Tom Traves

Dr. Tom Traves has been President of Dalhousie University since 1995, leading the university through a period of unprecedented growth in the numbers of students and faculty, in research dollars and in world-wide reputation.  During his time as president, he has overseen the university’s merger with the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS), has led a campus planning process that has seen the development of new buildings and student spaces and changed the face of the campus forever, and is at the forefront of the $250-million Bold Ambitions campaign – the largest fund development initiative in the university’s history.  With nearly 200 years of history, Dalhousie ranks among the top research institutions in the country, attracting over $130 million in funding to Nova Scotia in 2011 and is known for its groundbreaking work in fields such as oceans, life sciences, medicine and allied health professions, sustainability, clean energy, material sciences and information and communications technology.  At present, Dalhousie is negotiating a merger with the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in the expectation that it will become the University’s Faculty of Agriculture in September 2012.  During his time at Dalhousie, Dr. Traves has served as Chair of the Council of Nova Scotia University President, Chair of the Association of Atlantic Universities and Chair of the Board of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. Prior to his time at Dalhousie, Dr. Traves served as Vice-President (Academic) at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton and as Dean of Arts at York University in Toronto.  He has a B.A. from the University of Manitoba, an M.A. and Ph.D. in History from York University and an honorary doctorate from Umea University in Sweden.