Deep Saini

Canadian scientist, President & Vice Chancellor of McGill University

Deep Saini FRSN
ਹਰਗੁਰਦੀਪ ਸੈਣੀ
Saini in 2019

18th President and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University
Incumbent
Assumed office April 1, 2023
Chancellor	John McCall MacBain
Preceded by	Suzanne Fortier
12th President and Vice-Chancellor of Dalhousie University
In office January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2023
Chancellor	Rustum Southwell
Preceded by	Richard Florizone Peter MacKinnon (interim)
Succeeded by	Kim Brooks
5th President and Vice-Chancellor of University of Canberra
In office September 1, 2016 – December 24, 2019
Preceded by	Stephen Parker
Succeeded by	Paddy Nixon

Personal details
Born	Hagurdeep Saini
Occupation	President and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University


Academic background
Alma mater	Punjab Agricultural University (1977), University of Adelaide (1982)
Thesis	Physiological studies on sterility induced in wheat by heat and water deficit (1982)
Doctoral advisor	Bryan Coomb Don Aspinall
Academic work
Discipline	Biology
Sub-discipline	Plant biology, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology
Institutions	University of Waterloo University of Toronto University of Canberra Dalhousie University McGill University

Hargurdeep Saini (Punjabi: ਹਰਗੁਰਦੀਪ ਸੈਣੀ) is an Indian-Canadian scientist and university administrator.^[1] He is the President and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University in Montreal.^[2] He previously served as President of Dalhousie University as well as further administrative positions at Canadian and Australian universities.

Early life and education

Saini was born to a family hailing from Nawanshahr in Punjab, India, where he grew up. He completed his Bachelor of Science (Honours) and Master of Science (Honours) in Botany from Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana.^[3] He then moved to Australia, where he earned his Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from the University of Adelaide, followed by a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Alberta in Canada.^[4]

Career

Saini began his academic career at the Université de Montréal, where he spent 18 years as a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, later serving as the director general of the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale (Plant Biology Research Institute) from 1996-2001.^[5]

He was previously the President and Vice-Chancellor of Dalhousie University,^[6] a Vice-Chancellor and President of University of Canberra, a vice-president of University of Toronto, and principal of the university's Mississauga campus, and dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario.^[7]^[8] During his time as principal of UTM and vice-president of the University of Toronto, Saini oversaw the expansion of program offerings and several multi-million-dollar construction projects on the UTM campus, notably the development and launch of UTM’s medical school, the Mississauga Academy of Medicine.^[9]

On 14 November 2022, it was announced that Saini would step down from his role as president of Dalhousie, effective 31 December 2022,^[6] to become Principal (now known as 'President' since December 2023) and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University.^[10] In response to French-language geared legislation by the provincial government, he stated that he would consider potentially moving some McGill operations out of Quebec for the first time since its founding about 200 years prior.^[11]

Protest encampments

During an early test of his presidency, McGill saw protest encampments established on the campus during the Hamas-Israeli conflict of 2023-24, which Saini denounced.^[12] Three days after the encampment, Saini called upon the police to break up the protest, however the police told him that no crime was being committed. He also called upon the court system to disperse the encampment, and was again told that this would be inappropriate.^[13] About this time, a professor at the school stated of Saini that the faculty was "strongly opposed to our university administration's relentless campaign against the students."^[14]

The Globe and Mail reported that as of the end of May 2024, Saini continued to push the law enforcement to try and intervene despite them informing him that nothing illegal was occurring.^[15] During this time at his previously university, University Affairs wrote that in comparison the president that had come after him (Kim Brooks) had instead decided to take a conciliatory approach and not involve law enforcement at all in response to similar protests on her campus, citing her respect for peaceful protest.^[16] Saini, alternatively, accused protest of being antisemetic, though Jewish students, as well as Independent Jewish Voices, dismissed the accusation as part of a smear campaign against the encampment, citing that there are Jewish students playing a key role in the protest encampment.^[17]

On 6 June 2024, Saini requested police intervention to clear the protest occurring in the James administration building.^[18] Riot police pepper sprayed, tear-gassed, and used batons and shields against students protesting around the building.^[19]^[20] 15 student arrests were made for their role in the protest.^[21] Saini later thanked the police for their intervention in clearing out the protest.^[22] However, in July 2024 The Breach wrote that Saini supported his position that led to the police violence by peppering his statements to the press with misinformation, planting false stories that students called for violence and had prevented administrators from leaving the building.^[23]

References

^ Advances in Agronomy, pp ix, Volume 68 By Donald L. Sparks, San Diego [etc.] : Academic Press, cop. 2000.
^ "McGill University appoints H. Deep Saini as new Principal and Vice-Chancellor". 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
^ "PAU alumnus Prof H Deep Saini appointed Vice-Chancellor of Canada's prestigious McGill University".
^ "PAU alumnus Prof H Deep Saini appointed Vice-Chancellor of Canada's prestigious McGill University".
^ "Introducing Deep Saini, Dalhousie's 12th president".
^ ^a ^b "Important announcement regarding President Deep Saini". Dalhousie News. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
^ Singh, Gurmukh (22 January 2010). "Indo-Canadian gets top post in Canada's top university". IANS. Retrieved 30 December 2018 – via TwoCircles.net.
^ "UofT appoints new Vice President and Principal of the University of Toronto Mississauga". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
^ "Deep Saini named next vice-chancellor of University of Canberra".
^ "Important announcement regarding President Deep Saini".
^ Andy Riga (8 December 2023). "McGill won't rule out moving some operations to another province". Montreal Gazette.
^ "'Please leave the site now,' McGill tells pro-Palestinian encampment, threatening to bring in police".
^ JOE FRIESEN and FRÉDÉRIK-XAVIER DUHAMEL (30 April 2024). "McGill University calls on police to break up pro-Palestinian encampment". Globe and Mail.
^ Joe Lofaro (6 May 2024). "Pro-Palestinian encampment members say little progress made in meeting with McGill". CTV.
^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-president-of-mcgill-decries-lack-of-police-action-against-protests/
^ HANNAH LIDDLE (31 May 2024). "Timeline: Protest encampments". University Affairs.
^ "'IJV Canada Salutes the Victories of Student-led Encampments Across Canada'".
^ "Occupation of the James Administration Building".
^ "'SSMU Members Brutalized by Police'".
^ "'Cops Off Our Campus: A Response to the Police Brutality of June 6, 2024'". 11 June 2024.
^ "'Police spray tear gas, break up pro-Palestinian occupation of McGill building".
^ "Occupation of the James Administration Building".
^ "Universities, police spread 'jaw-dropping' misinformation about encampments".