KPU Acting President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Diane Purvey
Dr. Diane Purvey is Acting President and Vice Chancellor of Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). Prior to her current role, she served as KPU’s Provost and Vice President Academic since 2021.
Dr. Purvey first came to KPU in the early 1990s as a non-regular history instructor though her primary teaching experience in that decade came at Thompson Rivers University (TRU), when she was hired as an assistant professor in 1998. In 2000, she completed her Ph.D. from the School of Social and Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia and soon after became an associate professor. Dr. Purvey started her administrative career first as chair of the School of Education from 2000 – 2004 and then as coordinator of its master of education program in 2006–2011, and finally returned to the chair-ship in 2011.
She became Dean of the Faculty of Arts in 2012, the largest academic division at KPU. The Faculty of Arts was the result of a merger in 2012 and Dr. Purvey oversaw not only the creation of standardized processes for the new entity but the addition of new initiatives along the way, such as the popular Arts Speaker series and the City Studio initiative.
During Dr. Purvey’s time as Provost and Vice-President, Academic, she delivered an Academic Plan, shaped teaching in the post-COVID-19 era, and advanced reconciliation, decolonization and Indigenization within the academy. She was recognized with KPU’s distinguished leadership award in Spring 2022.
What is a University President and Vice-Chancellor?
President
The principal executive officer who is instrumental in determining KPU’s strategic direction in consultation with the university’s key stakeholders, such as the Chancellor and fellows of the Senate. Functionally leads the administration arm of the organization.
Vice-Chancellor
KPU students might only first see the university’s Vice-Chancellor on the completion of their program as the institution’s delegated authority to bestow them with their degrees, diplomas or certificates with all the rights that go with them. This ceremonial duty fulfills a mission of the university to transform lives and empower positive change.