In addition to teaching and mentoring students, Dr. Demps will now oversee all academic programs at UFred. He will work closely with the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, Program Chairs and other UFred teams to champion academic initiatives that meet emerging market needs to drive continuous program innovation.
“I’m excited to help create new offerings for students,” said Dr. Demps. “We're positioning ourselves for substantial growth. Right now, UFred has north of 5,000 students, and we're looking to double that over the next few years.”
A pivotal moment in UFred’s growth
From curriculum leadership to stakeholder engagement and more, Dr. Demps will play an important role in our university. His inspirational leadership style and deep expertise make him the ideal leader of our ever-growing program portfolio.
“Dr. Demps will help us move quickly where we can — and carefully where we must. Our standards stay non-negotiable: accreditation expectations, academic rigour and student success will always come before speed,” said Dr. Michael Hobeck, Provost and Vice-President, Academic.
Expanding into Research to solve today’s challenges
Research is another key part of Dr. Demps’s new position. This announcement marks UFred’s emergence into original academic research, strengthening the university’s reputation as not only an online educator but also a knowledge creator. We are building a collaborative model where research is shared, tested and applied to the challenges people and organizations face every day.
“The thing that excites me about the research piece is that we will have an opportunity for faculty members and students to have their voices heard through the publication of research,” Dr. Demps said. “There will be a broad offering of research. We're very excited about that as we move into our next phase of evolution as a university.”
A career full of leadership and impact
Dr. Demps’s brings a wealth of experience to this role, including a Master of Human Resources Development at Webster University and Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Northcentral University. He has been teaching at a graduate level for more than 20 years, mostly at Jacksonville University. A sought-after consultant and keynote speaker, Dr. Demps’s career has been defined by a passion for preparing leaders to thrive in change.
Several years ago, he changed his position from a scholarly academic to a practicing academic. He serves on boards to help the largest hospital network in Jacksonville, Florida, as well as help Veterans experiencing homelessness. He has found ways to reinvent himself to have a more tangible impact on the community, mirroring the positive impact he has here at UFred.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Demps full-time to the University of Fredericton. His appointment as Dean of Programs & Research marks an important milestone in UFred’s evolution as we expand into original academic Research. This next chapter reinforces our shared commitment to meaningful impact for students, organizations and communities across Canada and beyond.
