCAT: “President MacLatchy and Wilfrid Laurier University have already demonstrated their commitment to credit transfer, as exemplified by the more than 170 transfer pathways posted on ONTransfer.ca, our student transfer database. I am looking forward to insights she will bring to our work.”

Established by the provincial government in 2011, ONCAT, in partnership with all the colleges and universities in Ontario, is a sector leader in developing and building a system of student mobility throughout the province. This collaborative approach is also reflected in ONCAT’s governance, with the Board leadership consisting of two presidents, one from a college and one from a university. Accordingly, MacLatchy assumes the role of university co-chair from Rhonda Lenton, president and vice-chancellor of York University, who has been with the Board since its inception.

“We would like to thank Rhonda for her extraordinary leadership as the outgoing co-chair of the Board, as well as a founding member of ONCAT,” says Jensen. “Throughout her career she has been a strong advocate for student mobility, college-university partnerships and access. Her bold vision has been instrumental in building ONCAT’s solid foundation from which we continue to grow.”