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Board business and community updates

As we conclude another calendar year at 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏand at the Board, I am excited to continue celebrating SFU’s 60^thanniversary and key milestones with our community.

In October, 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏwelcomed Premier Eby to our Surrey campus to officially announce the site for the new School of Medicine building, as well as to share that the School has received preliminary accreditation and officially opened for admissions. Congratulations to all the teams across 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏwho have worked so hard towards this milestone, and to Board members who contributed to this process as well.

As previously shared with the university community, SFU’s chancellor, Tamara Vrooman, will complete her term next June. This is an important role for the university—not only is the chancellor a member of the Board, but they represent 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏin the community, and each chancellor has extended our relationships in unique ways. As chair of the Search Committee, I can report that we have had several productive committee meetings and look forward to sharing more with the community as this process moves forward.

And finally, I wanted to congratulate 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏPresident Joy Johnson on her recent installment as chair of the Universities Canada Board. This is a critical time for the post-secondary sector, and I am confident that her leadership will help us move towards a more united sector. I also look forward to seeing 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏrepresented on the national stage in this capacity.

Final reflections

This was my last meeting as Board Chair and as an 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏBoard member. It has been an incredible honour to serve the university and community in this capacity. I was appointed to the Board as an Order-in-Council member in January 2020, and over the past six years, the university has navigated much change and many challenges.

These range from the COVID-19 pandemic and an unprecedented shift to fully online learning, to the appointment of Joy Johnson as SFU’s new president, to the launch of the What’s Next strategy and the appointment of critical university leadership positions, including the Vice-President, People, Equity and Inclusion and Indigenous Executive Lead. In the past year alone, we have experienced major changes to federal immigration policy and budget challenges while celebrating SFU’s 60^th anniversary, the new School of Medicine and the opening of the First Peoples’ Gathering House and Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum.

We have spoken at length at the Board about what a challenging and complicated operating environment we are working in—but reflecting on the past six years, I’ve realized that we have always been in this kind of environment. And amidst all of that complexity, I am so proud of the work carried out by the Board, not only to make decisions in the best interest of the university that are aligned with SFU’s vision and values, but also internally to ensure we are maximizing our use of Board members’ time and resources.

I want to thank all members of the Board that I’ve had the privilege of working with, past and present, as well as SFU’s executive leadership team, the Board Office, our governance colleagues in Senate, all those across the university who make the work of the Board possible and SFU’s community of students, faculty and staff who are building a more inclusive and sustainable future for everyone. I also want to congratulate Carol Herbert and Kamal Basra for being elected as Board chair and deputy chair respectively. The Board is in excellent hands under their leadership.

Although I am leaving the Board, I will always be an 51ÉçÇøºÚÁÏsupporter and look forward to keeping up with the university in the years ahead. Thank you again, and happy holidays everyone!

The next Board meeting will be on January 29, 2026. Community members are invited to view the open session meeting in person or via Zoom by completing a . A full schedule of upcoming meetings is available on our website.

Sincerely,

Paula Martin
Outgoing Chair, Board of Governors
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