Brantford - After 26 years at Wilfrid Laurier University, Dr. Leo Groarke, principal/vice-president of Laurier Brantford, will be leaving to take up the position of provost/vice-president academic at the University of Windsor, starting April 1, 2010.

“I'm excited by the opportunity and challenges at Windsor but I will miss Laurier and especially Laurier Brantford, which has been a remarkable experience for me,” said Groarke. “I will continue to follow the developments at Laurier, wish it well for the future, and hope to use all the lessons I have learned here as a basis for my work in Windsor."

Groarke joined Laurier as a professor of philosophy in 1983. He was chair of the Philosophy Department from 1994 to 1997, and in 1999 was named assistant dean of program development in the Faculty of Arts and Science (later divided into two separate faculties). Groarke was appointed dean of Laurier Brantford in 2000, and became the first principal/vice-president of the Brantford campus in 2007. He served as Laurier’s acting vice-president academic in 2008 before returning to his role as principal/vice-president of Laurier Brantford earlier this year.

Groarke guided Laurier Brantford through its first decade, a period in which the campus grew from 39 students and one building to its current size of 16 buildings and nearly 2,400 students. He also played a lead role in establishing successful partnerships with the city, the county, community groups, native communities, and other post-secondary educational institutions. He is the author of a soon-to-be published book about the positive impact Laurier has had on Brantford, called Reinventing Brantford: A University Comes Downtown.

“Leo has made a remarkable contribution to Wilfrid Laurier University and to the community of Brantford,” said Dr. Max Blouw, president and vice-chancellor of Laurier. “We will miss his leadership and his innovative approach to higher education, and we wish him well in his new role at the University of Windsor.”

Groarke takes up his new duties in Windsor on April 1, 2010. The date of his departure from Laurier, and the related transition plans for Laurier Brantford, will be announced in the near future.