TORONTO, May 29, 1997 -- York University President Dr. Susan Mann announced today that Dr. Deborah Hobson will become Vice-President (Enrolment and Student Services), effective Sept. 1, 1997.

Hobson is currently Vice-President (Academic & Research) at Dalhousie University, where she has worked since 1993. Prior to that, she spent 27 years teaching and doing research at York University, the last eight in senior administrative posts largely devoted to matters directly relevant to her new position. As Vice-President (Enrolment and Student Services), Hobson will be responsible for strategy, policy development, implementation, and management of all matters relating to enrolment, recruitment, retention and the provision of administrative services to York students.

"Dr. Hobson brings to York University a unique blend of skills and experience. She is both a distinguished teacher and scholar of Classics, and an academic administrator with experience in a broad range of academic and student service areas," said Mann. "She also brings to York a well-known passion as an advocate for students and for the quality of the university experience, and an ability to energize people to work collaboratively to achieve identified goals."

As a university administrator at York, including stints as Associate Dean of Arts, Master of Vanier College and Associate Vice-President (Admissions and Recruitment), Hobson developed extensive expertise in student recruitment, admissions and retention. Her revamping of York's recruitment strategy, for example, led to a steady increase in the grade profile of entering students and a concomitant increase in York's share of top students and admissions.

President Mann noted that Hobson's work at Dalhousie chairing the Enrolment Management Working Group, the Coordinating Committee on International Recruitment as well as the Task Force on Student Computing complements her earlier experience at York.

"With Dr. Hobson's return to York, the community benefits from her expertise and energy and from her proven insight into and understanding of the unique place that is York," said Mann.

Hobson's appointment follows an extensive national search, led by a committee including York students, faculty and staff. Hobson, who will be responsible for the offices of Admissions, the Registrar, Student Accounts, and Financial Aid, takes up a newly created position, created after a review last fall of the current vice-presidential responsibilities. That review was informed by the recommendations of the Student Services Review Team.

Hobson was educated at Barnard College and at Yale University, from which she received her PhD in Classics in 1965. She taught Classics at Smith College before moving to Canada in 1966, where she taught at Trinity College, University of Toronto before joining York in 1967.

For more information, please contact:

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
YU/052/97