January 17, 2007

A former UNBC professor who has dedicated his academic career to makingpeoples’ lives better has been elected to be UNBC’s next Chancellor.Alex Michalos will be installed as Chancellor during the May 25thConvocation ceremony, replacing Peter Bentley, who has served asChancellor since 2004.

Dr. Michalos has been a prolific academic during his career, writing 22books, authoring more than 90 articles, and founding or co-founding sixacademic journals. His work on measuring peoples’ quality of life hasbeen groundbreaking, and he has been invited by governments andinstitutions around the world to lead presentations on how to improvethe quality of life of all citizens. His work has been recognized bynumerous organizations, including the Social Sciences and HumanitiesResearch Council of Canada, which named Dr. Michalos as the recipientof its highest honour for research achievement in 2004.

“I am truly humbled to have been elected as Chancellor, and Iparticularly want to commend Peter Bentley for his incredible serviceto UNBC since the University’s earliest days,” says Dr. Michalos. “I amlooking forward to working with everyone to realize a bright future forthis great university.”

“Today is a day of welcoming Alex while giving heartfelt thanks toPeter Bentley for his unwavering service to UNBC,” says UNBC PresidentDon Cozzetto. “It is not exaggeration to say that UNBC would not bewhere it is today without Peter’s support and commitment. He has been atrue friend of the University and of mine, and he will continue to be.UNBC is entering an exciting phase of its development and Alex’sknowledge of UNBC and its strengths will be of tremendous value.”

The Universities Act of British Columbia requires that universitiesconduct a vote for Chancellor every three years. Those eligible to voteinclude alumni, faculty, members of the UNBC Senate (the academicgoverning body), and some founders. Peter Bentley will remain as UNBCChancellor until May.

Iona Campagnolo and George Pedersen have also served as Chancellors of UNBC.

Contact:
Alex Michalos, Professor Emeritus and Chancellor-elect, UNBC – 250.962.8719
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622
 

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