Neil McCartney, Brock’s Provost and Vice-President Academic, has announced he will be stepping down from the position in which he has served since 2013.

Neil McCartney

McCartney, who came to Brock in 2011 to become the University’s Dean of Applied Health Sciences, has announced he will step down on Aug. 31.

The University expects to announce an interim Provost in the near future, and will commence a formal search for a new Provost in September.

Brock President Jack Lightstone paid tribute to McCartney, who he said provided leadership and stability on multiple levels during a time of transition and growth for the University.

“Brock owes Dr. McCartney a debt of gratitude,” said Lightstone. “Besides providing clear direction in terms of academic programming, he was an important voice as Brock negotiated and then successfully fulfilled its first-ever Strategic Mandate Agreement with the Ontario government.

“Neil also provided critical leadership in negotiating a new collective agreement with the faculty association, which benefitted everyone at the University.”

McCartney said the decision was a personal one, but “all good things must come to an end.”

“I have been very fortunate to work with a collaborative team of people and support staff at Brock,” he said. “I have cherished my time as Provost, but it is the right time for me personally to step down and take a leave.”

In his academic career McCartney has become a renowned researcher with an international reputation for his work on human aging, cardiac rehabilitation and spinal cord injury. Before coming to Brock, he was director of McMaster University’s Centre for Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, and was a founding member of the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation.