President's Biography

Dr. Hakin, a Professor in Chemistry, came to StFX in July 2020 from Alberta where he served as the Provost and Academic Vice President at the University of Lethbridge. Dr. Hakin guided StFX through the pandemic with the help of dedicated faculty, staff and students. He demonstrated outstanding commitment and resilience, leadership, and care, to ensure the university continued to deliver the best educational experience possible.

In 2023, he introduced StFX’s five-year strategic plan “Building Our University The Way It Is Meant To Be” wrapping the path forward around the core values of being academically driven, EDIA and community-focused, responsive, and sustainable. He introduced initiatives such as the President's Action Committee on Anti-Racism, tasked with moving beyond identifying problems to crafting a solution-focused action plan to advance equity and anti-racism across campus. He continues to lead new initiatives such as the creation of the Victor and Mona Dahdaleh Institute for Innovation in Health, designed to address the shifting health needs of rural Nova Scotians through collaborative and community-responsive teaching, learning, and research. Dr. Hakin has also been instrumental in developing strong working relationships with the leadership and people of the Town and County of Antigonish, appreciating that StFX plays such an integral role to the success of the community, and vice-versa.

Dr. Hakin was reappointed for a second term as President and Vice Chancellor by the University’s Board of Governors. His second term began on July 1, 2025.

He currently serves as the Chair of Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents (CONSUP), Vice Chair of the Atlantic Association of Universities (AAU), board member of Research Nova Scotia, and is a director on the Board of Universities Canada.

Dr. Hakin was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal and the King Charles III
Coronation Medal for services to education.