Marsha Hanen was the President of the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership from 1999 - 2006. Prior to this, from 1989 - 1999, she was President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg. She holds AB and MA degrees in Philosophy from Brown University and a Ph.D. from Brandeis University. She has held academic positions at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as Harvard, Brandeis, Dalhousie Universities, and at the University of Calgary, where she co-founded the Faculty of General Studies in 1981 and became its second Dean in 1986.  She is currently Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at the University of Victoria.

 

Her academic work has been in philosophy of law, philosophy of science, feminist theory, epistemology, liberal arts and inter-disciplinary education. She has published numerous books and papers and has presented addresses at conferences across North America and abroad. Dr. Hanen's role at the Sheldon Chumir Foundation includes promoting ethical behaviour among leaders and prospective leaders and fostering principled, community-minded values and behaviour among the business community. As well, she comments on the ethical dimensions of public issues in Canada and internationally.

 

Dr. Hanen has been the recipient of many grants, awards and honours, including election to the National Honour Society, Phi Beta Kappa, the Y.W.C.A. Woman of the Year (Education) (1984), the Canada 125 Medal (1992), the Manitoba Award of Excellence in Education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1998), the Order of Canada (1999) and, most recently, an Honorary Doctor of Laws from York University (1999). She has held a Fellowship in Law and Philosophy at Harvard University. In 1993, former colleagues at The University of Calgary paid her tribute by dedicating to her a book of essays entitled Woman as Artist: Papers in Honour of Marsha Hanen.

Throughout her career, Dr. Hanen has served on university and faculty committees and has been involved in community education, health organizations and women's groups. She served on the first Advisory Committee to the Women's Health Resources Unit at Grace Hospital in Calgary. Her recent community service includes directorships on the boards of The Toronto Dominion Bank, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the National Education Committee of the Conference Board of Canada, the Foundation for the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and The Winnipeg Foundation. She was a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Asia Pacific, and is a Past Chair of the Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program. She also served for six years on the Board of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, and served two terms as Chair of the Committee of Presidents of Universities in Manitoba. Dr. Hanen currently serves on the Board of the Asia Pacific foundation of Canada, the National Council of Historica and is the President of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. She has spoken frequently to community groups on policy for post-secondary education, women and equality, curriculum change, interdisciplinary education and issues in ethics and law.

Throughout her career, Dr.Hanen has had a broad and deep interest in ethics, philosophy of science and philosophy of law, having published in the latter two areas as well as speaking and writing in applied ethics in relation to her involvement with the Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership.