When Mayo Moran began her teaching career at Blackburn junior secondary school, she never could have imagined it would start her along a career path that would lead to the top job at one of Canada's most prestigious post-secondary institutions.
The former Prince George resident has been named the next provost of Trinity College, an independent institution affiliated with the University of Toronto. Moran will begin her new job in July, ending an eight-year run as the dean of the University of Toronto's law school.
"I really loved teaching at Blackburn, I had wonderful students there and it was a great experience for me," Moran said. "Probably in part because of that, I've been extremely comfortable in the classroom."
That hands-on teaching experience was a big asset when Moran decided to go the academic route after law school, although that wasn't initially her plan when she began her legal studies at McGill in the late 1980s.
"I thought it would be great to go law school and I thought, probably, that I would practice law," she said. "I don't think being a legal academic occurred to me that much, but I've always loved university and education and I loved law school."
She was named an assistant professor in 1995 and was promoted to associate professor in 2000. She took over as dean of the University of Toronto's law school in 2006 and was the first woman to hold the job in the school's history. Her term was renewed in 2011, but even with her additional administrative duties she continued to teach.
As provost, Moran said her first goal will be to look at the complete student experience at Trinity, from recruitment through graduation and see where improvements can be made. She conducted a similar exercise at the law school and was pleased with the results.
She will be overseeing the entire institution and will also be the public face of the school for fundraising and external relations activities. She's also looking forward to getting immersed in the school's deep traditions, many of which date back to its founding in 1851.
"I feel like I know it, but on the other hand I'm very aware that I have a lot to learn and I think that will be fun," she said. "It has a great tradition and there aren't many institutions in this country that have a tradition and history like those at Trinity College and I think will be a really interesting challenge to figure out how I can help build on that."
While her duties as provost include helping to shape the overall vision of the school, Moran plans to stay connected to the classroom and hopes to teach in the ethics, law and society program the school offers. She said teaching has been a passion for her for years, whether it was at Blackburn, the law school or at her new job.
"I felt that after teaching junior high as someone in my early 20s that there was no classroom that could scare me," she said.
