Quest University Canada names Dr. Peter Englert as President and Vice-Chancellor

SQUAMISH, BRITISH COLUMBIA, May 19, 2015 – Quest University Canada has named Dr. Peter Englert as its fourth president and vice-chancellor succeeding Dr. David Helfand who is stepping down from his position after seven years. Dr. Englert will assume his new role and join the Quest community starting August 1, 2015.

An accomplished higher education administrator, researcher and teacher with over three decades of service to international higher education institutions across the globe, Dr. Englert's career has encompassed work as a university scholar, teacher, and research scientist in Germany, New Zealand, and the US.  As a visiting scholar and teacher, his experience includes assignments in Italy, Austria, China, and Japan.

Dr. Englert led the University of Hawaii at Manoa, from 2002 to 2005 as chancellor. Prior to that, he served as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Dean of the Faculty of Science and of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.  He joined Victoria University from his position as senior manager of GNS Science, New Zealand’s leading provider of Earth, geoscience and isotope research. Earlier in his career, he was Director of Nuclear Science and professor of chemistry at San Jose State University, CA, USA, following a teaching assignment at the University of Cologne, Germany.

Dr. Englert received his academic degrees from the University of Cologne and was a research fellow at the University of California, San Diego. He participated in NASA’s Mars Observer and Mars Odyssey Missions, and was an elected board member of the International Association of Universities.

“Quest University Canada is an exceptional higher education institution. It is young, growing, and dynamic. Quest has already established itself as a place of progress and success in the landscape of private higher education,” says Quest University president-elect, Dr. Peter Englert. “I am very pleased to have the opportunity to lead this exceptional university. I am confident we will achieve further success with its dedicated board and outstanding faculty, who are committed to a distinctive approach to liberal arts and science education. Quest is set to influence the future of higher education in Canada and beyond. I feel honoured to have been selected to serve as its next president. I look forward to working with all stakeholders of the university to increase its value to students, parents, and donors.”

Dr. Peter Englert’s selection follows a search process conducted by a Search Committee consisting of Quest’s board members, founding tutor Eric Gorham, and alumna, Rebecca Dickinson, currently at UBC Medical School in the midwifery program. With the assistance of search firm Isaacson Miller, the Search Committee conducted an exhaustive search, meeting multiple times over the course of close to a year and sifting through many candidates.  “Our outgoing president has been instrumental in Quest’s success to date, and we knew it was important to find a new president who would build on that success and lead the University to new heights,” said Ian Worland, chair of Quest’s Board of Governors. “At the conclusion of the search, the members of our Committee were unanimous in our belief that Dr. Peter Englert’s experience and demonstrable commitment to innovation in education made him the best candidate for the position. We were pleased to recommend that he be appointed Quest’s next president and Vice-Chancellor.”

“Building Quest has been by far the most rewarding effort of my career and I am delighted to be leaving the University in such capable hands,” says Dr. David Helfand, departing President and Vice-Chancellor at Quest. “In addition to our mutual affinity for science and space, Peter shares my commitment to innovative, student-centered education. His considerable experience of academic leadership in a variety of international settings will support Quest's continued growth and build its impact on higher education.”

About Quest University Canada:

Quest University Canada, the country’s first independent, not-for-profit, secular university opened its doors in September 2007 in Squamish, British Columbia. Quest’s simple philosophy is that education, in its truest sense, comes not from providing the right answers, but from learning how to ask insightful questions. This philosophy has driven the development of a campus and a curriculum focused on producing broadly educated individuals with an informed perspective on the problems of the twenty-first century, and the integrative abilities to address them. To find out how they achieve this visit: www.questu.ca/

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Quest Media Relations Contact:

Sonya Hwang

Phone: (604) 932-0308