Prince George, B.C.- There will be two new faces on UNBC’s Prince George campus in the days ahead  as the University has added two  new people to its Administration.

Robert Knight will take on the role of Vice President Finance and Operations (VPFO) April 4th, , while  Tim Tribe has been hired  as the Vice President Advancement and Communications (VPAC) and will  start in his new position  July 11th.

Knight  has spent 5 years  as the Associate Dean for Administration and finance at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development and was most recently at St. Mary’s University in Halifax where he  was responsible for the financial administration, information systems, staff supervision and enrollment management for the suite of graduate programs offered by the Sobey School of Business.

When he arrives, he will  have to hit the ground running   as  UNBC President Daniel Weeks “It’s time to present  our budget to Government and we have to get that in in a number of weeks, so we’ve been briefing Robert (Knight) already on some of   our planning, and we’ll certainly want him to put his eyes on our decisions and the things we  are  doing going forward,  so he will be working on that day one,”

Tribe has spent the last seven years at Conestoga College in Kitchener Ontario  as the Chief Development Officer and Campaign Director. While there he developed long-term strategies to support university fundraising, secured significant donations from a variety of donor bases, including internal and external stakeholders, launched a new alumni engagement tool, realized a 250 per cent increase in total dollars raised, and built an award-winning donor relations program.

The  hiring of the two means the  senior leadership team at UNBC is at full compliment says President Weeks “We have the right people in the right places and it will be really critical as we move forward.  Our Senate is developing  its academic plan, we are transitioning to a  new budget model  so these  two individuals  are coming at a perfect time.”

While  the past year has been one of celebration as the University marked its 25th anniversary,   it was also  a year of  challenges as  there was  the Faculty Association’s  contract dispute and  the  uproar over  former MP James Moore being named Chancellor.  President Weeks  doesn’t think  the  path forward will  be made more difficult because of those troublesome issues “These things require ongoing attention all the time, I don’t think they are particularly unique,  there are challenges at institutions across  Canada.  This is a  resilient community  it’s a resilient  part of the country and I have no doubt  that we will move forward in a   productive and professional way.”