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Meric Gertler
CM FRSC MCIP FAcSS FBA
16th President of the University of Toronto
In office
November 1, 2013 (2013-11-01) – July 1, 2025
ChancellorMichael Wilson
Rose Patten
Preceded byDavid Naylor
Succeeded byMelanie Woodin
Personal details
Born
Meric Slover Gertler

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
EducationMcMaster University (BA)
University of California, Berkeley (MCP)
Harvard University (PhD)
Websitepresident.utoronto.ca
Academic background
ThesisCapital dynamics and regional development (1983)
Academic work
Disciplineurban planning
InstitutionsUniversity of Toronto

Meric Slover Gertler CM FRSC MCIP FAcSS FBA is a Canadian academic who served as the 16th president of the University of Toronto from 2013 to 2025.[1] Previously, he served as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at the university from 2008 to 2013.[2]

Life and career

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Gertler was born to a Jewish family in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and grew up in several cities in Southern Ontario.[3] His mother, born in what was then Czechoslovakia, survived the Holocaust.[4] Gertler completed his undergraduate education at McMaster University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1977. He received a Master of City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1979 and a Doctorate of Philosophy from Harvard University in 1983. His dissertation was entitled "Capital Dynamics and Regional Development".[5][6]

Gertler joined the University of Toronto Department of Geography and Planning as a lecturer in 1983. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1988 and full Professor in 1993, at which point he also received tenure.[7]

Gertler's work focuses on the geography of innovative activity and the economies of city-regions. His work also examines the local nature of a globalized economy, focusing on manufacturing as embedded within local cultural norms, practice, and assumptions. Gertler's work examines the role of tacit knowledge and interactive learning in explaining local agglomeration economies and innovation.[8] Gertler is the author, co-author or co-editor of more than 80 scholarly publications and seven books.[9] These have had significant impact in his field and have led him to be one of Canada's most highly cited geographers.[5]

Gertler has served as an advisor to local, regional and national governments in Canada, the United States and Europe, as well as to international agencies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union. He was the founding co-director of the Program on Globalization and Regional Innovation Systems (PROGRIS) at the Munk School of Global Affairs, served as director of the Department of Geography's Program in Planning and holds the Goldring Chair in Canadian Studies.[9]

Gertler has held visiting appointments at institutions including the University of Oxford, University College London, the University of Oslo and the University of California, Los Angeles.[5]

Awards and honours

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Gertler has also been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 2003.

He received the 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of California, Berkeley and the 2014 Distinguished Scholarship Honor from the Association of American Geographers (AAG).[9]

In May 2012, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree from Sweden's Lund University, for his exceptional contributions to the fields of economic geography and regional development. In the same year, he was made an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK), becoming the first University of Toronto scholar inducted and one of only two Canadian members of the Academy.[10]

He has been a Senior Fellow of the University of Toronto's Massey College since 2000.

A textbook co-edited by Gertler, the Oxford Handbook of Economic Geography, received the Choice Magazine's "Outstanding Academic Book" award.

He won the 2007 Award for Scholarly Distinction from the Canadian Association of Geographers.

In December 2015, Gertler was awarded the Order of Canada with the grade of member.[11]

He was elected as a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy in 2015.[12]

Controversies

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Refusal of University fossil-fuel Taskforce's divestment recommendations

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In March 2016, having previously convened a Task Force to investigate and make recommendations on the University's investments in fossil fuels, Gertler refused the Task Force's recommendation to divest, prompting negative reaction from students and faculty members. Sources credited his personal ties to fossil fuel industry leaders for this decision.[13]

Dismissal from Board of Waterfront Toronto

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On 6 December 2018, Gertler was among three board members (along with board chair Helen Burstyn and Michael Nobrega) fired by the Ontario Provincial government from Waterfront Toronto, a public agency working on a "revitalization" project for the city’s waterfront through a controversial partnership with Alphabet, Google’s parent company.[14][15]

The Azarova Affair and CAUT censure of University over breaches of academic freedom

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In May 2021, allegedly under pressure from donors affiliated with the Israel lobby, the University of Toronto administration terminated the candidacy of Valentina Azarova (whose research included a focus on the Israel-Palestine conflict) for the directorship of the international human rights program at the University's Faculty of Law, having already made an offer of employment to her and begun the hiring process.[16] This led to a formal censure of the University by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and a widely-publicised academic boycott of the University under the banner "CensureUofT."[17]

Pro-Palestine protest encampment

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In May 2024, Gertler refused to negotiate with pro-Palestinian protestors on campus (both students and faculty), commenting that a large protest encampment "must end," threatening students with a trespass notice and refusing to rule out police involvement; Gertler stated that graduation ceremonies in June would proceed "no matter what," and refused to consider the protestors' demands: the disclosure of the University's investments and ties to the Israeli government and military; divestment from Israeli companies; and termination of partnerships with Israeli academic institutions.[18]

On 24 May a trespass notice was issued, with the administration threatening students with "consequences under University policies and the law," including expulsion or suspension of up to five years.[19] When the encampment remained in place, Gertler's administration applied for an expedited court injunction allowing police to arrest and remove students.[20] The encampment nonetheless continued throughout June, with graduation ceremonies occurring against the backdrop of the pro-Palestinian protests,[21] despite increasing public outrage and public resignations in protest at the University administration's handling of the affair.[22]

During and following the encampment affair, there were widespread calls for Gertler to resign, including from tenured UofT faculty such as Associate Professor Girish Daswani.[23]

On 8 May 2025, the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) voted in favour of divesting from Israel, citing its opposition to what it described as Israel’s "illegal occupation" of Palestinian territory.[24] The motion, which passed with 52% support, urged the Ontario University Pension Plan to swiftly divest from entities linked to the occupation or arms production potentially used by Israel in Palestine, aligning the move with the university’s existing divestment policy on Russia.[25]

In June 2025, Gertler stepped down as President of the University of Toronto.[26][27]

References

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  1. ^ Lavender, Terry (November 1, 2013). "Meric Gertler takes office as U of T's 16th president". U of T News. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  2. ^ "Biography Full". University of Toronto Office of the President. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  3. ^ "Town and Gown". magazine.utoronto.ca. December 1, 2013. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  4. ^ "New U of T president son of Holocaust survivor". The Canadian Jewish News. March 25, 2013. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "A profile of Professor Meric Gertler". U of T News. March 4, 2013. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  6. ^ Gertler, Meric Slover (1983). Capital Dynamics and Regional Development (Ph.D. thesis). Harvard University. OCLC 221861432. ProQuest 303162787. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  7. ^ Brown, Louise (November 6, 2013). "Meric Gertler, the University of Toronto's new president, calls for more government funding". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  8. ^ Gertler, Meric S. (2004). Manufacturing Culture: The Institutional Geography of Industrial Practice. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-823382-4. LCCN 2004042545.
  9. ^ a b c "Office of the President Biography". president.utoronto.ca. June 2014. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  10. ^ "Meric Gertler". utm.utoronto.ca. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  11. ^ "Order of Canada Appointments". The Governor General of Canada His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston. Governor General of Canada. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  12. ^ "British Academy Fellowship reaches 1,000 as 42 new UK Fellows are welcomed". 16 Jul 2015. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  13. ^ "U of T rejects fossil-fuel divestment recommendations". The Varsity. 2016-03-30. Archived from the original on 2016-05-28. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  14. ^ "Meric Gertler fired from Waterfront Toronto board of directors amid Google deal". The Varsity. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  15. ^ Gillies, Rob (8 December 2018). "Ontario government fires 3 directors after Google deal". Associated Press. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  16. ^ Gessen, Masha (8 May 2021). "Did a University of Toronto Donor Block the Hiring of a Scholar for Her Writing on Palestine?". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Media Coverage". CensureUofT. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  18. ^ Sonja Puzic (2024-05-23). "U of T says pro-Palestinian camp must end, but won't cut ties with Israeli schools". thecanadianpressnews.ca. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  19. ^ "U of T issues trespass notice to pro-Palestinian encampment". CBC News. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "U of T files for injunction to evict pro-Palestinian encampment". CBC News. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  21. ^ "U of T graduation ceremonies continue amid protest on campus". Global News / The Canadian Press. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  22. ^ OccupyUofT (10 June 2024). ""I cannot in good conscience participate in convocation" — Kristen Daigle resigns from being an Eagle Feather Bearer at UofT's convocation". Instagram.com/occupyuoft. Retrieved 7 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ Daswani, Girish (27 May 2024). "@UofT President Meric Gertler has lost all my confidence and needs to resign before the end of his term. His active involvement with Israeli institutions that occupy illegal settlements and his desire for Zionist donor money makes him culpable. Read this". x.com. Daswani's tweet links to this online resource detailing UofT's investments and partnerships with Israel and Israeli companies: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rf-mLxrs3P7XdvdZX9iH7PGG0kBkVE8A_HlwGtL5wJ8/edit?tab=t.0. Retrieved 7 July 2025. {{cite web}}: External link in |others= (help)
  24. ^ "Results of May 8th General Membership Meeting and Vote". University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA). 13 May 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  25. ^ "University of Toronto Faculty Association votes to divest from Israel". Jerusalem Post. 11 May 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  26. ^ Schwalb, Jesse (23 September 2024). "https://thevarsity.ca/2024/09/23/u-of-t-president-meric-gertler-sits-down-with-the-varsity-for-the-last-time/". The Varsity. Retrieved 7 July 2025. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  27. ^ Friesen, Joe (29 June 2025). "Outgoing U of T president Meric Gertler talks successes, crises and challenges ahead". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
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Selected publications

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  • Gertler, M. S. 2004. Manufacturing Culture: the Institutional Geography of Industrial Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Gertler, M. S. 2003. A cultural economic geography of production: are we learning by doing? In The Handbook of Cultural Geography, eds. K. Anderson, M. Domosh, S. Pile and N. Thrift, 131-146. London: Sage.
  • Gertler, M. S. and D.A. Wolfe, eds. 2002. Innovation and Social Learning: Institutional Adaptation in an Era of Technological Change. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan/Palgrave.
  • Rutherford, T. D. and M. S. Gertler. 2002. Labour in 'lean' times: geography, scale and the national trajectories of workplace change. Transactions, Institute of British Geographers NS27: 1-18.
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