UNIVERSITY of Canberra’s vice-chancellor, Dr Deep Saini, announced he will be leaving at the end of the year after being appointed the vice-chancellor and president of Dalhousie University in Canada.

Starting his term five-year term in January, Dr Saini will become the university’s 12th president.

Dr Saini, who came to UC in 2016 after working as the vice-president of the University of Toronto, says he is honoured and humbled for this new opportunity at Dalhousie University.

“While it is undoubtedly sad to leave UC when the university is on such an impressive trajectory, the opportunity at Dalhousie—one of Canada’s leading universities—is also exciting,” Prof Saini says.

“The move will allow my wife and I to deal with the considerable challenges we’ve had managing our family commitments.

“In the seven and a half months I have left at this incredible institution, I will be focusing all my attention on finishing the projects I have started.

“We have an immensely talented team in place here at UC, and I look forward to strengthening the bonds between Canberra and Canada’s leading institutions into the future.”

Higher Education Minister Meegan Fitzharris says herself and the community are thankful for the contribution Prof Saini has made to the University of Canberra, and the ACT. 

“The ACT community thanks Prof Saini for all his work and we know we will continue to have a close friend in Canada when he returns to his family,” she says.

“We wish him all the best in his future endeavours, and in the meantime we look forward to continuing to work with Prof Saini over coming months.”