The University of British Columbia Board of Governors has
re-appointed Martha Piper as UBC President and Vice Chancellor.
Piper’s second term will run to November 15, 2007.
"The board is pleased to have retained Canada’s finest
university president in a highly competitive international
market where people of Dr. Piper’s calibre are in great demand,"
Chair Larry Bell said. "Since arriving at UBC in 1997,
Martha Piper has provided unprecedented leadership that extends
throughout our campuses, our community, our province and our
country. Martha Piper has been very good for UBC, and she
has been very good for B.C.
"She has articulated, since the outset, a vision called
Trek 2000 to ensure that students at one of Canada’s leading
universities attain an education that is distinctive and distinguished,"
Bell said. "She has been singularly successful in reaching
out to all campus constituencies to advance this vision.
"During her term, the university has attracted unprecedented
federal research funding to B.C.," Bell said. "She
has done so by focusing attention on UBC’s people, learning,
research, community and international responsibilities."
Bell noted that Piper is a nationally respected voice on
higher education. "In particular, she has forcefully
advocated for such path-breaking national programs as the
Canada Research Chairs.
"At the same time," Bell added, "her advocacy
for increased federal support of the social sciences has raised
awareness that a knowledge economy can only thrive with support
from the pillars of a civil society."
"Recruiting top faculty is a major priority for my second
term, " Piper said. "Success in this critical area
will help UBC continue to attract the best students and obtain
the research funding needed to deal with the major social,
cultural and scientific challenges that face Canada. While
the coming years will see UBC continue broadening its horizons
internationally, they will also see significant effort to
enhance the vibrancy and sustainability of one of the world’s
most beautiful campuses. "
Piper is UBC’s 11th president since 1913, when Frank Wesbrook
first held the chief executive officer position in an institution
that has since grown to more than 35,000 students, 10,000
faculty and staff, and annual expenditures approaching $1
billion. Piper’s contract, in line with compensation at similar
Canadian universities, stipulates an annual salary of $350,000
with incentive payments of up to $50,000 per year if performance
goals set by the Board of Governors are met.
Backgrounder
Dr. Martha C. Piper
Martha Piper, 57, was born in Lorain, Ohio. She received
her B.Sc. (1967) in Physical Therapy from the University of
Michigan, her M.A. (1970) in Child Development from the University
of Connecticut, and her Ph.D. (1979) in Epidemiology and Biostatistics
from McGill University.
She holds honorary degrees from the University of Toronto,
McGill, Dalhousie, and the University of Western Ontario.
In 1979, Piper was appointed Director of the School of Physical
and Occupational Therapy at McGill University. In 1985, she
joined the University of Alberta as Dean of the Faculty of
Rehabilitation Medicine, and was appointed Vice-President
Research in 1993, adding the External Affairs portfolio in
1995.
Piper’s teaching and research interests have focussed on
early identification of the developmentally delayed infant
and assessment of specific approaches used in the treatment
of physically and mentally handicapped children.
Piper has published extensively in her field, and in 1995
co-authored the book Motor Assessment of the Developing Infant.
Piper sits on the boards of a variety of organizations, including:
- Prime Minister’s National Advisory Board on Science
and Technology - Conference Board of Canada
- Premier’s Progress Board
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
- National University of Singapore
- Association of Pacific Rim Universities
- Canadian Genetic Diseases Network
- Protein Engineering Network of Centres for Excellence
- Canada Foundation for Innovation
- Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
- Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation
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