Keynote Speakers
Professor Jamie Cassels, President, University of Victoria
(Link to full biography)
Jamie Cassels, Queen’s Counsel, is the president of the University of Victoria (UVic). His five-year term began July 1, 2013. Prior to being named President, Cassels served as UVic’s Vice-President Academic and Provost (VPAC) from 2001-10. Prof. Cassels joined the University of Victoria Faculty of Law in 1981 and served as a Professor and Associate Dean and Dean of the law school.
President Cassels is a recipient of the 3M National Teaching Fellowship—Canada’s highest award for university teaching as well as numerous other awards for his exceptional contributions and law teaching.
Prof. Cassels’ areas of research expertise include remedies, legal theory, contracts, and torts. Other interests include environmental issues, law and society in India, and race and gender issues in the law of tort. He is a member of the Bar of British Columbia and has practised law and acted as a consultant to governments.
He holds a BA in law and philosophy from Carleton University, an LL.B (bachelor of law) from the University of Western Ontario and an LL.M (master of law) from Columbia University.
Dr. Alan Shaver, President, Thompson Rivers University
(Link to full biography)
Alan Shaver was appointed President of Thompson Rivers University in 2010. Previously, he served as Vice-President Academic and Provost at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia from 2006 to 2010 and as the Dean of Science at McGill University from 1995 to 2005.
Throughout his academic career he has combined teaching, research and academic leadership. He is very experienced in strategic academic planning, university governance and budget management, and in the development and implementation of university strategy and policy. He is also recognized for innovations in interdisciplinary and international academic programming and for his dedication to the advancement of the quality of education through research informed learning.
Dr. Shaver has published on a variety of research topics on the subject of chemistry.
He earned a B.Sc. (Hon) in chemistry from Carleton University and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.