For Immediate Release - January, 1994
CANADIAN APPOINTED CHAIR OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF LEARNING
VANCOUVER - Dr. H. Ian Macdonald, OC, BCom, MA, BPhil, LLD, KLJ, of York University in Canada, has accepted the nomination to serve as Chair of the Board of Governors of The Commonwealth of Learning. On January 1, 1994, Dr. Macdonald succeeded the Rt. Hon. Lord Briggs of Lewes, who had chaired the Board since COL was established by Commonwealth Governments in 1988.
"The appointment of Dr. Macdonald is, as was that of Lord Briggs, an honour for both The Commonwealth of Learning and the distance education 'movement' worldwide," said Prof. James A. Maraj, President of COL, in an official announcement. "Both men are eminent educators, who are committed to COL's goal of increasing access to educational programmes of the highest quality." Dr. Macdonald refers to his great respect for his predecessor, pointing out that he was a student of Lord Briggs while attending Oxford University, as a Rhodes Scholar, nearly forty years ago.
Dr. Macdonald has had a distinguished career in academia and government, having been a professor of economics and chief government economist early in his career and then serving the Canadian Province of Ontario as Deputy Minister of Treasury, Economics, and Intergovernmental Affairs . In 1974, he was named President of York University, a position he held for more than ten years. He is a director of several Canadian and international companies, associations, and institutions and has been elected president of many organisations. Dr. Macdonald is now President Emeritus of York University and Director of York International.
The Commonwealth of Learning is an international organisation established by Commonwealth Governments in September 1988, following the Heads of Government Meeting held in Vancouver in 1987. It is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and is the only Commonwealth intergovernmental organisation located outside of Britain.
COL has a mandate to create and widen opportunities for learning, through Commonwealth co-operation, with a particular emphasis on utilising the potential of distance education and the application of communication technologies to education. The overall aim of the organisation is to help strengthen the capacities of Commonwealth member countries to develop the human resources required for their economic and social development.