After weeks of getting to know Brock informally, Lesley Rigg officially started as University President and Vice-Chancellor on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Rigg will spend the coming days meeting with a wide range of campus and Niagara community members as she formally transitions into her new role.

A forest ecologist and biogeographer, Rigg previously served as Vice-President, Research at Western University and has more than 25 years of academic and research experience at institutions in Canada, the United States and Australia.

“It is an absolute privilege to be joining Brock at this exciting and important time in its history,” says Rigg. “The feeling of momentum here is palpable — from innovative advancements in teaching and learning to an ever-growing list of research breakthroughs, Brock is on a trajectory for continued success thanks to the talented, dedicated students, faculty and staff who make up this special community.”

Rigg also noted the leadership of Provost Lynn Wells, who has served as Interim President since July 2021.

“Lynn has provided excellent leadership for this institution over the past 16 months, ensuring Brock was able to emerge from the pandemic ready to welcome the community back to campus,” she says. “I want to sincerely thank her for service, and I look forward to working with her as she continues her role as Provost and Vice-President, Academic.”

Rigg now leads an institution long recognized for its commitment to student excellence and experience, and which continues to be ranked highly among its peers across Canada.

The University continued its climb in Maclean’s magazine’s annual reputational rankings this year, move to 27th from 29th in the nation — an improvement of 11 spots in the past three years.

The Goodman School of Business also made the Top-20 rankings of Canada’s best business programs for the first time at 18th in the country overall and 17th in reputation.

Brock’s sports science programs are currently ranked among the Top 100 in the world, and earlier this year Brock scored high marks in a national report on research funding, placing first among 21 universities in its category for corporate research income growth.