Blouw To Leave UNBC
By 250 News
UNBC is losing its Vice President of Research, Dr. Max Blouw.
Blouw is moving to Waterloo Ontario to take over the role as President of Wilfrid Laurier University. He will start his new job in the summer of 2007.
Blouw says it is a terrific opportunity , but bittersweet "It has been a personal and professional highlight for me to be part of UNBC's development for more than a dozen years. I have been fortunate to work with incredibly dedicated staff, some of the best faculty I have ever known, and wonderful people throughout the North who are committed to UNBC and who recognize the fundamental value of its teaching and research to northern development."
In the 9 years since Blouw was made head of UNBC's Office of Research, the value of annual research funding at UNBC has climbed from $3 million to just over $18 million.
He is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead "I will be going from a young university to one whose roots go back almost 100 years and I am very excited about this new challenge and about many new opportunities at Wilfrid Laurier."
UNBC President Dr. Don Cozzetto says Blouw put UNBC on the map "On behalf of UNBC and the northern region, thank you Max. You are truly one of UNBC's greatest founders and a true friend of this university and the North."
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Posted by: Palopu on December 19 2006 6:41 PM
"Max Blouw, a key member of the senior administrative team who has been instrumental in the success story that is the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC)"
http://www.wlu.ca/news_detail.php?grp_id=0&nws_id=2775
While several on here put UNBC down, the fact is that it is "the small University that can". FOr those who may not know much about Universities, you should know that there are few Universities in Canada, if any, that can match the accomplishments of UNBC within such a short time frame as it has done.
Notice Dr. Blouw's comments about Sir Wilfred Laurier: "The university is positioned to finish its FIRST CENTURY of operations as a very successful UNDERGRADUATE institution."
Similar words about UNBC's operations can be said after only one decade. None of us will likely be around after its first century of operation, but those of us along the way towards that century should strive to ensure that the same words can be said of UNBC in 2093 as not only an undergraduate but aslo GRADUATE institution plus some specialty post graduate components in which it cmay become a national force.
Then there are these words:
“UNBC is a relatively young institution,” Harris said, “and Dr. Blouw is widely acknowledged as an architect of many of the university’s new initiatives. Under his leadership, UNBC has risen to be consistently first or second among small universities in funding support from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council. He also receives much of the credit for the extremely impressive $40 million endowment built at UNBC in a few short years.”
Those are the words which trouble me. Jago gone, Blouw gone. Who remains to continue the legacy which has been built in the early stages of the University? Who can grow it to a size of Lakehead University where its first president came from? And then a Laurentian University .. while retaining and even improving on its quality?
The new president has some tough shoes to fill. Let's see who he gets to replace Max.