Dr. John Crossley, founding president of Meritus University, has more than three decades of experience in higher education, most recently gained at Renison College, an Anglican college affiliated with the University of Waterloo.

As principal and vice-chancellor at Renison, Dr. Crossley was accountable for the overall management of the institution. His vision, leadership and entrepreneurial spirit helped build Renison's state-of-the-art academic center and create Waterloo's Confucius Institute for the study and teaching of Chinese language and culture - the second such Institute to be established in Canada.

He was also influential in setting up the college’s new applied language studies program, and in expanding the Social Development Studies, Social Work, East Asian Studies, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, the success of the latter enabling him to develop international partnerships.

Dr. Crossley has taught at several Canadian institutions including University of Western Ontario, Ryerson University and University of Prince Edward Island. At Prince Edward he held a series of posts including Chair of Political Studies, Coordinator of Canadian Studies, Coordinator of the 1992 Learned Societies’ Conference, Dean of Arts, and Vice-President (Academic Support).

This last position saw his responsibilities embrace academic planning and a diversity of academic support services, including athletics, audio-visual services, continuing education, computer services, registrar, and student services. For several years, Dr. Crossley represented Prince Edward Island on the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission, serving a term as Chair between 2000 and 2002.

With an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in politics from Brock University in Ontario, and a Masters and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Toronto, Dr. Crossley values research and scholarship. He has a solid record of publications and scholarly activity in the areas of Canadian government, public policy, and public administration - with particular emphasis on provincial politics and public policy - and on public policies affecting Canadian Aboriginal peoples.

A committed and passionate educator, Dr. Crossley’s dream for Meritus University is to be “a school of rigorous academic standards, which will develop students to reach their full potential, and ultimately contribute back to society". The University, he says, will focus initially on the educational needs of working professionals, but as it grows, it will serve as many learning needs as possible.