Strategic university leader named President of Brescia University College

April 20, 2021 - London, ON 

The Board of Trustees of Brescia University College is pleased to announce that after a comprehensive, nation-wide search process, Dr. Lauretta Conklin Frederking has been appointed as the 13th Principal and newly named President of Brescia University College. 

Supported unanimously by the Board of Trustees, Dr. Frederking will become the next leader and President, with the change in title reflecting the strategy of establishing Brescia’s presence internationally, and elevating Brescia’s brand and profile widely as the institution sets a new path forward. Currently serving as Brescia’s Vice-Principal and Academic Dean, Dr. Frederking will assume her new position at the University effective August 1, 2021. 

“Since her arrival at Brescia in July 2018, Dr. Frederking immediately became deeply entrenched within our community and has been an integral part of the University’s success,” says Karen McKay, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Dr. Frederking’s leadership, passion for women’s education, steadfast faith and desire for innovation placed her as the ideal candidate for this role. Dr. Frederking will be instrumental in positioning Brescia as one of Canada’s leading post-secondary institutions – especially as the University continues to grow in both size and reputation.”

A passionate and experienced educator and leader who believes in educating the whole person, Dr. Frederking has over 25 years of teaching, research and administrative experience, as well as a wealth of knowledge in the areas of diversity and inclusion programming. She began teaching as a graduate student at Washington University in the areas of comparative political economy, immigration and research methods. Following this, Dr. Frederking spent the next 15 years of her career at the University of Portland, contributing to the discipline as author and editor of books on comparative immigration, the politics of Hemingway and social justice. She rose through the faculty ranks from Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and then Professor – with teaching and research awards that celebrate her contributions and commitment, serving as the Chair of the Department of Political Science, the Director of the Social Justice Program and Associate Provost. In this role, she served as a member of the President’s Leadership Cabinet and was responsible for many key successes at the University, including a new faculty orientation program, centralizing initiatives promoting attention to diversity and inclusion and coordinating plans to overhaul the University Core Curriculum.

Dr. Frederking holds a BA from the University of Toronto (Political Science), MA from Columbia University (Political Science) and a PhD from Washington University in St. Louis (Political Science) and is well-positioned to lead Brescia towards an exciting future.

 “This is Brescia’s time to shine! On a daily basis I am inspired by Brescia’s holistic education opportunities for women to deepen their expertise and practice their skills in a healthy, vibrant learning environment,” says Dr. Frederking. “With outstanding faculty and staff and from our Ursuline mission of wisdom, compassion, and justice we are preparing our students to become smart, strong, ethical leaders who make a difference in our local and global communities.” 

Since beginning her term as Vice-Principal and Academic Dean at Brescia in July 2018, Dr. Frederking has launched a number of new programs and initiatives, including: conceptualizing and launching the Brescia Bold first-year course; amplifying the University’s experiential learning offerings; the formation of the Dean’s Speaker Series; establishing the Master of Engineering in Food Processing program; building key relationships with future donors and partners and – most recently – launching the “Resilience” podcast, while also fostering a community of collaboration and respect amongst Brescia’s faculty. 

“This is a pivotal time in Brescia’s history,” says Ms. McKay. “With Dr. Frederking at the helm, bringing her strategic, compassionate and innovative thinking to the community, we are confident that Brescia, and its incredible students, faculty and staff are poised for a bold future.” 

For more information, please contact:

Caitlin Core, Acting Manager, Communications, Marketing & External Relations at ccore@uwo.ca or Rhea Johnson, Acting VP Students at rhea.johnson@uwo.ca or 519-636-9408.

About Brescia University College

Brescia University College, Canada’s women’s university college, is affiliated with Western University. The 1,600 women registered as either full- or part-time students at Brescia study a wide variety of subjects in the Schools of Behavioural and Social Sciences, Food and Nutritional Sciences, Humanities, and Leadership and Social Change in an empowering, compassionate, student-centred and invigorating environment. Degrees are granted by Western. As a Catholic University College, Brescia welcomes students from all backgrounds and values diversity. For more current and archived news, a listing of faculty experts and photos please visit our Online Media Room, at brescia.uwo.ca/communications/media_relations.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Original Source: Bresica Media Releases