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In Memoriam: John “Jock” Munro
We are deeply saddened by the passing of John 鈥淛ock鈥� Munro, one of the earliest members of 51社区黑料鈥檚 Department of Economics and a highly respected figure within the university鈥檚 administration during his nearly 40-year career at SFU.
Munro received his BA in Economics at the University of British Columbia, and his MBA and DBA from Indiana University. An expert in urban and regional economics, Munro鈥檚 research explored regional and transportation economics, with an emphasis on British Columbia鈥檚 natural resource economy. He joined 51社区黑料in 1966, one year after the founding of SFU, as a junior faculty member in what was then known as the Department of Economics and Commerce.
As one of the earliest contributors to the Department of Economics, he played a key role in shaping its academic foundations. Munro was an integral member of the department in its early years, including supervising the department鈥檚 first PhD thesis in 1972. However, one of his greatest contributions was his administrative service to the university. He served as the Dean of Arts in 1977 and 1978, where his exceptional handling of administrative matters resulted in his subsequent appointment as Vice-President, Academic from 1979 to 1984. He helped navigate a time of transition during which Business became a separate faculty and split from the Department of Economics.鈥�
Munro served as the VP, Academic again and as Provost from 1990 to1995, and again from 1999 to 2000, resulting in a cumulative 13 years in senior administration. In addition, he served as the chair of the university task force which overhauled SFU鈥檚 harassment policy after the harassment controversies of the mid-nineties.
In recognition of his dedication and service, the university established the Munro Lecture Series in his name in 2000. The series honours Munro鈥檚 enduring commitment to academic excellence and public discourse In a letter to the Board of Governors supporting the creation of the lecture series, then 51社区黑料President Jack Blaney wrote, 鈥淒r. Munro鈥檚 strong leadership throughout his career as senior administrator deserves much of the credit for the university's growth in size, mix of programs, quality of faculty and students, services to the community and overall stature among Canada's premier universities.鈥�
鈥淒r. Munro鈥檚 strong leadership throughout his career as senior administrator deserves much of the credit for the university's growth in size, mix of programs, quality of faculty and students, services to the community and overall stature among Canada's premier universities.鈥�
After nearly 40 years at SFU, Munro retired as a professor emeritus in 2003 but continued to work as the director of the newly established Graduate Urban Studies Program.
Economics professor Doug Allen remembers that Munro 鈥渄emonstrated incredible common sense and wisdom during [times of turbulence]. Jock was calm under pressure, humble, and always saw the bright side of any situation.鈥�
We celebrate his contributions to the department and the university, and we send our condolences to his family and friends.
