Lorna Marsden, (born March 6, 1942) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

sociologist,

academic administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the Faculty (academic staff), faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint ...

, and former

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. She is the former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

and

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of both

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses ...

and

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

, and a former member of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

Career

Born in Sidney,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, she received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in 1968 and a

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

in sociology from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1972. Her doctoral dissertation was titled "Doctors who teach: an influence on health delivery in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

." In 1972, she joined the

where she was a Professor of Sociology. She was the Associate Dean of the Graduate School and the Vice-Provost (Arts and Sciences) at the University of Toronto. She joined the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

, becoming national policy chair in 1975 and vice-president in 1980. In 1984, she was appointed by Prime Minister

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada The prime mini ...

to the Senate representing the

senatorial division Canadian Senate divisions refers to two aspects of the Senate of Canada. First, it refers to the division of Canada into four regional Senate divisions of 24 senators each, as set out in section 22 of the Constitution Act, 1867.The Constitution Act ...

of Toronto-Taddle Creek, Ontario. While serving on the senate, she chaired the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology from 1989-1991 as well as being a member of committees ranging from National Finance to a special committee on Youth. She resigned in 1992 to become President and Vice-Chancellor of

. In 1997, she was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of

. She was succeeded as President by

Mamdouh Shoukri Mamdouh Shoukri, was the seventh President and Vice-Chancellor of York University, serving two terms from 2007 to 2017.Toronto Star"Muslim president for York University" Feb 08, 2007Y File, York University's Daily Bulletin"McMaster's Mamdouh Shouk ...

in 2007. She attended the founding meeting of the

National Action Committee on the Status of Women The National Action Committee on the Status of Women was a Canadian feminist activist organization. History It was founded in 1971 as a pressure group to lobby for the implementation of the 167 recommendations made in the Royal Commission on ...

in April, 1972 and served as President of NAC from 1975-77.She was active in the Ontario Committee on the Status of Women from 1971 and is co-author of the book about that feminist group, White Gloves Off (2018). Marsden was named one of "Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100", She became a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

006] and a member of the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...

in 2009. She received the Order of Merit (First Class) of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2007. She holds honorary doctorates from the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Americ ...

University of Winnipeg The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and kinesiology and applied health as well as gr ...

, Queen's University, the

and the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

. She has received the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'argent de la reine Elizabeth II) is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is p ...

, the Canada 125th Anniversary Medal, and the

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

. She was named a YWCA Women of Distinction in 2003 and was made an Honorary Alumnae of the

in 2003. She received the Senate Medal for Canada 150 in 2017. As President of

, Marsden founded the university's Culture and Communications program (joint with

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

) and she led a major building campaign. One outcome of the building campaign was the construction of the university's first green building: for computer engineering.

Bibliography

Books and reports

White Gloves Off, The Work of the Ontario Committee on the Status of Women, Second Story Press, Feminist History Society, 2018 (with Beth Atcheson) *''Leading the Modern University, York University's Presidents on Continuity and Change, 1974-2014,(2016) University of Toronto Press,(with chapters by I Macdonald, H Arthurs, S Mann and M Shoukri) *''Canadian Women & the Struggle for Equality.'' (2012) Oxford University Press, Toronto. *''The Fragile Federation, Social Change in Canada,(1979) McGraw-Hll Ryerson,Toronto (with Edward Harvey) *''Canada's women university presidents: social change in Canada.'' (2004) Canadian High Commission, Canada House, London. *''Doctors who teach: an influence on health delivery in Ontario.'' (1972) Princeton University. Thesis. *''Family formation in a new land: Dutch, Portuguese, and West Indian women in Toronto.'' (1975) Research Branch, Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Service, Toronto. *''Population probe.'' (1972) Copp Clark, Toronto. *''The recession, women's work, and social welfare in Canada.'' (1992) University of British Columbia Centre for Research in Women's Studies and Gender Relations. *''Report of the North York family formation study.'' (1975) Toronto. *''Social and economic debates on the impact of microelectronics in Canada: a report to the Task Force on Micro-Electronics and Employment''. (1982) *''Sorokin's dilemma: sociology and public policy development.'' (1989) University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. *''Technological change in Ontario: the questions of innovation and control in the small office''. (1987) Studies in Communication and Information Technology, Queens University, Kingston. *''Timing and presence: getting women's issues on the trade agenda.'' (1992) Gender, Science and Development Programme, International Federation of Institutes for Advanced Study, Toronto.

References

External links

*
Presidential statement on the autonomy of universitiesLorna Marsden archival papers
held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsden, Lorna 1942 births Living people Canadian senators from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario Presidents of York University Princeton University alumni University of Toronto alumni Women members of the Senate of Canada Women in Ontario politics Directors of SNC-Lavalin People from the Capital Regional District Canadian women in business Canadian corporate directors Women business executives Canadian women sociologists Canadian sociologists Medical sociologists Women corporate directors University of Toronto faculty Women heads of universities and colleges