The application period is now closed.

We are pleased to announce that applications are now open for CAUBO Leader, a purpose-built leadership development initiative tailored for mid- to senior-level administrators in key operational and administrative areas across Canadian universities.

Now more than ever, strong, collaborative leadership is needed to navigate the complexity and change facing the higher education sector. CAUBO Leader is designed to empower participants to lead with purpose, confidence, and impact – supporting them in driving positive change within their institutions.

Spanning eight months, the program brings together a dynamic, supportive cohort of peers. Through shared learning, reflection, and practice-based exploration, participants will deepen their leadership capabilities and grow as confident, adaptive leaders.

Apply now to take part in a transformative journey that will elevate your individual leadership potential and contribute to the advancement of HE in Canada.

Applicants will be subject to a selection process. Space will be limited to 20 participants.

Program Highlights
This eight-month program features a range of components; each designed to enrich the participant experience and address key dimensions of leadership development:

Core Modules

• Leadership in HE and Beyond: Examines global trends, their impact on higher education, and the sector’s unique leadership context
• The Authentic and Engaged Leader: Explores how leaders foster meaningful dialogue, build influence, and grow self-awareness

Online Learning & Peer Exchanges

• Participant Provocations: Individuals share leadership insights and experiences from their own context
• Strategic Impact Groups (SIGs): Small cohorts tackle complex, real-world challenges facing the sector
• Leadership Exchange: Participants observe and engage with peers locally or virtually to explore leadership in practice
• Reconnects: Between-module sessions that deepen cohort connections and support ongoing collaboration within SIGs

Applicant Selection Criteria
Participants will be selected based on the following:

• Professional Experience and Role: Mid- to senior-level administrators (e.g., AVP, Senior Director, Controller) with significant institutional responsibilities in operational or administrative areas.
• Motivation, Learning Readiness, and Commitment: Strong personal motivation, openness to reflection and growth, and full availability to engage in all program components.
• Contribution to Peer Learning: Willingness to engage actively, share experiences, and learn alongside others in a collaborative, cohort-based environment.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Representation from diverse roles, regions, institutions, and lived experiences to enrich learning and build sector-wide capacity.

Applicants must include an endorsement to participate in the program from their supervisor as part of the application process.

We encourage all eligible CAUBO members to apply and take advantage of this exciting opportunity to grow as a leader and contribute meaningfully to your institution and the sector.

Please refer to the CAUBO Leader application page for full details and submission instructions.

Application deadline: September 15, 2025

If you have any questions or need additional clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at events@caubo.ca.

Share your expertise and experience with your peers and colleagues!
Proposals accepted now through Thursday, October 23, 2025

CAUBO builds the capacity of leaders in the higher education sector by connecting them with peers and information enabling insights into effective practices, and new and different perspectives.

We invite you to share your expertise and experience by submitting a content proposal for the CAUBO 2026 Annual Conference and Functional Seminars, which will take place in St. John’s, Newfoundland from June 15-17, 2026.

CAUBO is looking for energetic and engaging speakers to deliver diverse, interactive, and thought-provoking conference presentations tailored to HE administrators. We are looking for a combination of presentations that provide an overview of a topic and those that also provide a “deeper dive”.

We are particularly interested in proposals that showcase a program, activity, or initiative that:

• provides diverse perspectives in response to societal trends, practices, or challenges facing HE (e.g., social justice, climate change, EDI, recruitment, and retention),
• promotes campus wellness (e.g., mental health, employee satisfaction, institutional culture),
• highlights programs/practices and policies with an institutional impact (e.g., flexible work arrangements, space management, digitalization),
• provides insights into mitigating risks facing HE administration (e.g., sustainability, internationalization, campus safety),
• proposes means to address issues of financial sustainability such as revenue diversification, cost management, organizational efficiencies, etc.
• fosters improved quality of service delivery, and or enhances productivity and efficiencies within a team or an institution,
• highlights how data governance has been used in a team or an institution.

Find out more about the content guidelines and how you can submit a conference presentation proposal by clicking here.

CAUBO’s 2026 Call for Proposal submission period remains open until October 23, 2025.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and connecting with you in St. John’s, Newfoundland in June 2026!

Course Overview

Please note that this course is only offered in English at this time.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of university culture and governance. The objective is to help administrators, new and established, to better understand the university context and work more effectively and efficiently within the unique university environment.

Among the longest standing institutions in the world, universities adhere to fundamental principles and values that have been championed by academics from the earliest of times. Those principles and values continue to shape the modern university and contribute to an environment that is substantially different from that encountered in private or public sector organizations. To be effective in a university, it is essential that administrators understand and respect these values and principles and adapt their practices accordingly.

The unique nature of universities and the academic culture impact how administrators work, interact with individuals, consult, bring forward ideas or plans for review or approval and implement new initiatives. They are experienced by all administrators whether in academic units, central services, student services or ancillary services.

This course is a blend of web-based materials and live learning sessions. Through presentations, readings, assignments, and group discussions, this course aims to provide administrators with the ability to take context and culture more instinctively into account in conducting their work. The course will provide participants with a general understanding of:

• the origin of universities and how this is reflected in the culture and traditions of today’s university
• the division of roles between the Senate, the Board, and the University President and how this might affect planning and decision-making in academic and non-academic units
• the unique judicial process that applies to universities and how that influences process development and application
• collegial governance and its meaning in practice
• principles and importance of equity, diversity, inclusion, and indigenization (EDII) and how these are integrated into all areas of the university system and culture
• the federal and provincial influences over universities from a constitutional perspective and funding context
• the general funding sources of universities for operations, research, and capital/infrastructure
• principles of academic freedom and their application
• the academic workload
• the meaning and implications of the peer review process and principles of natural justice in a university
• academic values and how they impact routine interactions of academics and administrators

Target Audience:

• All individuals recruited from outside of the university sector into mid to senior management positions
• Individuals aspiring to more senior managerial roles in a university
• Mid to senior level administrative staff from across the university

MODULE 1 – The University Context

MODULE 2 – Equity, Diversity, Inclusiveness, and Decolonization: A Required Competency for Effective University Leadership

MODULE 3 – Trends in University Finances and Funding Models

MODULE 4 – Fundamental Academic Principles and Values 

MODULE 5 – Academic Culture and Working Environment 

MODULE 6 – The Relevance of Culture and Governance for Administrators

UCG Course Schedule Overview

* All times are in Eastern Time (ET)

Time commitment

Participants are expected to commit approximately 45-50 hours to the completion of this course, which includes presentations, readings, course activities, group work and Live Learning Sessions.

Facilitated by:

Christina Sass-Kortsak

Christina Sass-Kortsak has over 35 years’ experience in human resource leadership.  She recently retired after seven years as assistant vice-president, Human Resources at Ryerson University. Prior to that she held similar Human Resources (HR) leadership roles at University of Toronto and within the health care sector. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Queens University.

Since her retirement in 2020, Christina continues to do consulting work within the higher education human resources sector, as well as thoroughly enjoying retired life.

Trends Talk Series II – Exploring What’s Next in Higher Education Administration

PROPOSALS ACCEPTED NOW!
Closing Date: October 30, 2025

Is your organization leveraging or championing cutting-edge tools and practices that can meaningfully advance the work of higher education administrators?

Does your organization have a pulse on emerging domestic or global trends that are expected to have a substantive impact on the Canadian higher education administration sector, be it at the institutional or functional administrative level?

If so, we encourage you to submit a proposal for the Trend Talk series.

CAUBO is inviting proposals for its 2025/2026 Trend Talks series—short, high-impact presentations that spotlight leading-edge technologies, operational models, and innovative thinking shaping the future of administrative functions in Canadian universities and colleges.

We welcome presentation content submissions from Canadian and international associations, subject matter experts, consultants, and private sector firms who can deliver insight into:

• Emerging tools and digital platforms (e.g., AI-powered administrative solutions, 5G-enabled services, automation in finance or HR, advanced data governance)
• Bold ideas that challenge conventional approaches to administrative leadership, planning, or service delivery
• Creative frameworks and experimental models that may not yet be mainstream but signal where the sector could be heading

The goal is to equip higher education leaders with not only practical foresight, but also the inspiration to rethink the boundaries of what’s possible across key functional areas such as finance, human resources, IT, procurement, risk management, and facilities.

For a proposal to be considered, the topic or trend needs to:

• Be new/emerging – not already on the radar of the majority of CAUBO members.
• Be expected to have an immediate or future impact on higher education administration. This connection/application must be illustrated within the proposal.
• Impact a broad segment of CAUBO’s institutional membership (relevant to small or large, undergraduate or research-intensive institutions, etc.).
• Affect the university as a whole or a specific functional area. This should be specified within the proposal.
• Be of national relevance (not only specific to a handful of provinces).

Click here to learn more

The list of accreditation programs and organizations that may provide continuing education credit for CAUBO professional development activities is below. This list may be incomplete, so if you know of others that should be added, please let us know by emailing kserjak@caubo.ca.

• Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
• American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
• Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA)
• Association For Supply Chain Management
• Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP)
• Board of Certified Safety Professionals
• Canada’s Association of I.T. Professionals (CIPS)
• Canadian Institute of Traffic & Transportation (CITT)
• Canadian Payroll Association
• CFA Institute
• Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR)
• CIM Chartered Managers Canada
• CPA Canada
• The Institute of Internal Auditors Canada
• ISACA
• Institute for Supply Management in the US
• LEED Green Associate/LEED AP
• National Institute of Government Procurement (NIGP)
• Ontario Public Buyers Association (OPBA)
• Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS)
• Supply Chain Canada