Andrew Petter

Andrew Petter is President Emeritus of Simon Fraser University and Professor Emeritus in its School of Public Policy. 

Prior to joining SFU, Andrew was professor at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law where he served as dean from 2001 to 2008. From 1991 to 2001, he was an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia and held numerous cabinet portfolios, including Aboriginal Affairs, Forests, Finance, Intergovernmental Relations, Advanced Education and Attorney General.

As SFU President from 2010 to 2020, Andrew oversaw the development and implementation of a strategic vision that distinguished SFU as Canada’s “engaged university defined by its dynamic integration of innovative education, cutting edge research and far-reaching community engagement.” Under his leadership, SFU was

regularly named Canada’s top comprehensive university in the Maclean’s Rankings and placed first in the world for its impact on sustainable cities and communities in the 2020 Times Higher Education’s Impact Rankings.

Andrew was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2019 and Order of B.C. in 2021 in recognition of his contributions to public policy and leadership in advancing university-community engagement and higher education in Canada. In 2018 he was named recipient of Public Policy Forum’s Peter Lougheed Award for leadership in public policy.

He currently practices law as Counsel with Arvay Finlay LLP and serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Central Asia.