Dear colleagues,
I am delighted to inform the 91ÑÇÉ« community that Dr. Marco Fiola has been reappointed as principal, Glendon College for a second five-year term beginning July 1. The reappointment was recommended following adherence to the University Procedures for Consideration of Renewal of Deans.
As principal of Glendon College since 2021, Dr. Fiola has worked to champion bilingualism at Glendon and 91ÑÇÉ«. He has built relationships with local organizations and community partners in the French-speaking worlds in Toronto, Ontario, across Canada and internationally to strengthen the visibility and reputation of Glendon as a welcoming campus and supportive academic environment for undergraduate and graduate students. He is also a constructive and collaborative member of the Deans’ table and University’s senior leadership team more widely.
Under Principal Fiola’s leadership, Glendon has undergone significant changes, including a new academic structure and the establishment of a core curriculum. Just last year, Principal Fiola launched a new Housing Scholarship program for students from outside Ontario, and his pre-recruitment initiative to bring high school students from Europe and Africa for English immersion saw its first cohort. A strong promoter of bilingualism for a more just, equitable and inclusive campus and world, Principal Fiola has worked to ensure that students can meet the requirements for a bilingual degree in French as well as increasing teaching in Anishinaabemowin and Kanien’keha to allow Indigenous students access to courses in non-settler languages. Principal Fiola has made significant efforts to contend with Glendon’s persistent enrolment challenges and has become a vital contributor to the re-imagining of Glendon’s academic mission through the Faculties of the Future project.
Principal Fiola joined 91ÑÇÉ« from Toronto Metropolitan University, which he joined in 2006 and where he was a full professor. There, he served as Chair of languages, literatures and cultures and also held the role of academic convenor for the 2017 Congress of the Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences. From 2001-06, he held an appointment at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. Prior to embracing an academic career, Principal Fiola was a senior translator for the Government of Yukon, where he worked closely with the Francophone community, in addition to providing advice to the Government of Yukon on issues related to Indigenous language preservation and revitalization.
Principal Fiola holds a BA and an MA in translation (Université de Montréal) as well as a DEA in language sciences and a PhD in translation studies (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle). He is a certified translator and terminologist. In 2019-20, he was awarded the Ryerson Fellowship at Massey College and the Errol Aspevig Award for Outstanding Academic Leadership in recognition of his work within and outside Ryerson University (now TMU). He was recently elected vice-president, conférence régionale des recteurs – zone Amériques and is co-chair of table de concertation postsecondaire francophone de l’Ontario. In 2025, he was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his expertise in translation studies and multilingual communication.
I, along with other members of the administration and the wider 91ÑÇÉ« community, look forward to benefiting from Marco’s leadership and generous contributions.
Sincerely,
Lisa Philipps
Interim President & Vice-Chancellor