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Recent Posts
- Louis Nirenberg (1925-2020)
- UBC: The ill-fated revolt of those who ought to know better
- Shiny, happy, oblivious science
- NSERC has lost its bearings … again
- The Learning & Research of the UBC Board of Governors (II)
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- UBC: Failures in governance are slowing down the pace of academic renewal
- A research community at the mercy of a leaderless NSERC
- A busy first four months on the UBC Board of Governors
- Academic publishing in the time of sanctions and boycotts
- Maurice Sion: 1927 – 2018
- Robert M. Miura: 1938 – 2018
- When the Walls of Governance Come Crumbling Down
- Why I am voting against the tuition increases for domestic students
- Resignation of the director of the Wall Institute: The reaction
- Why I am resigning from the directorship of the Wall institute
- Accountability and Governance at UBC: Budget
- NSERC corrects a mistake, but many remain unaddressed
- Is the BIRS programme multiple disciplinary enough for NSERC?
- Calling on #UBC to step up and support our alumni Loujain Al-Hathloul (Arts, 2014)
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Author Archives: Ghoussoub
A life of mathematics and computation: Jon Borwein
Originally posted on The Intrepid Mathematician:
There was sad news this week with the passing of Jonathan Borwein on Tuesday, August 2, 2016. Jon Borwein in his lab at University of Newcastle, Australia. Jon was a powerhouse mathematician and computer scientist who…
Posted in Honouring friends
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UBC’s new president is not a mathematician, but …
The last time I saw the fabulous Frances Bula, she said that she liked my tweets whenever I commented on mathematics and mathematicians. I think she really meant for me to leave the rest of the news and analysis to her … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, UBC Presidential Search
Tagged Arvind Gupta, Diversity, Ken Ono, Mathematics, Mental wellbeing, Ramanujan, Santa Ono, Stuart Belkin, UBC
6 Comments
An open letter to Faye Wightman, Chair of the UBC Alumni Board of Directors
Originally posted on Commentaria:
From Roger Francois, Professor, Canadian Research Chair, FRSC, UBC Alumni ’87 (PhD) Dear Ms. Wightman, I could not attend the meeting of the Board of Governors on April 14th because of a scheduling conflict but owing…
Posted in Uncategorized
1 Comment
An open letter to Stuart Belkin, Chair, UBC Board of Governors
Originally posted on Commentaria:
Re: Ms. Wightman’s presentation at the April 14th meeting of the Board of Governors From: Prof. Kalina Christoff, Department of Psychology Dear Mr. Belkin, As a faculty member at UBC, I was delighted to hear today’s discussions…
Posted in Uncategorized
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Thank you Chair Montalbano and Chancellor Gordon: UBC couldn’t have done it without you
“I think governance is always expressive of the gang that are there doing it at any one point in time.” With this statement, Stuart Belkin seems to be distancing himself from the practices of former Chair, John Montalbano, Chancellor Lindsay … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors
Tagged Arvind Gupta, Board of Governors, Faculty Association, John Montalbano, Lindsay Gordon, Stuart Belkin, UBC
2 Comments
Handling of conflicts of interest should be high on UBC’s governance reform
Any discussion of governance reform that will move UBC forward, and facilitate the task of the next president, must not only address the procedural irregularities around Gupta’s dismissal, but must also identify those who resisted the former president’s proposed changes … Continue reading
Why I Lack Confidence in UBC’s Board of Governors: Its Disrespect for Faculty
Originally posted on Commentaria:
By Jennifer Berdahl, Montalbano Professor of Leadership Studies, Sauder School of Business There are many statements by faculty explaining why they lack confidence in the University of British Columbia’s Board of Governors. Our BoG is dominated by political…
Posted in Uncategorized
3 Comments
Faculty Awakening has already made a difference
Do not despair, Carla. There is no reason to feel blue. You have not only awoken your faculty friends, you have reminded them that they are the university. You have empowered them again and they appreciate you for it. The “assholes” … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds
Tagged Academic freedom, Board of Governors, Carla Nappi, Divestment, UBC
1 Comment
Decolonizing our imaginations and building a university that reflects our society
It looks like Stuart Belkin is now a member of the UBC presidential search committee. This could have been a welcome positive gesture to the faculty had he replaced Lindsay Gordon in the Chair. Unfortunately, he seems to have taken … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds
Tagged Arvind Gupta, Diversity, Greg Peet, Jennifer Berdahl, John Montalbano, Lindsay Gordon, UBC
8 Comments
Open Letter to the Elected Members of the UBC Board of Governors
Originally posted on Commentaria:
“The Board of Governors shall promote a culture of integrity at the University through its own actions, its interaction with senior executives and external parties, and through selection and review of the President.”—UBC Board of Governors Code…
Posted in Uncategorized
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Arvind Gupta was never given a chance: A personal account
This post was published by the Vancouver Sun. My first reaction to the resignation of UBC president Arvind Gupta was relief – Arvind’s nightmare was finally over. He could go back to what he does best: work to make this … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds
Tagged Arvind Gupta, Board of Governors, Jennifer Berdahl, John Montalbano, Lindsay Gordon, UBC
8 Comments
Dean Marc Parlange weighs in on president Gupta’s “resignation”
In a letter to the Faculty of Applied Science at UBC, Dean Marc Parlange made some of his views known as to “the complex — and confidential — resignation decision of former President Arvind Gupta,” while throwing his support behind Chancellor … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds
Tagged Arvind Gupta, Faculty of Applied Science, Marc Parlange, UBC
2 Comments
The students join the faculty in requesting a judicial review of the UBC Board of Governors
In a major reversal of past positions vis-a-vis president Gupta’s departure from UBC, the Student Society of UBC-Vancouver issued a public statement expressing disappointment in the process followed by the Board of Governors as revealed by the recent leaks. The AMS urges “the … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds, UBC Presidential Search
Tagged AMS, Christy Clark, GSS, John Montalbano, Wilkinson
3 Comments
The UBC Board of Governors is operating in the “shadows”
This is according to a scathing letter sent today by the Executive of the UBC Faculty Association to thousands of its members. It is becoming clear that the replacement of John Montalbano by Stuart Belkin as Chair of the Board … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds
Tagged Andrew Wilkinson, Arvind Gupta, Board of Governors, Christy Clark, Stuart Belkin, UBC
1 Comment
Spring cleaning has started early at UBC
It was historic, it was rowdy, and it was fun. It has been a while since UBC has seen a couple of hundred of its faculty screaming their heads off, protesting the Board of Governors meeting, and demanding UBC management and Board accountability. … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds, UBC Presidential Search
Tagged Arvind Gupta, Board of Governors, Faculty Association, Jennifer Berdahl, UBC
1 Comment
Together we can make UBC transparent and accountable
UBC faculty, staff and students will gather on Tuesday, February 2 at 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre, 6163 University Boulevard. They will protest the upcoming UBC Board of Governors Meeting, and will publicly demand that the Board of … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds, UBC Presidential Search
Tagged Board of Governors, UBC, UBClean
8 Comments
A statement by Dr Arvind Gupta
Today UBC released a number of documents related to my resignation as President and Vice Chancellor of the University of British Columbia. As a result, I am compelled to comment on the documents, their content, tone and the accuracy of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
7 Comments
A few wise words from the UBC Faculty Association to the presidential search committee
By Mark MacLean, President, on behalf of the Executive Committee Dear Search Committee, Thank you for meeting with us on January 12. We welcomed the opportunity to communicate some of our concerns about, and hopes for, this presidential search process. We … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, UBC Presidential Search
Tagged Faculty Association, Lindsay Gordon, UBC
2 Comments
Searching for a president after disappearing another: The UBC conundrum
By Professor Leah Keshet In August of 2015, the UBC Faculty Association (UBCFA) sent some strongly worded letters to the administration and the Board of Governors, seeking open and full disclosure of the causes for termination of Professor Arvind Gupta’s … Continue reading
Posted in Board of Governors, Op-eds
Tagged Arvind Gupta, Lindsay Gordon, Presidential search, UBC
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Piece of Mind 