Professor Robert S. Prichard is a lawyer, economist, and academic.

Born in the United Kingdom, Prichard arrived in Canada to attend the nation's premier prep school, Upper Canada College. Following his graduation from UCC, he studied economics at Swarthmore College, business at the University of Chicago and law at the University of Toronto and Yale Law School.

Joining the faculty of law at the University of Toronto in 1976, he was its dean from 1984 to 1990. Between 1990 and 2000 he was the thirteenth president of the university.

During his time as president, Prichard infused a never before seen energy into the University of Toronto - in the words of the university, Prichard "took fund-raising to new levels in Canada, and he implemented the strategy that would sharpen U of T’s edge as one of the world’s leading research institutions." During his ten years as president, the U of T's endowment rose to an unprecedented $2 billion dollars, the most of any Canadian university. Moreover, today - as a direct result of Prichard's demand for nothing but excellence, the U of T is widely regarded as the pre-eminent university in the country.

It is important to note that during his tenure as president, Prichard endured the agony of having his youngest son battle a very dangerous form of cancer. The following is an excert from the University of Toronto's magazine:

"Prichard arrived at the hospital each evening at nine. He had a reading lamp and a cell phone. He worked and slept next to his sick son. In the morning, he showered at the hospital, dressed and hurried to his new job as president at the university up the street."

Today he is the president of the Torstar Media Group and chief operating officer of the Torstar Corporation in May 2001 after completing his term as the thirteenth President of the University of Toronto.

J. Robert S. Prichard is the past Vice-Chair of the Upper Canada College Board of Governors and is currently a Governor of the Canadian Unity Council. Prichard is also an Officer of the Order of Ontario and an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Source: [[1] (http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/00summer/f01.htm)] [[2] (http://www.utoronto.ca/president/past.htm)]