On Dec. 8, Harvey Secter, a retired dean of law, a businessman and a philanthropist, was elected as the new Chancellor of the University of Manitoba.

He will be succeeding the university’s 12th chancellor, Dr. Bill Norie, who held the position for nine years.

Phil Fontaine, a three-time national grand chief, was runner up to Mr. Secter in the election, according to the Winnipeg Free Press. The voting took place at a closed meeting and the other names of candidates for chancellor were not released publicly.

A U of M chancellor is to preside over graduation convocation ceremonies, as well as perform a vital role in advancing the university.

Sector has long ties with the U of M, as he completed his bachelor of commerce degree in 1967, and in 1988 continued at the U of M to complete his law degree in 1992. He then attended Harvard Law to complete his masters.

Along with becoming a visiting researcher and instructor at Harvard’s program on negotiation, Secter was also an instructor from 1995 to 1999 at the University of Manitoba faculty of law, where he was appointed dean of the faculty in 1999.

He has also acted as president of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, and is a current member of the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council, the board of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation, the United Way Advisory Committee and the Assiniboine Park Conservatory.

Secter was also a board member of FP Canadian Newspapers Income Fund, which indirectly owns 49 per cent interest in FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership, which publishes and prints the Winnipeg Free Press and the Brandon Sun.

He also received the Sol Kanne Distinguished Community Service Award from the University of Manitoba and an honourary doctorate from the University of Winnipeg.

Amongst Secter’s high level of community involvement, he and his wife Sandra are also major donors for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The couple also received the Negev Award for Community Service.

According to a University of Manitoba press release, U of M president David Barnard said, “I am pleased that [ . . . ] Secter has been elected as chancellor.”

Barnard continued, “He is an exemplary role model to our students and the broader community, having demonstrated excellence and commitment to community throughout his career. I am confident he will serve the University of Manitoba with distinction.”