To Faculty and Staff in Vancouver and the Okanagan
We wish to inform you that the UBC Board of Governors regretfully accepted President Arvind Gupta’s resignation today. Dr. Gupta has made meaningful accomplishments in his tenure as President, but has decided he can best contribute to the university and lead Canada’s innovation agenda by resuming his academic career and leadership roles in the business and research community.
Dr. Gupta, who has a PhD in computer science from the University of Toronto and was Chief Executive Officer and Scientific Director of Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization that fosters Canada’s next generation of global innovators, is recognized nationally and internationally for leading research-based innovation. We are delighted Dr. Gupta will continue to build on these accomplishments with his return to UBC’s Department of Computer Science, where he will continue to provide national policy advice on research, innovation, science and technology.
We would like to thank Dr. Gupta for his service to the university community and acknowledge his hard work, integrity, and dedication. We would also like to thank Dr. Gupta’s wife, UBC alumn Dr. Michelle Pereira, for her extensive volunteer work on behalf of the university, including building relationships for the university at home and abroad during Dr. Gupta’s tenure.
Dr. Gupta’s focus during his tenure was on UBC’s core academic mission. He also developed an emerging strategy to support diversity and under-represented groups in the university, enhanced the student experience through better services, such as improved access to mental health services, UBC successfully raised over $200 million in one of the largest fundraising exercises in its history, and he facilitated a $66 million research grant that is the single largest in the history of UBC.
We are also pleased to announce that Martha Piper, who previously served as UBC’s president from 1997 to 2006, will serve as interim president from Sept. 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 while the university conducts a comprehensive, global search for a new leader.
Many of you will remember Dr. Piper’s outstanding work stewarding UBC to become one of the leading research universities in the world, for which she was recognized with many honors, including the Orders of Canada and British Columbia. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Since leaving UBC, she has served on numerous charitable and business boards. Currently, she is a member of the boards of the Bank of Montreal, CARE Canada, the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, and the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation.
For more details, please visit http://news.ubc.ca/2015/08/07/ubc-announces-leadership-transition/
Looking ahead, UBC will establish a process as soon as possible with the Senates to search for and select a permanent replacement. During the month of August, Dr. Angela Redish will be the acting president, in addition to provost pro tem.
Change can be challenging and what’s important to remember is the strength of leadership throughout the organization. We have strong academic leaders in our deans, faculty who are world-renowned experts in their fields, and staff who go beyond the extra mile to ensure we deliver an inspiring learning and research environment.
As the Chair of the Board of Governors and the Chancellor, we can attest that the work that you do is much appreciated.
Regards
John Montalbano
Chair, UBC Board of Governors
Lindsay Gordon
Chancellor