I am pleased to announce that Professor Andrew Szeri has been appointed as the new Provost and Vice-President Academic, for UBC Vancouver.
Professor Szeri joins us from the University of California at Berkeley. He will formally begin his role at UBC on July 1, 2017 (subject to Canadian immigration authorities).
During his time at UC Berkeley, Professor Szeri served as Vice Provost for Strategic Academic and Facilities Planning, leading academic program review of all departments and schools from 2014 to 2016. He also served seven years (2007-14) as Dean of the Graduate Division, with academic quality assurance and financial responsibilities extending to nearly 11,000 graduate students and 100+ degree programs campus-wide.
He is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, teaching in the areas of fluid mechanics and nonlinear dynamics. He has won several research awards, four teaching awards, and a recent award for excellence in student mentoring.
The Provost and Vice-President Academic is a vital role at UBC Vancouver, providing vision and leadership as we develop and launch the university’s strategic plan. As we embark on UBC’s Next Century, I am confident that Professor Szeri will help navigate the complex nature of our world, ensuring alignment of priorities alongside our commitments to research, scholarly excellence and the student experience.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the search committee who were instrumental in helping to find such an outstanding candidate. The committee comprised representatives from the Board of Governors, several Faculties and UBC’s student community. As part of the process, the final candidates also met with 60 individuals outside of the search committee including members of faculty, staff, students and the senior administration.
As we prepare to welcome Professor Szeri, I would like to give my personal thanks to Dr. Angela Redish who has acted in the role of Provost and Vice-President Academic pro tem since July 2015. Over the last two years, UBC has experienced many changes and Dr. Redish has provided steady leadership. She will formally step down from the role on June 30, 2017, and I wish her well.
Looking to the future, I am excited to work with Professor Szeri as we collectively bring to life our new strategic plan. Please join me in welcoming him to UBC.
Professor Santa J. Ono
President and Vice-Chancellor