David W. Atkinson was born in Sunderland , England , and immigrated to Canada when very young . Educated in Calgary , he attended the Indiana University , where he was an All-American in Cross Country , and a member of the Big Ten Championship Cross Country Team . He returned to the University of Calgary , where he completed his B.A. degree ( 1970 ) , and subsequently earned an M.A. ( 1971 ) , and a Ph.D. degree ( 1975 ) in English . David Atkinson was a faculty member at the University of Lethbridge from 1977 to 1991 , where he took on increasingly senior administrative positions , including Director of Applied Studies , Chair of Religious Studies , Associate Dean of Arts and Science , and Dean of Student Affairs . In 1991 he was appointed Dean of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan . In 1997 he was appointed President of Brock University in St. Catharines , Ontario , and in 2005 President of Carleton University in Ottawa , Ontario , a position from which he resigned . He was appointed President of Kwantlen University College in Surrey , British Columbia , which in May , 2008 was designated as Kwantlen Polytechnic University . He resigned to take up the post of President of MacEwan University on July 1 , 2011 . Between 2011 and 2017 Atkinson was the fourth President of MacEwan University . During that time MacEwan centralized its satellite campuses to the city center and constructed a new Centre for Arts and Culture building . He also oversaw the official re-branding of Grant MacEwan University into MacEwan University . Atkinson will return to teach English at the university in 2018 . His successor , Dr. Deborah Saucier , will enter office on July 1 , 2017 . David W. Atkinson is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International . He has also received the Queen 's Golden Jubilee Medal and Diamond Jubilee Medal . David Atkinson has held faculty positions in both English and Religious Studies . He has published widely in both disciplines
Queen 's Golden Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
David W. Atkinson