Indira Samarasekera
Encyclopedia
Indira Vasanti Samarasekera, OC (born April 11, 1952) is the 12th and current President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Alberta
. Succeeding Roderick Fraser on July 1, 2005, she was the first female president of any university in Alberta
.
, Sri Lanka
, of Tamil descent, and was married to a Sinhalese. She received her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering
from the University of Sri Lanka
in 1974 and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis
in 1976; she immigrated to Canada in 1977, where she received her Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering at the University of British Columbia
in 1980.
That year, Samarasekara began work in the Department of Metals and Materials Engineering at UBC with a focus on the continuous casting and hot rolling of steel. In 2000 she was appointed UBC's Vice-President Research.
In 2002, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
. She was appointed to the board of directors for Scotiabank
in 2008.
In a interview with the Edmonton Journal
on October 21, 2009, Samarasekera raised her concerns regarding the fact that 58% of university undergraduates in Canada are female. She continued to comment: "I'm going to be an advocate for young white men, because I can be. No one is going to question me when I say we have a problem"; as well as, "we'll wake up in 20 years and we will not have the benefit of enough male talent at the heads of companies and elsewhere." A group of students calling themselves the "Samarasekera Response Team" responded by putting up around 300 posters satirizing her comments . President Samarasekera responded by emailing the entire student body stating that she appreciated satire as a form of freedom of speech, but that such debate should be held in a cordial and respectable manner.
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
. Succeeding Roderick Fraser on July 1, 2005, she was the first female president of any university in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
.
Biography
Samarasekara was born in ColomboColombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, of Tamil descent, and was married to a Sinhalese. She received her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from the University of Sri Lanka
University of Sri Lanka
The University of Sri Lanka was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1972 until 1978. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced the University of Ceylon with the University of Sri Lanka. In 1978 it was separated...
in 1974 and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
in 1976; she immigrated to Canada in 1977, where she received her Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
in 1980.
That year, Samarasekara began work in the Department of Metals and Materials Engineering at UBC with a focus on the continuous casting and hot rolling of steel. In 2000 she was appointed UBC's Vice-President Research.
In 2002, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. She was appointed to the board of directors for Scotiabank
Scotiabank
The Bank of Nova Scotia , commonly known as Scotiabank , is the third largest bank in Canada by deposits and market capitalization. It serves some 18.6 million customers in more than 50 countries around the world and offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial,...
in 2008.
Controversy
On July 1, 2009, the University of Alberta purchased President Samarasekera's private residence for $930,000. The home was renovated soon after the purchase, using an undisclosed amount of money from the University's capital budget. The University administration, including Samarasekera, has been criticized by students and the media for completing the purchase and renovations in spite of operating budget shortfalls.In a interview with the Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.-History:The Journal was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to Alberta's first newspaper, the 23-year-old...
on October 21, 2009, Samarasekera raised her concerns regarding the fact that 58% of university undergraduates in Canada are female. She continued to comment: "I'm going to be an advocate for young white men, because I can be. No one is going to question me when I say we have a problem"; as well as, "we'll wake up in 20 years and we will not have the benefit of enough male talent at the heads of companies and elsewhere." A group of students calling themselves the "Samarasekera Response Team" responded by putting up around 300 posters satirizing her comments . President Samarasekera responded by emailing the entire student body stating that she appreciated satire as a form of freedom of speech, but that such debate should be held in a cordial and respectable manner.