UBC Chancellor stepping down next year

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The Honourable Steven Lewis Point was appointed UBC Chancellor in July 2020. As he approaches the end of his first three-year term, he has indicated his decision not to seek reappointment for a second term, meaning he will step down from the role next year.

The former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Mr. Point is a member of the Skowkale First Nation and is the first Indigenous person to hold the position of Chancellor at UBC. A double alumnus of UBC, Mr. Point retained close ties with the university and served as director of the First Nations Legal Studies program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law from 1991–1994. He was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2013 for his exceptional commitment in the field of law, legal and Aboriginal education and his leadership in the Indigenous community.

We are grateful to Mr. Point for his tremendous contributions to the university, both before and during his time as Chancellor. We look forward to continuing to work closely with him until his term ends, in particular his leadership of the Presidential Search Committee.

Some of you may be aware that UBC recently began the formal reappointment process for the role of Chancellor. This included seeking nominations for a Reappointment Advisory Committee, made up of representatives from our student, faculty, staff and alumni community. Given Mr. Point’s decision, the Reappointment Advisory Committee will now be stood down, to be replaced by a search committee. Thank you to all those who agreed to sit on the Reappointment Advisory Committee. The UBC Alumni Association (alumni UBC) will invite nominations for the search committee in early 2023, and further details will be provided at that time.

In the meantime, I would like to say what an honour and privilege it has been to work with Steven, and to extend my personal thanks for his commitment to UBC. I hope he will continue to play a role in our community.

Nancy McKenzie
Chair, UBC Board of Governors


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