Emmanuel College Unveils Portrait of Former Principal Michelle Voss

^{The Rev. Dr. Michelle Voss (left) and Victoria University President Rhonda N. McEwen (right) unveiled the portrait by Toronto photographer Arthur Mola during a ceremony held at Emmanuel College on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Photo by Minh Truong)}

By Leslie Shepherd

Emmanuel College’s first woman principal was honoured this week with the unveiling of her official photograph. 
 
The Rev. Dr. Michelle Voss was principal of Emmanuel College in Victoria University from 2018–21, the first woman to hold the job in the school’s then 90-year history. 
 
Vic U President Dr. Rhonda McEwen noted at the unveiling, held during EC Alumni/ae Day, that Professor Voss led Emmanuel through a consolidation of its multireligious programs, a period of significant faculty renewal, and the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  
Professor Voss commissioned the DEAR document–Emmanuel’s statement of commitment to Dignity, Equity, Accountability and Responsibility. She developed and still teaches a first-year course to empower students to engage in Emmanuel’s multireligious community and become interfaith leaders. She worked hard to encourage the integration of Emmanuel College into the life of Victoria University. 
 
The portrait, shot by Toronto photographer Arthur Mola, will be hung in the foyer of Emmanuel College alongside those of Professor Voss’s predecessors. 
 
Dr. McEwen also thanked Professor Voss for establishing the Michelle Voss Scholarship at Emmanuel College.  
 
Professor Voss said that as Canada has become increasingly polarized, it has never been clearer to her why theological education matters and why Emmanuel College “is uniquely positioned to provide the religious leaders and spiritual care professionals the world needs.” 
 
“Learning to talk to one another is resistance to injustice,” she said. “But we can’t decide to do this only when the world is on fire. At Emmanuel College, we are building the skills, knowledge base and community connections that today’s spiritual and moral leaders must draw upon to help others work for the common good. ”