Trent University announces the appointment of Dr. Brendan Hickie as the acting principal and associate dean of Trent University Oshawa Thornton Road Campus, effective July 1, 2011 for a one-year term.

Professor Hickie’s key areas of responsibility will include innovative academic programming, operations, marketing, governance and student support services as well as overall, ongoing inter-institutional relations with UOIT and Durham College.

Dr. Hickie is an assistant professor in the Environmental and Resource Science / Studies Department with degrees from the University of Guelph (B.Sc.Agr.), and the University of Waterloo (M.Sc. and Ph.D.). He joined Trent in 1991 and is a founding member of the Environmental Resource Science / Studies program at Trent Oshawa, where he has been teaching since 1996. He also contributes to several other courses at the Symons Campus in Peterborough.

“Brendan has shown invaluable leadership in Oshawa and has been the driving force behind the development of the Environmental and Resource Science / Studies Program at the Thornton Road Campus,” said Dr. Gary Boire, provost and vice-president academic at Trent. “He will undoubtedly continue to strengthen the ties between Trent, UOIT and Durham College and further position the Oshawa Campus as an integral part of Trent University, with its own unique nature and level of autonomy.”

Upon learning of his appointment, Prof. Hickie remarked, "I look forward to the challenges of helping the Trent University Oshawa Thornton Road Campus grow and enrich the opportunities for post-secondary students in the Durham Region seeking a degree in the liberal arts and sciences."

Prof. Hickie succeeds Dr. Rita Bode as associate dean and Dr. Peter Lapp as acting principal at Trent University Oshawa. Dr. Steven E. Franklin, president and vice-chancellor at Trent commends Profs. Bode and Lapp as both of their terms come to a close at the end of June: “Rita and Peter have been exemplary members of the Trent Oshawa community, particularly in the wake of the opening of the new campus on Thornton Road in October 2010. I would like to thank both of them for their superb leadership and their dedication to the students at the Trent Oshawa campus.”