Welcome

Dear Heads and Chairs:

Welcome to the Canadian Council of University Biology Chairs (CCUBC). Each fall the CCUBC organizes an annual meeting for its membership in which we hold formal workshops and informal discussions with colleagues from across Canada. The range of topics that we cover includes: curriculum development, personnel management, interactions with higher administration and granting council funding. One of the highlights of the meetings are the “5 minute reports’ presented by each Head or Chair that highlight common issues, trends and innovative programmatic developments. The annual meeting provides an excellent opportunity for Biology Heads and Chairs to learn from each other’s experiences and have certainly been of great help to me as I have worked over the past 6 years with my colleagues in Biology at Memorial University to make our Department a better Department. The annual meeting is a valuable learning opportunity and I encourage you to consider joining CCUBC.

Membership in the CCUBC, aside from the annual meeting, provides additional benefits. The CCUBC’s website and e-mail listserver provides a forum for rapid communication among Biology Heads and Chairs. For example, through its website position announcements can be advertised or information on practices in other Departments quickly gathered. Moreover, CCUBC undertakes an annual lobbying exercise in Ottawa in which we have lobbied politicians and representatives of granting councils. CCUBC is currently working towards a more robust lobbying effort in concert with other life science units.

The mutual benefits of CCUBC membership are tremendous. Through discussion of our shared experiences, inquiry into novel practices, communication with politicians, granting councils and each other, the CCUBC provides a collegial environment that helps Heads and Chairs navigate the many challenges common to us all. It has been a great experience to have had the opportunity to get to know a group of people so committed to service and to excellence in higher education and I thank you all for the valuable insights and enjoyable times that I have shared with you. I look forward to our meeting this year and encourage members to rejoin and, for those who are not yet members, to join CCUBC and participate in this year’s annual meeting in Ottawa.

Sincerely,
Paul Marino, President

Contact US:

Mrs. Wafaa H. Antonious
CCUBC Secretariat
C/O Rofail Conference and Management Services
17 Dossetter Way
Ottawa, ON K1G 4S3
Email: Wantonious@rogers.com
Tel.: 613 482 2654
Fax.: 613 482 1337

Updated: April 22, 2010