The Brock community is mourning the loss of Professor of Political Science Pierre P. Lizée, whose teaching and scholarship on international relations will leave a lasting legacy.

Lizée passed away on Dec. 16 and is survived by his partner Suzanne Nicks, his two children, Megan and Ethan, and a large extended family.

Chair Matthew Hennigar says the Department of Political Science is “shocked and profoundly saddened” by the sudden loss, adding that Lizée was “a pivotal and highly respected member of our program for more than 25 years.”

“He was the kind of personality every department would benefit from — calm, fair-minded and able to get to the heart of an issue with grace and civility,” says Hennigar. “His students admired him tremendously, and he gave a lot of his life to them and his research. It’s a terrible loss for both his family and his academic community.”

After earning his PhD from York University in 1995, Lizée completed postdoctoral research at the University of California (Berkeley) and McGill before accepting a position in Brock’s Department of Political Science in 1997.

In 1999, he was named by Maclean’s Guide to Universities as one of Brock’s most popular professors, sought after by students who enjoyed his engaging lecture style and broad expertise around topics related to international law and security.

He wrote extensively, contributing chapters to books, journal articles, reports and op-eds as well as two books, A Whole New World. Reinventing International Studies for the Post-Western World (2011) and Peace, Power and Resistance in Cambodia. Global Governance and the Failure of International Conflict Resolution (2000). At the time of his passing, he was working on a book manuscript about American politics and the future of American liberalism.

Lizée also travelled widely in Asia for research and in support of diplomacy efforts.

In 2001, the St. Catharines Standard described him as an “academic diplomat” and quoted him as saying that it wasn’t enough to write books when there was the potential to have real impact.

In 2005, Lizée (left) posed with then President Jack Lightstone after receiving the Chancellor’s Chair for Research Excellence.

To this end, he served as Vice-President, President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Consortium for Asia Pacific Security, which brought together academics and government officials to examine Canadian foreign policy related to Asia. He went on to co-chair the Canadian Member Committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific from 2003 to 2018 and was a member of both the Advisory Board and the Executive Committee of the Canadian Consortium on Human Security. Between 2014 and 2016, he also served as a member of the Committee on the Status of Women for the International Studies Association.

At Brock, Lizée’s service contributions were many. He served as a University senator, Department Chair and Graduate Program Director, described by Hennigar as “pivotal” to the graduate program through his supervision and teaching. He also acted as an adjudicator for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for several years.

Professor of Political Science Hevina Dashwood says that Lizée “excelled as both a scholar and professor.”

“For the two decades that I have known him, Pierre has been a greatly valued colleague,” she says. “ What stands out for me is his collegiality — he was always supportive and constructive when serving as Chair and throughout the entirety of his career at Brock. Pierre’s steadfast support and quiet counsel will be greatly missed.”

Lizée’s scholarship was recognized at Brock in 2005, when he was awarded the Brock Chancellor’s Chair for Research Excellence for his work on Global Politics. He was also invited to be a Visiting Professor at George Washington University in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2003 and at the University of Jakarta in Indonesia in 2010, as well as a Visiting Fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo in 2014.

Dean Ingrid Makus in the Faculty of Social Sciences expressed deep condolences to all of the faculty, staff, students and alumni whose lives and work have been touched by Lizée.

“Professor Lizée’s passing is a devastating loss for us,” says Makus, who is also an Associate Professor of Political Science. “Pierre will be remembered as a supportive colleague, a skilled mentor, an inspiring educator and a brilliant scholar.”

University flags will be lowered on Friday, Jan. 31, when the community is invited to attend a celebration of life in Pond Inlet at 3 p.m.