PWIAS Board of Trustees announces process for appointing interim director

January 18, 2019

The Board of Trustees of the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (PWIAS) is pleased to once again provide an update to the University community.  The Board genuinely appreciates the input we have received about aspirations and concerns for the future of the Institute over the past several weeks.  We are aware of a number of self-organized dialogues about the future of the institute, and we encourage the community to continue those conversations.  We will arrange a forum where Trustees will be available to engage directly with the community around these aspirations and concerns.  We’ll have more to say about the timing and scope of that engagement shortly.  

As many of you know, the UBC-Vancouver Senate recently requested that an external review of the Institute be commissioned. The Board looks forward to the results of this process, which will become a primary source of advice on the structure and programming at the Peter Wall Institute going forward.   

The Board has heard – and understands – that appointing an Interim Director is a priority.  Effective today, we are pleased to invite nominations and self-nominations from within the Institute community and outside.  The Board will short-list candidates to interview, and hopes to complete this process such that the Interim Director is in-post as soon as possible.  Nominations and self-nominations can be submitted to PWIAS.Board@ubc.ca no later than Friday, February 1stat 4:00pm PST.   The Board may not be able to consider nominations received after this deadline.  

  • Self-nominations should include a cover letter and CV
     
  • Nominations should include a single letter of support from one or more UBC colleagues, and the nominee’s CV.  In this case, nominees should be aware and supportive of the nomination.  

The responsibilities of the Interim Director position can be found here.

One of the benefits of the external review that the Board is anticipating is advice and recommendations with regards to future programming at the Institute.  For the near-term and FY20 budget, we will forego any abrupt programming changes. We look forward to welcoming a new group of Wall Scholars to the institute in the coming months once the current competition is complete.  

Thank you all, again, for your ongoing support, advice, and enthusiasm for the Peter Wall Institute.  The Board is excited about the potential and impact that the Institute can have at and beyond UBC, and we look forward to working with you to realize that bright future.