Carleton University’s Board of Governors has announced Dr. Wisdom Tettey has been appointed Carleton University’s 17th President and Vice-Chancellor. Dr. Tettey will commence his five-year appointment effective January 1, 2025. 

The appointment of Dr. Tettey follows an international search process that engaged hundreds of internal and external constituents.  

“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Tettey to Carleton,” said Greg Farrell, chair of the Board of Governors. “Dr. Tettey is an inclusive and authentic leader who will build on the university’s reputation for teaching, learning and research excellence. He impressed the advisory committee with an ambitious vision of Carleton as a top-tier university on both a national and international scale.” 

“We were absolutely inspired by his goal of fostering a bold community of conscientious and adaptable global leaders who challenge the status quo and champion transformative change.” 

Dr. Tettey joins Carleton from the University of Toronto, where he currently serves as a Vice-President and has been Principal of the Scarborough campus since 2018.   

“Carleton is a highly regarded university that is leveraging its accomplishments to propel itself to global leadership,” said Dr. Tettey. “It will be a privilege to be immersed in a community that is defined by values and a purpose that I share, and to help drive and sustain the university’s momentum towards a future beaming with possibilities.”  

Ushering in an exciting new era for Carleton, Dr. Tettey brings proven experience in implementing strategic and operational plans at major Canadian universities. Prior to his current role, Dr. Tettey was Dean of the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences and the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, both at the Okanagan Campus of the University of British Columbia, and Interim Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Culture at the University of Calgary. He began his academic career at Queen’s University.  

At the national level, Dr. Tettey has convened the National Dialogues and Action for Inclusive Higher Education and Communities since 2020, the first of which resulted in the creation of the Scarborough Charter and its Inter-institutional Forum. The Forum currently represents about 60 Canadian universities and colleges, including Carleton. 
 
Internationally, Dr. Tettey has served as a consultant and advisor to various global organizations, including the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the Africa Capacity Building Foundation and the International Association of Universities. He is an elected Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and currently serves on the Board of CivicAction and on the advisory and editorial boards of various academic publications.  

Dr. Tettey will succeed Dr. Jerry Tomberlin, who was appointed Carleton’s Interim President and Vice-Chancellor in September 2023 and will be staying on until the new year to facilitate this transition. The Board of Governors extends its appreciation to Dr. Tomberlin for his continued stewardship and service to the university community throughout his interim appointment.