Dr. Baljit Singh, dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, has been appointed vice-president, research at the University of Saskatchewan, effective Feb. 1, 2021. He is stepping down from his role as dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine on Oct. 31, 2020, and will be leaving UCalgary officially on Jan. 31, 2021.
I would like to thank Dr. Singh for his commitment and significant contributions to UCalgary and the growth of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) over the past four years. Dr. Singh was appointed dean of UCVM on Sept. 1, 2016, having previously served as associate dean of research at the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
Under Dr. Singh’s leadership, the 2017-22 UCVM Strategic Plan was developed to advance the vision and build on the theme of One Health, One Community. This commitment to community was amplified through the gift of W.A. Ranches in 2018, a $44-million, 1,000-head cattle operation. The W.A. Ranches at the University of Calgary have proven to be a transformative addition to UCVM.
Dr. Singh was a key advocate with the provincial government and Alberta Veterinary Medicine Association for program expansion, and his work resulted in an increased class size, from 30 to 50 students, and an expansion of facilities at the Spy Hill campus.
Dr. Singh also played a major role in ensuring that One Health was named as an emerging research theme at the University of Calgary. Maintaining and growing research intensity at UCVM was further demonstrated during Dr. Singh’s tenure through the allocation of three Canada Research Chairs, the renewal of federal- and donor-funded chairs and the one-to-one ratio of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students to graduate students. Dr. Singh returns to the University of Saskatchewan having left UCVM a demonstrated leader in innovative education and as of December 2019, with full accreditation for the next seven years by the Council on Education.
Dr. Singh is an accomplished scholar and holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry and a Master of Veterinary Science from Punjab Agricultural University in Punjab; a PhD from the University of Guelph; and postdoctoral training at Texas A&M University and Columbia University, New York.
An advisory search committee for a dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will be struck in the near future to commence the search for a new dean. An interim dean will be named in the coming weeks.
Please join me in congratulating Baljit on his new role at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dru Marshall
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)