Dr. Jeff Hennessy has joined the Mount Allison community as the University's senior academic officer. Hennessy began the role of provost and vice-president, academic and research on July 1.

"I could not be more excited to join the Mount Allison family," says Hennessy. "I have admired Mount Allison for many years, from my brief time as a student here and through my work with the Maple League of Universities. I am so impressed with the faculty, staff, and students at Mount A and I am honoured to have been chosen to help lead such a renowned and important university."

A music professor, Hennessy comes to Mount Allison with administrative experience in senior roles. At Acadia University, he served as the director of the School of Music from 2007-2013 and as dean of arts from 2014 to 2019.

"With these experiences, Dr. Hennessy is poised to help shepherd Mount Allison through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," says Mount Allison President and Vice-Chancellor Jean-Paul Boudreau. "As a dynamic communicator with a strong commitment to liberal arts education and a passion for propelling connections across disciplines, he is well equipped to help advance Mount Allison's strategic planning, initiated by the University last year."

Hennessy completed a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Trent University before deciding to pursue music as a profession, earning his PhD in musicology from the University of Toronto in 2008. An academic and music practitioner, he has also published in several peer-reviewed journals, including MusiCultures, Perspectives of New Music, and the Journal of Mathematics and Music.

Hennessy follows Dr. Jeff Ollerhead, who has served as provost and vice-president academic and research since 2016. Ollerhead has worked at Mount Allison for more than 25 years and will continue to serve as a professor in the University's Department of Geography and Environment.