Dr. Scott Morrison considers his primary assignment during his tenure as interim president and vice-chancellor of St. Mary’s University in Calgary to be “keeping the train moving.”

There is general acknowledgement that his predecessor, Dr. Sinda Vanderpool, who has moved on to assume the presidency of the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, earlier this month, notched a string of important accomplishments.

“We are deeply grateful for Dr. Vanderpool’s leadership and collaborative community building over the past three years,” stated Gary Strothers, the chair of the postsecondary institute’s board of governors. “Together with faculty, staff, students and supporters, she has led our university to accomplish national awards, academic program expansions and record-breaking investments from supporters.”

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Morrison, with two decades of experience as a leader in Alberta Catholic education, said Vanderpool and her team put in place a strong vision for the future that he can continue to implement during his “six months to a year” in this interim role.

“I can tell you that I have seen more strategic plans than I care to mention,” said Morrison. “I thought (St. Mary’s) plan is elegant in its simplicity and focus. I think the road map is laid. The tracks are laid.”

St. Mary’s University’s 2024-2029 Strategic Plan Expanding Minds, Inspiring Hearts outlines four priorities: people first, building for growth, academic excellence and celebrating our identity. There is a well-defined impetus to maintain a welcoming and positive on-campus environment for students, faculty and staff, and to foster an academic culture grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition, while also striving for significant growth in student enrollment and facility development.

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Morrison is well-positioned to keep the momentum going because of his association with St. Mary’s dating back 17 years. He has taught an undergraduate class in the Faculty of Education and leadership certificate courses, helped shape the institute’s Bachelor of Education program and soon-to-be-launched Master of Education, and he served on the board of governors, including a three-year stint helming the governance and nominating committee.

Describing his new position as a “labour of love,” Morrison told The Catholic Register that “it’s been a vocational calling to know there is a Catholic institution that serves all that goes beyond K-12 — to me that is just something I’ve always been drawn to.”

Regarding K-12 Catholic education, Morrison previously served for over 10 years as chief superintendent of Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools, an organization that now supports nearly 15,000 students in southern Alberta. He was also an interim superintendent of Holy Spirit Catholic Schools in Lethbridge in 2024, before serving as executive director of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta during the 2024-25 academic year.

Since assuming the leadership of St. Mary’s on Aug. 5, Morrison’s top priority is to listen. He is in the midst of completing one-on-one meetings with faculty, staff and student leaders.

“These are very illuminating conversations,” said Morrison. “I'm a pretty big believer that, especially in an interim position, you should focus on the strategic plan, because that's the North Star, but you need to also identify the needs arising from within and ensure you’re responsive to your people. You cannot be responsive unless you know your people.”

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Responding to a query if he had any desire to be considered as a permanent successor to the presidency and vice-chancellorship, Morrison said, “I’ve really got to go into this with a short-term mindset and to do the work I’ve been asked to do." He added that “I’ve been basically empowered by the board to act as a transition person.”

His “real goal” is to “find out as much as I can about this place, and to listen really intently so that I can offer both the board of governors and the forever president, as I call them, the advice, guidance and feedback they need to move forward.”