New President Appointed for University of British Columbia

Dr. Martha C. Piper, Vice-President, Research and External Affairs
at the University of Alberta, and a leading advocate for university
research, has been appointed 11th president of The University of
British Columbia.

Dr. Piper succeeds Dr. David W. Strangway, who completes his second
six-year term on June 30, 1997. She will take up her new duties
as president in July 1997.

The UBC Board of Governors made the appointment today on the unanimous
recommendation of a 19-member Presidential Search Committee, chaired
by UBC Chancellor William Sauder, which conducted an extensive search
throughout North America.

“The search committee, composed of a broadly based group of faculty,
staff, board members, students and alumni, assessed the background,
experience, professional qualifications and personal qualities of
a wide and diverse field of outstanding candidates for the presidency
of UBC,” said Dr. Sauder.

“Without exception, we found Martha Piper to be best qualified
to lead UBC into the next century.”

Dr. Piper has the proven academic and institutional leadership,
and management and administrative abilities necessary to successfully
head a complex institution such as UBC, said Board of Governors
Chair Shirley Chan.

“Her demonstrated strengths in building internal and external relationships,
especially in difficult financial times such as those recently faced
in Alberta, combined with her outstanding personal qualities, make
her the best fit for UBC.”

Dr. Piper assumed the position of Vice-President Research at the
University of Alberta in January 1993 and her position was expanded
to include the External Affairs portfolio in July 1995.

During her tenure, external research funding at the University
of Alberta has increased by 25 per cent. Dr. Piper has been instrumental
in promoting the importance of university research to the broader
community through the Research Makes Sense initiative. She
has also assisted in preparing the University of Alberta for the
largest fund-raising campaign in its history.

From 1985-1992, Dr. Piper served as Dean of the Faculty of Rehabilitation
Medicine at the University of Alberta. Prior to that, she was Director
of the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University,
from 1979-1985.

A Canadian citizen born in Lorain, Ohio, Dr. Piper received her
BSc in Physical Therapy from the University of Michigan, her MA
in Child Development from the University of Connecticut, and her
PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University.

Dr. Piper’s teaching and research interests are directed towards
the developmentally delayed infant, with particular focus on early
identification of infants with development delays, and assessing
the efficacy of specific interventions commonly employed in the
treatment of physically and mentally handicapped children.

Funding support for her research has come from the Fonds de la
Recherche en Sante du Quebec, March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation,
National Health Research and Development Program, Health and Welfare
Canada, National Institute of Mental Retardation, MSI Foundation,
Northern Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Hospital
for Sick Children Foundation.

Her current appointments include serving as a board member of:
TR Labs; Centre for Engineering Research; Alberta Research Council,
Protein Engineering Networks Centre of Excellence; Economic Development
Edmonton; and the Canada Israel Industrial Research Foundation.

In August 1994, Dr. Piper was appointed by Prime Minister Jean
Chretien to the National Advisory Board on Science and Technology
and chaired a sub-committee on Quality of Life. She is a member
of the University Advisory Board, Industry Canada, and was recently
appointed to the General Assembly of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Federation of Canada.

In July 1996, Dr. Piper was appointed by the prime minister as
a member of the Advisory Council on Science and Technology and in
October 1996, she received the Leadership Award in Science and Technology
from the Alberta Science and Technology Foundation.

Dr. Piper is married to Dr. William Piper and they have two daughters.

Founded in 1915, the University of British Columbia is one of
Canada’s largest universities and the oldest in the province. More
than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled at
UBC, taught by more than 2,000 faculty, and supported by approximately
5,500 management and union staff. UBC alumni number 150,000 world-wide.

Teaching and research are conducted in 12 faculties and faculty
members receive more than $120 million in research grants and contracts
annually. UBC has a total income of more than $800 million, drawn
from a variety of sources including general purpose operating funds,
trust and endowment income, non-core and Continuing Studies activities,
research and capital.

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