Prof. Alastair Summerlee, vice-president (academic), says he's "delighted to have Maureen as part of the team. In addition to her outstanding skills demonstrated in her numerous roles on and off campus, she will bring important perspectives to academic issues."

  Mancuso joined the Department of Political Science in 1992 and was appointed chair in 1996. She earned her BA at McMaster University in 1982, her MA at Carleton University in 1984 and a D.Phil. in politics from Nuffield College, Oxford University, in 1991.

  Before joining Guelph, she spent a year as a parliamentary intern in the House of Commons and held teaching appointments at McMaster and Windsor. In fall 1996, she was a visiting research fellow at the Centre for Congressional and Presidential Studies at the American University.

  Prof. Alun Joseph, dean of the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS), lauds Mancuso's appointment, saying she has the skills needed for the position of associate VP. "She has versatility, both in terms of management and in her ability to represent different groups in the University at large. She has the ability to both conceptualize innovation and to implement it. She's not a person who sits on the sidelines. And she has tremendous people skills, the ability to understand other people's point of view and make people feel that they're being heard."

  As associate VP (academic), Mancuso will chair the Enrolment Management Committee and oversee the quality of undergraduate programs, including the development of new programs and ongoing quality improvements. The Office of Open Learning, Teaching Support Services and Registrarial Services will report to her. A critical area of focus for Mancuso will be continued development, in collaboration with the provost, of distance education courses.

  President Mordechai Rozanski says Mancuso's significant contributions and experience as U of G's academic colleague to the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) will bring valuable province-wide perspectives on academic issues. "These are particularly critical at a time when Guelph is developing a responsible strategy to respond to the growing number of students expected to apply to university," he says. "She will bring insight, enthusiasm and creativity to the associate VP (academic) position, and I am delighted with her appointment."

  Mancuso, in turn, says she's "excited to be facing the challenges of this new position. The University is about to embark on an unprecedented period of expansion that will require careful management to uphold and enhance the quality, desirability and reputation of the Guelph undergraduate degree."

  During her tenure as chair of the Department of Political Science, she oversaw a number of departmental initiatives, including curriculum restructuring, the introduction of new programs and scholarships, and enhanced integration of the departments within CSAHS. She also established a regional collaborative alliance of political science departments at six Ontario universities.

  Mancuso plans to continue teaching and conducting research in the department. Her skills in the classroom earned her a College of Social Science Teaching Award in 1995, and she has twice been featured in the "Popular Professor" section of the Maclean's Guide to Universities.

  Her research focuses on scandal, corruption and political ethics. In the 1990s, she was principal investigator for a team of five political scientists from across the country. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the project was a large-scale empirical investigation of standards of conduct in public life and involved surveys of politicians, journalists and the general public. Mancuso co-authored a book based on this research, titled A Question of Ethics: Canadians Speak Out. Released in 1998, the book received wide coverage from national and international media. She is also author of The Ethical World of British MPs, published in 1995, is co-editor of the 1994 book Leaders and Leadership in Canada and has written a number of journal articles and book chapters.

  She has served as U of G's academic colleague to COU since 1998 and is a member of the council's standing committees on equity and the status of women. She has also chaired Senate Executive and is a member of the double cohort planning cluster group on enrolment and academic services resource planning.

  Rozanski expresses thanks to members of the search committee for the associate VP position. Chaired by past provost Iain Campbell, the committee consisted of OAC student Kathryn Barkey; Prof. Bill Cormack, History; Virginia Gray, director of the Office of Open Learning; OVC Dean Alan Meek; Prof. Jim Mottin, Psychology; Prof. John Phillips, Molecular Biology and Genetics; and provost Alastair Summerlee.