Former VP Students Ainsley Carry has stepped down from his role effective Jan. 28, UBC announced yesterday in a message to senior leadership signed by President Benoit-Antoine Bacon.
The announcement does not give a reason for Carry’s departure, but says that he “is looking forward to more time to write and engage in critical thinking about the future of higher education.”
“We are grateful for Ainsley’s contributions and accomplishments and we wish him the best in the next phase of his career,” Bacon wrote.
As of yesterday, Andrew Parr, associate VP for student housing and community services, is now serving as interim VP students. Parr agreed to “delay his planned retirement” until a permanent successor can be found.
Carry started as VP students in April 2019 and was reappointed in 2023 to serve another term (university executive terms are usually five years). His departure comes two years into his second term, and only two days following the release of the university’s new Student Strategic Plan, which refers to itself as a “guide” for the VP students' portfolio through to 2029.
The Student Affordability Task Force (STAF) was established during Carry’s tenure, and he led the project aimed at developing a comprehensive plan to address the affordability challenges facing students. In 2022, the Board of Governors approved STAF’s 10 recommendations, which included short, medium and long-term goals like developing a multi-year tuition framework, minimizing costs of educational materials and advocating for increased student financial assistance programs at the provincial and federal level.
Bacon wrote that more information about the search for the next VP students will be coming at a later time.
