Updates, news and stories

A selection of updates, news and stories from across the university.

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  • Brad Wuetherick
    UBCO
    22 February, 2022 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Brad Wuetherick

    Brad Wuetherick is the Associate Provost, Academic Programs, Teaching and Learning at UBC Okanagan. In this role, he focuses on creating an inclusive, anti-racist teaching and learning environment and educational pathways for student success. Taking a non-traditional path into academic leadership, Brad began his career as an elected student leader, centering students as partners to imagine the future of teaching and learning. He is an internationally-recognized scholar of teaching and learning in higher education, and is a fellow with the US-based Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. For the past 20 years, Brad has served in a variety of leadership roles in teaching and learning, undergraduate student affairs, continuing education, and undergraduate research. Of Métis and European ancestry, Brad brings a unique perspective to UBC’s leadership team. 

  • Heather McCaw
    UBCV & UBCO
    6 January, 2022 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Heather McCaw

    Heather McCaw is UBC’s Vice-President, Development and Alumni Engagement (DAE). She rejoined her alma mater in 2018, having served previously as the Vice-President of Advancement at the University of Alberta. As Vice-President, DAE, Heather leads the development and alumni engagement activities across the university’s two campuses.  Over the course of her career, she has been involved in several major campaigns and co-directed UBC’s historic start an evolution fundraising and alumni engagement campaign which raised over $1.6 billion from 2008 through 2015 and actively engaged more than 130,000 alumni in the life of the university. In addition to 25 years of experience in the post-secondary sector, Heather was vice-president of two associated consulting companies, Give Canada Fundraising Corporation and Spectrum Marketing Corporation. These organizations specialize in securing strategic business partnerships and multimillion-dollar donations on behalf of non-profit clients that have included the United Way of the Lower Mainland, the Rick Hansen Foundation, the universities of Calgary and Victoria, and the Toronto Rehab Foundation.  

  • Moura Quayle
    UBCV
    1 November, 2021 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Moura Quayle

    Moura Quayle is UBC’s Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Academic Affairs. She is also a professor and the founding director of UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, the former director of the Liu Institute for Global Issues and currently teaches in the Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs program: Leadership for Policy Professionals. In addition to her academic career at UBC Vancouver, Moura acted as Deputy Minister of the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education, B.C. Commissioner of Pacific Coast Collaborative, Dean of UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, and Associate VP, Academic Programs at UBC Okanagan. Her book, Designed Leadership, was published in 2017, and more recently, she co-edited a book written by her late husband, David Fushtey, entitled Principled Governance when Everything Matters (2021). Her interests include learning Mandarin, Chinese calligraphy (shufa) and painting in various media.

  • Dale Mullings
    UBCO
    7 September, 2021 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Dale Mullings

    Dale Mullings is the Associate Vice-President, Students, for UBC’s Okanagan campus. In this role, Dale supports services and programs that facilitate student learning, development, and engagement providing students with a strong foundation for success. With a focus on student access, equity, and wellbeing, he is committed to creating a sense of belonging and connection between students and their peers, across the institution, and in the community. Prior to joining UBC, Dale worked at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where he held the role of Assistant Dean, Students and International Initiatives, and taught Education Studies. Before that, he served in student-facing roles supporting student life and housing. Dale holds a Master of Education from the University of Toronto, and is a PhD candidate in Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the Ontario’s Institute for Studies in Education. While most people know that Dale is an enthusiast for higher education and the great outdoors, few people know that back in the ’90s when Dale was a child, he modeled for, and acted in TV commercials – you may have even seen him in ads for SEGA video games.

  • Michael Coughtrie
    UBCV
    12 July, 2021 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Michael Coughtrie

    Michael Coughtrie is Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he began his professional teaching and research career in the School of Medicine at the University of Dundee. After 25 years of working in the medical field, he joined UBC in August 2013, and is currently serving his second term in this role. Dean Coughtrie has extensive teaching experience, has received more than 70 competitive research grants and contracts, and is an accomplished scientist with over 200 publications. In September 2017, he was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Through his time as Dean, he has been a strong advocate for pharmacists and the profession of pharmacy. He fervently believes in the mutual respect between faculty and staff, and continues to work with provincial health authorities and the Ministry of Health to expand the Faculty’s reach and impact across the region.

  • Karamjeet Heer
    UBCV
    25 May, 2021 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Karamjeet Heer

    As UBC’s Comptroller, Karamjeet Heer is responsible for ensuring the university’s fiscal sustainability by providing financial intelligence and strategy. A key leader within UBC’s VP Finance & Operations (VPFO) portfolio, Karamjeet oversees UBC’s budgeting and planning activities, which coordinate over $3.1B in total annual spending. She is also responsible for the delivery of financial reporting and analysis (including UBC’s annual audited financial statements) for the campus community, UBC’s Board of Governors, government, and external stakeholders. She and her team engage with Faculties and administrative units across the university to deliver financial support and guidance, and ensure alignment in UBC’s financial approach. Building on 20 years as a senior financial leader, Karamjeet brings a service-centric philosophy and strong commitment to relationship-building. By engaging in close partnerships, she supports the development and delivery of operational excellence and financial accountability for UBC.

  • Matthew Evenden
    UBCV
    12 April, 2021 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Matthew Evenden

    Dr. Matthew Evenden is Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation at UBC Vancouver. He is a professor in UBC’s Department of Geography and is a renowned scholar in the area of environmental and water history in Canada. In his 20 years at UBC, Matthew has contributed to various university-wide committees and initiatives. In 2010/11, he was a recipient of the UBC Killam Prize, for his scholarship and teaching. Since 2015, he served as the Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Arts, before moving into his current role in 2019. In his role as Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Matthew shares the leadership of the diverse range of portfolio units and initiatives that support UBC’s research and innovation activities. This includes units supporting grant development, book publishing, human research ethics and knowledge exchange, as well as providing support and resources for Indigenous communities and university researchers collaborating on projects.

  • Sarah Brears
    UBCO
    1 March, 2021 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Sarah Brears

    Dr. Sarah Brears is the Regional Associate Dean, Interior, for the Faculty of Medicine’s Southern Medical Program (SMP). She provides strategic leadership for the Faculty’s undergraduate and postgraduate medical education programs within the Interior. Having gained experience working as a physician in rural, remote and urban regions in Canada, Dr. Brears first joined the SMP back in 2012 as the Family Practice Site Director. She went on to serve provincially as Clinical Experiences Integration Co-Lead and then the MEDD 422 Course Co-Director. Dr. Brears role includes working with partners, such as Interior Health, helping to shape a high-quality educational experience for all of UBC’s learners in the region, as well as facilitating the Faculty of Medicine’s health research strategy for the Interior. In addition to being a family physician, medical educator and mom, Dr. Brears is passionate about working with patients, to help them achieve and maintain wellness. She also enjoys working closely and collaboratively with physicians in the region, helping them meet the needs of their community.

  • Lesley Cormack
    UBCO
    11 January, 2021 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Lesley Cormack

    Professor Lesley Cormack is Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UBC’s Okanagan campus. She joined UBC in July 2020 from the University of Alberta where she served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts from 2010 to 2020. Her achievements as Dean included increasing Indigenous student enrolment by 100% and hiring 14 new Indigenous faculty members; enhancing support for research, particularly interdisciplinary research; and supporting experiential learning. A historian of early modern science, Professor Cormack specializes in geography and mathematics of 16th century England. She has a passion for theatre and served as a director for the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton for nine years. Her volunteer service also includes chairing the University of Alberta's United Way campaign, serving as president of the Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, and working with the International Union for the History and Philosophy of Science.

  • The Honourable Steven Point
    UBCV & UBCO
    16 November, 2020 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    The Honourable Steven Point

    The Honourable Steven Point (xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl) became UBC’s 19th Chancellor on July 1, 2020. As Chancellor, he acts as the honorary head of the university and presides over all major ceremonies and convocations. He also represents the university in a wide range of events and activities and serves as a voting member of both UBC Senates and the Board of Governors. Since graduating from UBC with a Bachelors of Law in 1985, Chancellor Point has maintained close ties with the university. Prior to serving as Director of the First Nations Legal Studies program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, he spent many years practicing criminal law and Indigenous law. His distinguished career also includes working as an immigration adjudicator for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, serving as a provincial court judge in 1999, and being appointed the 28th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia in 2007. In 2013, Chancellor Point was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at UBC for his exceptional commitment in the field of law, legal and Aboriginal education and his leadership in the Indigenous community. As a member of the Skowkale First Nation, he has advocated for Indigenous people throughout his career, pressing for greater recognition of their contributions and their fuller involvement in all aspects of life in British Columbia.

  • Marcia Buchholz
    UBCV & UBCO
    26 October, 2020 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Marcia Buchholz

    Marcia Buchholz was appointed UBC’s Vice-President, Human Resources in April 2020. Prior to that she was Managing Director, Human Resources Advisory Partnerships, Central Operational Services, and HR Professional Standards. Prior to joining UBC, Marcia held various senior administrative roles including Associate Vice-President, Human Resources at the University of Calgary; Senior Managing Consultant — HR Strategy and Transformation at IBM Canada; Vice-President, Human Resources at Jayman; Human Resources Outsourcing — CIBC Global Client Delivery Executive at EDS (Hewlett Packard); Executive Director, Lifeworks EFAP & Wellness Programs and concurrently National Director, Human Resources at Ceridian. In these roles, she provided strategic leadership for large companies and institutions, and led strategic planning processes, focused on increasing wellbeing initiatives, facilitating business transformation and process improvements.

  • Rick Hart
    UBCV
    5 October, 2020 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Rick Hart

    Rick Hart is the Associate Vice-President, Communications at UBC. In this role, he is responsible for leading an overarching long-term communications strategy, ensuring alignment with the university’s vision, purpose and values. As a key part of the External Relations leadership team, Rick oversees the Communications portfolio, which is comprised of Brand and Marketing, Internal Communications and Media Relations. A Sauder School of Business graduate, Rick has held senior positions at global communications agencies in Canada and the UK, before joining UBC in 2013. Since then, Rick has been involved in a number of key initiatives, such as the recent “The Potential is Yours” brand marketing campaign, the launch of UBC Connects, the modernization of UBC’s brand identity and the launch of the UBC Strategic Plan: Shaping UBC’s Next Century.

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