Now Accepting Applications – CAUBO Leader Program

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

Information Sessions

We welcome potential candidates to join us for an information session to learn more about the program, schedule, time commitment and more.
Sessions are currently scheduled as follows:

1. Friday, August 29, 11 am – 12:00 pm EST
2. Tuesday September 9, 11 am – 12:00 pm EST

If you are interested in attending an upcoming information session, please email us at events@caubo.ca to express your interest and to specify which date best suits you. You are also welcome to contact us at the same address with any questions or to request additional information.

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!

Share Your Insights in CAUBO’s Trend Talks Series

Submissions as part of this first series is now closed.
Stay tuned for the next Call for Content Proposal timelines to open later in 2025

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 2025 CAUBO Trend Talk series.

CAUBO is currently accepting proposals from Canadian and international associations, industry experts, consultants as well as private sector firms to participate in our pilot project: Trend Talks to be scheduled throughout 2025.

This pilot project stems from one of the strategies outlined in CAUBO’s 2023-2028 Strategic Plan launched in September 2023.

To proactively capture and disseminate trends that will shape the future of higher education administration,
to enable the early development of forward-thinking solutions.

In support of this strategy, CAUBO is aiming to broaden the range of information sources (external to the association membership; Canadian and beyond; within and outside the sector; etc.) for early identification of issues and opportunities that will have a substantive impact on the higher education administrative sector.

Trends will be shared with members through a series of virtual events, titled Trend Talks.

These presentations may take the form of Ted Talks, webinars, lunch & learns, podcasts, interviews etc.). CAUBO, in conjunction with the presenters from the selected submissions, will determine the ideal format based on the content and audience. This is not a fee-based opportunity. There will be no reimbursement of costs.

For a proposal to be considered, the 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