UCalgary welcomes new Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Dr. Sandra Davidson

Calgary, AB – The University of Calgary is proud to announce the five-year appointment of its new provost and vice-president (academic) with Dr. Sandra Davidson, current dean of the Faculty of Nursing, stepping into her new role on July 1, 2024.

Dr. Davidson was appointed dean of UCalgary’s Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary in 2018 and she also served as deputy provost for the university from 2021 to 2023.

In a 30-year career that has seen her serve in a wide-range of academic and healthcare environments – from universities to the private, for-profit, and public, not-for-profit sectors – she’s eager to bring her community-engaged leadership style and passion for creative innovation and entrepreneurial spirit to the greater campus community.

That makes her a great fit for UCalgary, which prides itself on being Canada’s entrepreneurial university.

“As dean of the Faculty of Nursing I’ve been very fond of saying ‘we are the entrepreneurial nursing school at the entrepreneurial university,’” says Davidson.

“In my view, the spirit of entrepreneurship isn’t always about starting a business or an enterprise, or a new widget or technology that you put forward to make money. There’s also great value in the idea of social innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Dr. Sandra Davidson, dean of the Faculty of Nursing and incoming provost and vice-president (academic)

Davidson continues: “That could mean designing different systems that are more efficient, that make our organizations places where people can thrive and achieve their goals. It can be about putting processes and services in place that are innovative, that support students and researchers in new and different ways.” 

UCalgary President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ed McCauley praises Davidson for her great achievements as dean of the Faculty of Nursing and notes that leadership and complex human systems are among her research focuses, along with the study of living well with chronic disease and aging. She obtained her PhD in in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University in 2011. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing at the same institution in 2001 and received her Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Lethbridge in 1996 and Diploma of Nursing from Lethbridge College in 1994.

 “Under her leadership, the Faculty of Nursing has more than doubled its graduate enrolment, including the development and launch of eight graduate certificates and a certificate pathway leading to a master’s degree in nursing,” McCauley says. Additionally, in 2023 the faculty launched a Doctor of Nursing (DN) program, the second of its kind in Canada. Davidson – who is a Fellow in both the Canadian and American Academies of Nursing – also championed the development of rural/remote community and Indigenous community pathways in the undergraduate nursing program, which allows students to remain in their home communities while studying to be nurses.

“As an innovative educator, Dr. Sandra Davidson has been recognized nationally and internationally for her student-centred, relational practices.”

Dr. Ed McCauley, president and vice-chancellor, University of Calgary

Davidson is eager to help develop UCalgary’s ambitious Ahead of Tomorrow goals. “But it’s not just about executing the plan,” she says. “Rather, it’s about how we get there, and that’s what I’m most excited about. My style of leadership is very relational and person-centered. What I’ve done throughout my career is leverage the strength, ambition, and engagement of the people in my community to achieve great things, and that will be also my approach in this new role.”

McCauley also acknowledges the many accomplishments of Dr. Penny Werthner, who has acted as interim provost since August 2022. “She worked tirelessly to establish stronger relationships with student leaders, supported the hiring of new deans and a new leader for the School of Public Policy, and led the development of the academic plan,” says McCauley. “I am personally indebted to Penny for her support and wise counsel over the past two years.”

“Please join me in thanking Dr. Penny Werthner for her leadership and service to the University of Calgary and in congratulating Dr. Sandra Davidson on her new role.”

Media inquiries

Heath McCoy
Senior Communications Specialist
Media, Issues and Outreach

University of Calgary
403-607-8461
hjmccoy@ucalgary.ca