Lorna Marsden, (born March 6, 1942) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

sociologist,

academic administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. Some ...

, and former Senator. She is the former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

of both

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a Public university, public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo, Brantford, Ontario, Brantford and Milton, Ontario, Milton. The ...

and

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

, and a former member of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

Career

Born in Sidney,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, she received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

in 1968 and a Ph.D in sociology from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1972. Her doctoral dissertation was titled "Doctors who teach: an influence on health delivery in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

." In 1972, she joined the

where she was a professor of sociology. She was the Associate Dean of the Graduate School and the Vice-Provost (Arts and Sciences) at the University of Toronto. She attended the founding meeting of the

National Action Committee on the Status of Women The National Action Committee on the Status of Women was a Canadian feminist activist organization that existed from 1971 to 2007. History It was founded in 1971 as a pressure group to lobby for the implementation of the 167 recommendations m ...

in April, 1972 and served as President of NAC from 1975 to 1977.She was active in the Ontario Committee on the Status of Women from 1971 and is co-author of the book about that feminist group, White Gloves Off (2018). She joined the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

, becoming national policy chair in 1975 and vice-president in 1980. In 1984, she was appointed by Prime Minister

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

to the Senate representing the senatorial division of Toronto-Taddle Creek, Ontario. While serving on the senate, she chaired the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology from 1989 to 1991 as well as being a member of committees ranging from National Finance to a special committee on Youth. She resigned in 1992 to become president and Vice-Chancellor of

. In 1997, she was appointed president and Vice-Chancellor of

, serving until 2007. Marsden was named one of "Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100", She became a Member of the Order of Canada in 2006 and a member of the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the Advice (constitutional), advice of the Executive Council ...

in 2009. She received the Order of Merit (First Class) of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2007. She holds honorary doctorates from the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

University of Winnipeg The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW, or U of W) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It offers undergraduate programs in art, business, economics, education, science and applied health as well as graduate progra ...

, Queen's University, the

and the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

. She has received the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal () is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is physically identical in all realms where it was awarded, save for Canada ...

, the Canada 125th Anniversary Medal, and the

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

. She was named a YWCA Women of Distinction in 2003 and was made an Honorary Alumnae of the

in 2003. She received the Senate Medal for Canada 150 in 2017. As President of

, Marsden founded the university's Culture and Communications program (joint with

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District in downtown Toronto, although i ...

) and she led a major building campaign. One outcome of the building campaign was the construction of the university's first green building: for computer engineering.

Bibliography

Books and reports

White Gloves Off, The Work of the Ontario Committee on the Status of Women, Second Story Press, Feminist History Society, 2018 (with Beth Atcheson) *''Leading the Modern University, York University's Presidents on Continuity and Change, 1974-2014'',(2016) University of Toronto Press,(with chapters by I Macdonald, H Arthurs, S Mann and M Shoukri) *''Canadian Women & the Struggle for Equality.'' (2012) Oxford University Press, Toronto. *''The Fragile Federation, Social Change in Canada'',(1979) McGraw-Hll Ryerson, Toronto (with Edward Harvey) *''Canada's women university presidents: social change in Canada.'' (2004) Canadian High Commission, Canada House, London. *''Doctors who teach: an influence on health delivery in Ontario.'' (1972) Princeton University. Thesis. *''Family formation in a new land: Dutch, Portuguese, and West Indian women in Toronto.'' (1975) Research Branch, Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Service, Toronto. *''Population probe.'' (1972) Copp Clark, Toronto. *''The recession, women's work, and social welfare in Canada.'' (1992) University of British Columbia Centre for Research in Women's Studies and Gender Relations. *''Report of the North York family formation study.'' (1975) Toronto. *''Social and economic debates on the impact of microelectronics in Canada: a report to the Task Force on Micro-Electronics and Employment''. (1982) *''Sorokin's dilemma: sociology and public policy development.'' (1989) University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. *''Technological change in Ontario: the questions of innovation and control in the small office''. (1987) Studies in Communication and Information Technology, Queens University, Kingston. *''Timing and presence: getting women's issues on the trade agenda.'' (1992) Gender, Science and Development Programme, International Federation of Institutes for Advanced Study, Toronto.

References

External links

*
Presidential statement on the autonomy of universitiesLorna Marsden archival papers
held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsden, Lorna 1942 births Living people Canadian senators from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario Presidents of York University Princeton University alumni University of Toronto alumni Women members of the Senate of Canada Women in Ontario politics Directors of SNC-Lavalin People from the Capital Regional District Canadian women in business Canadian corporate directors Women business executives Canadian women sociologists Canadian sociologists Medical sociologists Women corporate directors Academic staff of the University of Toronto Women heads of universities and colleges 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada 20th-century Canadian women politicians