Launching a search for a new Vice-President, External Relations

I am writing to let you know that UBC has embarked on a search for a new Vice-President, External Relations. The current Vice-President, Robin Ciceri, has completed her term and will transition into retirement this summer.

The Vice-President, External Relations, reports to the President and has responsibility for providing strategic leadership for university communications and issues management, government relations and community engagement, ceremonies and events, campus and community planning, as well as the Learning Exchange and Robson Square.

In accordance with Board policy AP14, an advisory committee has been established to support the search process. The committee consists of:

• Benoit-Antoine Bacon, President (Chair)
• Natalie Chan, UBC Board of Governors
• Jessie Dusangh, UBC Board of Governors
• Lesley Cormack, Principal and Deputy-Vice Chancellor, UBC Okanagan
• Gail Murphy, Vice-President, Research and Innovation
• Ngai Pindell, Dean, Peter A. Allard School of Law
• Guy Faulkner, UBC Vancouver Senate
• Tamara Ebl, UBC Okanagan Senate
• Cade Desjarlais, UBC Students' Union Okanagan
• Kamil Kanji, Alma Mater Society, UBC Vancouver
• Adriaan de Jager, Associate Vice-President, Government Relations and Community Engagement
• Michael White, Associate Vice-President, Campus and Community Planning
• Rick Hart, Associate Vice-President, Communications

A member of the President’s Office will act as non-voting secretary. We are also supported in this search by PFM search consultants. If you have any feedback for this search, please send your comments to the confidential email president.staff@ubc.ca.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Robin for her many contributions to UBC over the past five years. These include her role as advisor to the President and to the Board of Governors, her leadership during the university’s pandemic response and recovery, as well as key government relations matters.

During her time at UBC, Robin has led Relationship Agreement discussions with Musqueam in advancing UBC’s commitment to reconciliation, and guided her teams on major initiatives such as the Vancouver Land Use Plan, UBCx and the brand campaign advancing UBC’s reputation as a global university.

Since joining UBC, I have valued her advice and leadership, and her contributions to the executive team, to UBC and to BC’s post-secondary sector. Please join me in wishing Robin all the best in her future endeavours.

Benoit-Antoine Bacon
President and Vice-Chancellor

Please note: This Bulletin was updated on February 7 to reflect a change in the advisory committee membership, replacing William Sundhu with Natalie Chan, UBC Board of Governors.