We seek a University of Ottawa chancellor who is interested in the quality of the university experience, and supportive of it.

ROBERT GIROUX, U of O board of governors president,

The University of Ottawa announced Tuesday it’s initiating an online nomination process to choose the university’s next chancellor, who will succeed former chancellor and governor-general Michaëlle Jean.

uOttawa launched an online nomination form where students, professors, staff, alumni and others can nominate candidates for the position until the end of August. After that, the office of the vicepresident of governance will collect the names and submit them to the attention of the selection committee.

Once nominations have been received, the university’s board of governors is responsible for nominating the new chancellor, based on recommendation of the university’s senate. The new chancellor will be announced in the fall of 2015.

Jean will continue to serve as chancellor until a new one is named. She announced in April she was stepping down from her position, which she has held since 2012. At the time, she cited her extensive new responsibilities, many travels and obligations as secretary-general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), an association of more than 50 French-speaking nations.

Finding the right chancellor is important. The chancellor serves as the head of the university in title, meaning he or she presides over convocation ceremonies, confers degrees, and is an honorary member of the board of governors and an ex officio member of the university senate.

“We seek a University of Ottawa chancellor who is interested in the quality of the university experience, and supportive of it,” said board of governors president Robert Giroux.

“We are also looking for someone who is bilingual, who is well-known and who has international experience. This person will be a leader capable of rallying the University’s stakeholders and partners, inspiring them to collaborate to meet uOttawa’s goals.”