President's Welcome

Colleagues,

Welcome to the Canadian Council of Biology Chairs! This organizations, which was established in 1971, is an amazing forum that connects chairs and heads of biology (and other biological disciplines) departments across Canada.

CCUBC hosts an annual meeting in the fall of each year where we gather to discuss a variety of timely issues impacting our units and the delivery of our undergraduate and graduate programs. The annual meeting is an excellent forum to network among peers, and is a highly supportive, open, and inclusive. Shawn Mansfield, University of British Columbia, hosted the 2025 CCUBC Annual Meeting in Montreal, which was a huge success! Moreover, it was extremely well attended. It was a pleasure to both meet new/incoming chairs of departments, as well as reconnect with those that have been in their role for multiple years.  And, it was reassuring to hear that we all continue to face the same challenges, regardless of geography or size of the institution. Each year I leave the annual meeting feeling well-informed and fresh with ideas on how to approach new initiatives in my own department, and I look forward to the 2026 meeting already.  This fall on November 12 to 14, we will be meeting in Winnipeg, where I hope to see increased representation from across the country. The agenda for the meeting has not yet been set, and therefore I welcome thoughts and ideas on topics for discussion. Given the current geopolitical situations impacting Canadian academic institutions and the major impacts of the government-mandated reduction in international students, I am confident the annual meeting will offer a place to discuss strategies to overcome the new and ongoing challenges that we all face.  I can think of no better place to discuss these critical issues that are affecting our departments, and the students we teach.

If you are not yet a member and have questions, please feel free to reach out to me for more information and I would be happy to have a conversation with you about the benefits that CCUBC provides.

Warmest Regards,

W. Gary Anderson

Department of Biological Sciences
University of Manitoba