Leo Friman Kristjanson, (February 28, 1932 – August 21, 2005) was the President of the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

from 1980 to 1989.

Biography

Born in

Gimli, Manitoba Gimli is an unincorporated community in the Rural Municipality of Gimli on the west side of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. The community's first European settlers were Icelanders who were part of the New Iceland settlement in Manitoba. The com ...

, he 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 year ...

degree from United College (now the

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 gra ...

) in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

in 1954, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

in 1963. In 1960, he began teaching at the University of Saskatchewan Department of Economics. From 1975 to 1980, he was Vice-President, Planning and from 1980 to 1989 he was the sixth President of the University of Saskatchewan. He retired as President in 1989 due to health reasons, a year before the end of his second term. In 1990, he was made 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 cen ...

, Canada's highest civilian honor. In 1990, he was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame. After retirement, he moved back to his hometown of Gimli, Manitoba, where he spearheaded the effort to reconstruct the Gimli Public School (1915) and the development and construction of the Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre. Leo was a founding member of the Evergreen Band Boosters, which has raised funds for the Gimli High School Band program. He died in Gimli on August 21, 2005.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kristjanson, Leo 1932 births 2005 deaths Canadian university and college vice-presidents Members of the Order of Canada Presidents of the University of Saskatchewan University of Manitoba alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Academic staff of the University of Saskatchewan People from Gimli, Manitoba Canadian people of Icelandic descent