Five UBC faculty members are vying for two positions in the upcoming triennial elections for a Board of Governors (BoG) term ending in 2026.
The BoG is one of the two main governing bodies at UBC, the other being the Senate. The Board focuses on the business of running the university, overseeing UBC’s management, administration, revenue and property. It also oversees non-academic policies, like UBC’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, SC17.
Currently, Dr. Anna Kindler and Professor Mark Mac Lean represent faculty on BoG, with their terms ending on February 28, 2023.
Voting in the faculty representative election closes at 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 8 and is open to faculty members at UBC Vancouver.
The Ubyssey spoke to each of the candidates about their priorities and their goals.
Peter Englezos
Dr. Peter Englezos is an applied science professor, former department head and joint faculties senator who hopes to bring experience from the Senate’s Budget Committee to the BoG. Englezos said he is running for the BoG because of his “willingness to serve.”
Englezos main priority is establishing a sustainable budget to combat the high cost of living in Vancouver.
“The cost of living is affecting our research [at UBC]. We're reaching out globally for graduates. We're competing with the top universities, but the cost of living in particular is starting to create issues in our recruitment,” said Englezos. “We should not lose the opportunity to be able to recruit the very best students from around the world.”
André Ivanov
Dr. André Ivanov is an applied science professor, former department head and joint faculties senator. Ivanov said he is running for the BoG because he wants to be involved in upcoming critical moments for the university — including the appointment of a new president.
Ivanov said his previous experience as a department head is “where the rubber meets the road” since it allowed him to be at the intersection of administration and teaching.
“Somebody needs to bring some of that knowledge and experience to the board level,” said Ivanov. “I think my experience on Senate, and outside Senate, makes me a prime potential candidate.”
Anna Kindler
Dr. Anna Kindler is a professor and senior advisor international for the Faculty of Education. Kindler is the only candidate seeking consecutive re-election.
On a platform of ensuring budgets support academic success and UBC’s equity, diversity and inclusion principles, Indgienious Strategic Plan (ISP) and Climate Action Plan, Kindler wants to represent faculty on the Board, which is primarily made up of external appointees.
“[The] UBC board has a majority of external government appointed members, who often have limited experience with and limited understanding of how universities work,” said Kindler. “Consequently, elected members need to be able to share and effectively convey a very robust perspective on the university culture.”
Another goal of Kindler’s is to ensure that Campus Vision 2050 includes support for the academic community when it comes to home ownership and childcare. Kindler also wants the Board to undergo an external review to “strengthen accountability and transparency,” according to her platform.
Kindler voted for this year’s proposed tuition increase, along with Mac Lean.
Charles Menzies
Dr. Charles Menzies is an anthropology professor, joint faculties senator and former resident director of the University Neighbourhoods Association. Menzies previously served on the BoG from 2017–2020.
Menzies said he hopes to increase transparency in the BoG through opening up meetings to the public. “I think that it's unfortunate that a large public institution’s BoG would use such kind of managerial secrecy to govern itself,” said Menzies.
Besides increasing transparency, Menzies also wants to ensure that campus growth, specifically through Campus Vision 2050, is “ecologically grounded” and recognizes the climate emergency and UBC’s academic mission, and not “corporate profits of the development sector.”
Menzies also said that besides including governors who are in senior administration, faculty who are not involved in administration need to be elected on the BoG as well.
“We need to make sure that the kind of grassroots, that actual faculty member who's been in the trenches all through the years doing the work, [is elected,]” said Menzies.
Janice Stewart
Dr. Janice Stewart is a professor for the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice and the dean pro tem for the Faculty of Arts. Bringing experience in senior administration at the university and with a background in equity, diversity and inclusion, Stewart is hoping to advocate for initiatives, like the ISP, Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force and Campus Vision 2050.
In regards to Campus Vision 2050, Stewart hopes to be involved in ensuring there are academic spaces, in addition to spaces for students and faculty that are sustainable.
According to their platform, Stewart wants to bring “a thoughtful, inclusive, and politically astute perspective to higher education.” In an interview with The Ubyssey, they said this includes creating forums for academic freedom at UBC and increasing sustainability on campus by urging the board to be mindful of how it is “promoting itself [and] where it’s taking money from.”
“[This] is what I’m super passionate about. It’s why I actually do administration,” said Stewart. “I think it gives you a really good opportunity to do that heavy lifting work.”
This article was updated at 1:16 p.m. on December 6. A previous version said the current faculty governors' terms end on August 31, not February 28. This article was further updated at 1:37 p.m. A previous version said Menzies was a former member of the University Neighbourhoods Association, instead of a resident director. The Ubyssey regrets this error.