Announcement Regarding Vice-President (Finance and Administration) Gitta Kulczycki

Dalhousie University has announced that Gitta Kulczycki has been appointed to the position of Vice-President Finance and Administration.

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I write today to share with you that Dalhousie University has announced that Gitta Kulczycki has been appointed to the position of Vice-President Finance and Administration, effective November 2, 2020. Her last day at the University of Alberta will be October 2. Gitta has been a remarkable leader and her departure is a significant loss for our community.

Over the last four years, Gitta has played an instrumental role in preparing the U of A for the challenges that lie ahead. With Provost Steven Dew, she led the development and implementation of the new budget model as well as three-year budget and accountability planning. Her financial leadership was key to the elimination of the structural deficit, and her organizational leadership led to the introduction of the UniForum benchmarking program to the U of A, the foundation of the administrative restructuring about to begin.

Jointly with the Provost’s Office, Gitta’s portfolio also played a key role in the development and implementation of the university’s new Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Strategic Plan, including the university’s first equity census.

Human Resource Services and Financial Services both underwent major restructuring under her leadership. Gitta led the development of the financial partner model which has professionalized and improved financial services across the university. Inspiring an ethic of continuous improvement, she has ensured that our data management systems and statistical analysis consistently and reliably provide the data that senior leaders in units and faculties across our campuses can rely on to make evidence-based decisions.

All of this exemplifies Gitta’s strengths as a leader and demonstrates her deep commitment to driving administrative change that will enable this university to sustain its excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement far into the future. She has been an invaluable colleague and advisor to me and the rest of the senior leadership team.

I know that this has been a very difficult decision for Gitta and she asked me to share the following:

The U of A for Tomorrow plan is the right plan for the future. Until my departure at the beginning of October, I will work hard with all faculty, staff, and students to move this vision forward.

Please join me in wishing Gitta all the best in her new role at Dalhousie University and thanking her for her strategic, collaborative leadership, her energy, and her commitment to the U of A over the last four years.

A search for Gitta’s replacement will begin immediately under President-elect Bill Flanagan’s lead to ensure a smooth leadership transition in Finance and Administration during this period of major academic and administrative restructuring.

— David H. Turpin
President and Vice-Chancellor