Rabinovitch reappointed Chair of McGill Board
Robert Rabinovitch, Chair of the Board of Governors of McGill University, has been reappointed to serve an additional two years beginning in January 2008.
At a recent meeting, the Board unanimously approved the recommendation of its Nominating and Governance Committee that Dr. Rabinovitch be reappointed as Chair and member-at-large of the Board.
In making the recommendation, the Nominating and Governance Committee pointed to Dr. Rabinovitch's major contributions to the Board since becoming a member in 1997 and to his leadership of McGill's senior governing body since 1999. "His knowledge and commitment have been invaluable to McGill during a period of both challenges and opportunities," noted Committee Chair Eric Maldoff, "particularly in supporting the University's efforts to find the resources necessary to sustain excellence in teaching, research and service to the community."
"Robert Rabinovitch's continued dedication to serving the McGill community will be of enormous benefit to all of us," said Principal and Vice-Chancellor Heather Munroe-Blum. "He has worked tirelessly over his mandate to advance McGill's interests in the broader community, while overseeing the implementation of essential reforms to our Board structures and processes that have made governance at McGill more transparent, effective and accountable."
"I am deeply honoured that the Board has asked me to serve as Chair of McGill University for an additional two-year term," said Dr. Rabinovitch. "I am committed to higher education and particularly to McGill. I look forward to continuing to work with the terrific team of faculty, staff and volunteers."
The ties between Robert Rabinovitch, who is President of CBC/Radio-Canada, and McGill date back to the 1960s, when he entered the University as an undergrad. He graduated from McGill with a BCom in 1964 and went on to earn an MA and a PhD in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Over a two-decade period, he held numerous federal government positions, including Deputy Minister of Communications and Under Secretary of State, then in 1987 returned to Montreal to join Claridge Inc. as senior vice-president. He became executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Claridge in 1990, a position he held for nine years until he was appointed to head CBC/Radio-Canada.
As Chair of McGill's Board, Dr. Rabinovitch chairs the Executive Committee and is a member of four other Board committees. In addition, he represents the University on the Board of Directors of the McGill University Health Centre.
His extensive volunteer record includes membership on the Investment Advisory Committee of the Nunavut Trust and has included board and executive positions on numerous organizations, including the Canadian Film Centre and the Charles Bronfman and Samuel and Saidye Bronfman family foundations.
