It is an honour University of Regina President Dr. Vianne Timmons holds dear.
For the third year in a row, she was named to the Top 100 of Canada’s Most Powerful Women list – the only Saskatchewan recipient. It is a real honour, but Timmons said she never dreamed of being powerful.
“The harder I work, the luckier I get,” Timmons explained. “I never imagined I could be one of the Top 100 or a university president.”
In her eyes she is nothing powerful, but she is honoured to receive the award because it is a “wonderful statement just to honour women.”
“I think being on that list is an acknowledgement of a lot of hard work,” Timmons said. “It’s important in the recognition that women are honoured for success in their field of work.”
Growing up in a small mining town in Labrador, she was good at math and wanted to become a vet.
Timmons considers her parents role models – they were the ones who stressed the importance of a university degree, something she took to heart.
She went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree from Mt. Allison University in Sackville, NB in 1979, where she also received majors in Psychology and English. The next year she obtained her Bachelor of Education in Special Education from Acadia University in Wolfville, NS.
In 1983 Timmons completed her Master of Education in Special Education at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, before completing her studies at the University of Calgary in 1993. There she received her PhD in Education Psychology.
On September 1, 2008, she became the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina.
At her job, Timmons is in the minority. There are 94 university presidents in Canada; only 16 are women.
“In Canada there are still a lot of systemic barriers to women being successful,” Timmons explained. “I feel I’ve had an opportunity to work in a field, academia, where there are barriers there. But there are paths you can take.”
In addition to all the work she does at the university, Timmons has also worked with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the International Association of the Scientific Study on Intellectual Disability.
“I’ve been able to maybe make a difference in one family’s life, or make a difference in the life of a child with a disability,” Timmons said. “And I hope I have.”
She also works a lot with literacy – something that is very important to her. Timmons has become involved in working with family literacy.
“There is power behind language and power behind knowledge and power behind words,” she said. “That’s made me realize that for some families, those opportunities are not readily available.”
Timmons said a well rounded life has helped her get to where she is now.
“Hard work, opportunity, risk taking at times and surrounding myself with positive people have all helped me get where I am today,” Timmons said.
She loves what she does and wants to continue working hard.
“I’d like to do the best job I can as university president,” she said. “I think I have the greatest job in the world.”
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