UBC Killam Professor Emeritus William H. New, OC, FRSC, is a literary critic, editor, anthologist, poet and children’s writer. He first joined the Department of English in 1965 where he taught until retirement in 2003. His teaching and research focused on Canadian and Commonwealth/Postcolonial Literatures. During his more than 50 years on UBC’s faculty, he has won numerous awards for teaching and research, has served as the editor of numerous journals and has authored over 150 scholarly articles.

He was named University Killam Professor in 2001; Brenda and David McLean Chair in Canadian Studies, UBC (1995-97). His work to ensure a prominent place for Canadian literature within the wider realm of Canadian studies has been recognized through numerous awards and distinctions, including his installation in 2007 as an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2019, he was conferred the degree Doctor of Science, honoris causa.