Blake Deal
The Navigator
Provost and Vice-President Academic at VIU, Dr. David Witty announced the appointment of Dr. Trevor Davis as Associate Vice President for Scholarship and Community Engagement as of July 2014.
“We are pleased to have Trevor’s substantial experience and profile in university scholarly activity,” said Witty. “He understands the mission of a teaching-centred university and the importance of enhancing scholarship and community engagement that complements that focus.”
Currently, as the Associate Vice President of Research at Mount Royal University (MRU) in Calgary, Davis has been responsible forthe research components of the institution’s transition to university status and for the development of a research culture. This included eligibility for the three national funding councils, human and animal ethics programs, developing MRU’s first strategic research plan, launching four new research institutes, and overseeing significant growth in sponsored research. His own research includes quantifying the benefits of community-service learning and undergraduate research, open-access publishing, and research integrity and the associated Canadian policy framework.
Davis held positions such as assistant professor and the Research Office Director at Thompson Rivers University, and geography professor at the University of Utah, where he developed a new blended learning graduate and professional program in Advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Prior to his academic career, Davis worked in film and television producing documentaries and commercials.
Davis holds a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia and Master of Science in Geography from the University of Victoria. He said he is motivated to join VIU because of its strong emphasis on a community mission. “Too often, a university community is isolated from the communities that surround it. VIU’s emphasis on recognizing and enhancing the role it plays in the city and region will have benefits for faculty, the community, and particularly for student learning and engagement.”
Davis will be VIU’s advocate and leader for integrating, promoting, and advancing scholarly activity and community engagement across the institution, within the region and its communities.
“The AVP Scholarship and Community Engagement will help to promote a culture of excellence in learning and scholarly activity that builds on VIU’s role as a teaching regional university, the Academic Plan, the Regional Action Plan, and commitment to community engagement,” said David Witty. “With his extensive experience in both of these areas, Trevor will help to promote experiential learning, applied research and knowledge mobilization with our faculty and instructors.”