The bishop of Niagara, Ralph Spence, has been appointed chancellor of Renison College, University of Waterloo.

Bishop Spence, who has announced his retirement as diocesan bishop effective Feb. 29, 2008, will begin his four-year term of office at Renison on May 1, 2008.

A graduate of McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont., Bishop Spence received a licentiate in theology at Wycliffe College in Toronto in 1968 and later, honorary doctor of divinity degrees from Wycliffe, Trinity and Huron Colleges, respectively.

He became the 10th bishop of Niagara in 1998. Known as one of Canada’s leading specialists in vexillology (science of flags), Bishop Spence has been a recipient of many awards, including Canada’s 125th Medal and the Queen’s Silver and Gold Jubilee Medals.