U of W terminates president

WINNIPEG — The University of Winnipeg has terminated its president.

The board of regents, the governing body in charge of operations at U of W, removed Todd Mondor following a meeting Monday night.

Mondor began what was supposed to be a five-year term on April 1, 2022. His roles as president and vice-chancellor were up for renewal.

“As we begin a bold new five-year strategic plan, we believe it’s necessary for the university to refocus our leadership,” Michelle Pereira, chairperson of the board of regents, said in a news release Tuesday. “This decision was made with careful consideration and extensive deliberation.”

Multiple sources confirmed Mondor’s contract was cut short on the heels of a whistleblower complaint and related investigation into his office. An employee alleging they had hard evidence of misconduct approached the Manitoba ombudsman at the end of April.

The ombudsman recently determined their six-page submission — which was obtained by the Winnipeg Free Press — required further investigation.

“It might be unusual to have a whistleblower complaint, but that may be more reflective of the person who filed it rather than the culture at the U of W,” Mondor said during a phone interview six months ago.

He unveiled a campuswide rebrand, including a five-year road map dubbed “Meeting the Moment,” this fall.

Mondor’s brief tenure at the helm of the university was marked by sweeping budgetary challenges after a drop in international student enrolment.

He also faced criticism in connection to an exodus of high-ranking staff members during the first 18 months of his term and a March 2024 cybersecurity attack that cancelled classes and shut down operations across the university.

The now-former leader did not immediately respond to a request for comment made Tuesday.

“It’s the most unexpected event of the year,” said Peter Miller, classics professor and president of the faculty association that represents about 600 academics. “But it’s been a year of tumultuous events.”

Hours after the news broke internally, Miller said he was stopped in the hallway by colleagues who were just as shocked as he was. Students also approached him after receiving a mass email about the sudden leadership change.

In March 2020, days before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, then-U of W president Annette Trimbee announced she was moving to Edmonton that summer to lead another university.

While Trimbee’s mid-term departure was somewhat unusual, the school community was given ample notice and an explanation, Miller noted. He said he has questions about the circumstances leading up to Mondor’s departure and the timeline for a leadership search.

The next president will join a campus that recently finalized a 2025-30 strategic plan with community members’ shared priorities.

Mondor, who obtained his undergraduate degree from the U of W in 1987, graduated with honours. He spent more than two decades in leadership roles at the University of Manitoba. He was the 10th president and vice-chancellor of his alma mater.

The board of regents chairperson informed the university community Tuesday that the board has begun the process of appointing an interim leader. Provost and vice-president academic Pavlina Radia will oversee operations in an acting capacity for the time being.

» Winnipeg Free Press