First female president at University of Sudbury to start in September

There is a new president at the helm of the University of Sudbury.

The school announced Friday that Dr.Sophie Bouffard would take on the role starting September 1.

She is the first female president in the school's 103-year history.

Bouffard is leaving her position at the University of Regina where she is the Director and founder ofLa Cit universitaire francophone.

The search to find the new president took seven months.Chair of the school's board of regents,Jose Forest-Niesing headed the six-member search committee.

She saidthey started looking for a replacement in December, as soon as Dr. Pierre Zundel announced he was leaving for a new job with Laurentian University.

Forest-Niesing saidthe University of Sudbury hired a headhunting firm to help with the process. After the first round of applicants the search team narrowed down the pool to seven candidates.

Forest-Niesing saidBouffard stood out among the candidates because of her energy and enthusiasm, as well asher Francophone background.

U of S faculty and staff met Bouffard at an event Friday afternoon on campus.

Bouffardwill be moving to Sudbury with her husband. Once she starts, she saidshe plans to speak to everyone right off the bat. She saidthat includes faculty, staff, board membersand students of the schoolto others around the Sudbury community.

The University of Sudburyis bilingual andoffers courses in French and English.It is a federated school of Laurentian University.Students can take courses inreligious studies, philosophy, Indigenous studies and folklore.

The post secondary schoolcelebrated its100thanniversary during the 2013-2014 academic year.