President of the University of Toronto

President of the
University of Toronto
Melanie Woodin, the 17th president of the University of Toronto
since July 1, 2025 (2025-07-01)
Residence93 Highland Avenue
SeatSimcoe Hall
AppointerGoverning Council
Constituting instrumentUniversity of Toronto Act
Formation1827 (1827)
First holderJohn Strachan
Salary$483,000 per annum (2025)[1]
Websitepresident.utoronto.ca

The president of the University of Toronto is the executive head of the University of Toronto, appointed by the university's Governing Council. 17 people have held the office since the university was founded as King's College in 1827.

As set out by the University of Toronto Act, the president is an ex officio member of the Governing Council of the University of Toronto alongside the chancellor, who is the university's ceremonial head.[2] The office of the president is located in Simcoe Hall on the St. George campus, and the official residence for the officeholder is 93 Highland Avenue in the Rosedale neighbourhood of Toronto.

The University of Toronto's current president is Melanie Woodin, who is the first woman to hold the position in the university's 200-year history. She took office on July 1, 2025 after serving as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science since 2019.[3]

History

The first president of King's College, the predecessor institution to the University of Toronto, was John Strachan, the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto. He had long advocated for the establishment of a university in Upper Canada and took the role of its inaugural head after its royal charter was issued by King George IV in 1827. The university was closely aligned with the Church of England, and anticipating the institution's secularization, Strachan resigned to establish Trinity College, which later federated with the university.[4]

John McCaul took over as president in 1848 and the university adopted its present name in 1850, severing its ties with the Church of England. A restructuring occurred in 1853 when University College was established as the university's teaching arm, with the president of University College now the de facto head of the University of Toronto. Holding the leadership of the university from 1848 to 1880, McCaul is regarded as the longest-serving president.[5] Since University College was founded, no role of a university-wide president existed until The University Act, 1901, which re-established the office of president while renaming the head of University College as principal.[4] In 1892, James Loudon became the first Canadian-born president, serving until 1906.[5]

Unlike many Canadian universities, the president of the University of Toronto does not hold the title of vice-chancellor. A role of vice-chancellor previously existed at the university, however it was separate from that of the president and permanently suspended by The University Act, 1906.[4]

Presidents

No. Portrait Name Term start Term end Ref.
President of King's College (1827–1850)
1 The Right Rev. John Strachan 1827 1848 [5]
President of the University of Toronto (1850–1853)
President of University College (1853–1901)
2 The Rev. John McCaul 1848 1880 [5][6]
3 Sir Daniel Wilson 1880 1892 [5][6]
President of the University of Toronto (1901–present)
4 James Loudon 1892 1906 [5][6]
5 Sir Robert Falconer 1907 1932 [5]
6 The Rev. Henry John Cody 1932 1945 [5]
7 The Hon. Sidney Earle Smith 1945 1957 [5]
8 Claude Bissell 1958 1971 [5]
acting John H. Sword 1971 1972 [7]
9 John Robert Evans 1972 1978 [5]
10 James Milton Ham 1978 1983 [5]
11 David Strangway 1983 1984 [5]
12 George Connell 1984 1990 [5]
13 Robert Prichard 1990 2000 [5]
14 Robert Birgeneau 2000 2004 [5]
interim Frank Iacobucci September 2004 June 2005 [8]
acting Vivek Goel July 1, 2005 September 30, 2005 [9]
15 C. David Naylor October 1, 2005 October 2013 [5]
16 Meric Gertler November 1, 2013 July 1, 2025 [5][10]
17 Melanie Woodin July 1, 2025 incumbent [5][11]

See also

Lists of vice-presidents of the University of Toronto:

References

  1. ↑ "M Woodin Agreement March 2025 Signed" (PDF). The Office of the Governing Council. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  2. ↑ "University of Toronto Governing Council". Government of Ontario. Public Appointments Secretariat. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Neuroscientist Melanie Woodin named as University of Toronto's 17th president". Global News. March 26, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Friedland, Martin (2002). The University of Toronto: A History. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-4429-8.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "History of the Position". University of Toronto.
  6. 1 2 3 "History of the Principal". University College. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Fonds 1816 - John H. Sword fonds". Discover Archives. University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Biography for the Honourable Frank Iacobucci" (PDF). Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Minutes of the Special Governing Council Meeting (April 26, 2005)" (PDF). University of Toronto Governing Council. April 26, 2005. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  10. ↑ Lavender, Terry (November 1, 2013). "Meric Gertler takes office as U of T's 16th president". U of T News. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Neuroscientist Melanie Woodin named as University of Toronto's 17th president". Global News. March 26, 2025.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.