Myer Horowitz

Who is Myer Horowitz?

Myer Horowitz, OC is a Canadian academic who served as the ninth president of the University of Alberta from 1979 to 1989.

Horowitz was born in Montreal, Quebec on December 27, 1932. He attended the School for Teachers at McGill University and received his BA at Sir George Williams College in 1956. He earned a Master of Education from the University of Alberta in 1959 and a Doctor of Education from Stanford University in 1965. Horowitz taught for eight years in Montreal before accepting a position as a professor in the Faculty of Education at McGill University. He left McGill in 1969 to Alberta, where he accepted a position of Chair of the University of Alberta's Department of Elementary Education. He would later go on to serve various other academic positions in the University of Alberta: Dean of the Faculty of Education and Vice-President.

Horowitz became the ninth president of the University of Alberta on August 1, 1979, succeeding Harry Gunning. He became known for his advocation for widely accessible early childhood services - something that he continued to fight for after his retirement as president in 1989, fighting against the Alberta government's decision to reduce funding for kindergartens. He was succeeded as president by Paul Davenport.