Joël Dickinson, PhD
Dr. Joël Dickinson was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) on July 1, 2022.
Before joining MSVU, Dr. Dickinson was Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Laurentian University and also held the positions of Acting Associate Vice-President of Teaching and Learning (2020-2021), and Chair of the university’s Department of Psychology.
Throughout her career, she has been focused on the impacts of decisions on students, as well as meaningful collaboration with faculty and staff colleagues. Across the many professional and volunteer roles she has held, she models inclusive leadership and a steadfast commitment to removing barriers to full participation in the university community by all. Dr. Dickinson has fostered meaningful truth and reconciliation efforts at MSVU, and furthered the university’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
Dr. Dickinson has taught at the University of New Brunswick and Mount Allison University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and PhD in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick.
She is a full professor of Psychology with a research focus in cognitive processing during schema violations. Before making the transition to administration, she enjoyed a successful teaching and research career, winning the Laurentian University Teaching Excellence award in 2016. She was also the Principal Investigator of the Cognitive Health Research Laboratory, a CFI funded lab.
Dr. Dickinson is an active community volunteer and has worked with many non-profit organizations and advisory boards. She is currently a member of the boards of Research Nova Scotia and 211 Nova Scotia, a member of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, chair of Universities Canada’s Governance Committee, and co-chair of the Canada Research Chair’s Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy. Dr. Dickinson is active on Instagram – her handle is @PresD_MSVU
Dr. Dickinson is active on Instagram— her handle is @PresD_MSVU
If you wish to speak with Dr. Dickinson, please contact president.office@msvu.ca.