Ghanaian Dr. Wisdom Tettey named president of Carleton University

• Tettey will also join the political science department of the school in a tenure-track role.

Dr. Wisdom Tettey, a Ghanaian who holds the position of vice president at the University of Toronto, takes up his five-year term as Carleton’s president.

It was announced on Tuesday that Wisdom Tettey will take over as vice-chancellor and the 17th president of Carleton University on January 1.

Carleton’s board of governors chair Greg Farrell referred to Tettey as “an inclusive and authentic leader who will build on the university’s reputation for teaching, learning, and research excellence” in a news release. With his audacious plan to establish Carleton as a premier university on a national and worldwide level, he left an impression on the advisory committee.

“Fostering and sustaining an equitable, inclusive, healthy, caring and mutually supportive working and learning environment” was Tettey’s stated commitment.

In addition to his role as principal of U of T Scarborough and professor of political science and development studies, Tettey is currently vice-president of the University of Toronto.

According to a release, he has assisted in implementing a five-year strategic plan called Inspiring Inclusive Excellence to interact with a variety of viewpoints both inside and outside the university. He also contributed to the creation of the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Higher Education, which lays out a commitment to comprehending the consequences of racism against Black people and working to improve Black inclusion.

“Under his direction, U of T Scarborough has thrived as a centre of inclusive excellence and a prototype for long-term campus expansion,” said Meric Gertler, president of the University of Toronto.

In 2018, Tettey assumed the role of vice president at U of T. In 2023, he was nominated again for a second five-year term.

Dr. Tettey, a researcher in African politics, media, and diaspora, will start a tenure-track job in the political science department at Carleton University.

He had previously served as interim dean of the Faculty of Communication and Culture at the University of Calgary and as dean of the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences and the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at the University of British Columbia.

Ghanaian-born Tettey completed his second education at St. John’s School, Sekondi (in the Western Region of Ghana) and undergraduate studies at the University of Ghana in Accra, the capital city before going to Canada for graduate work. He received a political science master’s degree from the University of British Columbia and a doctorate from Queen’s University.

Since Benoit-Antoine Bacon left Carleton on August 31 to take a position as president and vice-chancellor at the University of British Columbia, Jerry Tomberlin has filled the roles of interim president and vice-chancellor.