Laurier’s former VP: Academic takes post at UW

Following a year of sabbatical from Wilfrid Laurier University, Sue Horton has accepted the position of associate-provost graduate studies at the University of Waterloo.

Horton, who served as vice-president academic and provost at Laurier from 2004-08, was planning to return to Laurier as an economics professor this September; however, she has since resigned from this position.

“UW just made me a very attractive offer,” said Horton.

In February, UW offered Horton a research chair in global health economics at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, with a cross appointment to Waterloo’s department of health studies and gerontology.

“I’ve worked quite a bit with people at UW in the course of the work I did at Laurier on the Balsillie School,” said Horton.

“I was offered a research chair and these things are hard to turn down.”

Following this, she was encouraged to apply for the new associate-provost position.

In this position, Horton will be focusing on UW’s three major targets for the graduate studies department: to double the number of graduate students by 2017 (from 4000 to 8000), extend guaranteed funding to masters students in research programs and increase the number of international students.

In her chair position at the Balsillie School, Horton will conduct research and work with graduate students, something she didn’t have much opportunity to do at Laurier.

“Unfortunately in my area there aren’t a lot of grad students at Laurier,” said Horton, who focuses her work on international health.

Last summer Horton received international recognition for a paper she produced entitled “Hunger and Malnutrition,” which was chosen by the Copenhagen Consensus as the highest priority solution to welfare issues.

During her academic leave from Laurier, Horton traveled around the world presenting this research.

She made 17 presentations in three different continents, including stops in China, Bucharest, Guatemala, Europe and the U.S.

Since she returned in February, she has been busy writing, including four technical papers, two book chapters, a book manuscript and six articles in various stages of production.

“It’s been kind of busy,” she noted.

Education

BA Economics
(1977, Cambridge University)

MA Economics
(1981, Harvard University)

PhD Economics
(1982, Harvard University)

Employment

University of Toronto
at Scarborough
Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science (1996-97)
Chair of the Department of Social Science (2000-03)
Interim Dean (2003-04)

Laurier
Vice-President Academic (2004-08)
*Academic leave from Laurier 2008-09

University of Waterloo
Associate-Provost Graduate Studies (Started July 1, 2009)
CIGI Chair in Global Health Economics (Started July 1,2009)