CAUBO provides a wide variety of professional development offerings for the benefit of its members, including our annual conference, online courses, trend talks, workshops, and webinars. We also produce a Guide to Communications in a University Context, available online in its entirety. Click here to view a list of on-demand webinars.
Upcoming Events
CAUBO Leader Program: Mid-October 2025 to mid-June 2026
Thank you for your interest in CAUBO Leader. Registration for this course offering is now closed as we have filled all available spaces.
Click here to add your name to a waiting list now. Please be sure to include your full name, title, institution, and contact information. You will receive an email extending you priority registration for the next offering of this course.
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.
CAUBO 2026: Call for Content Proposals is now open!
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!
Trend Talks
Trend Talk Series II - Call for Proposals
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).
Other Events of Interest
As events become available, CAUBO will provide updated listing of professional development events hosted by other organizations that CAUBO members may find to be of interest. These listings are submitted by the hosting organization and are not endorsed by CAUBO. If you are hosting an event that you would like to see listed here please contact CAUBO’s Professional Development Coordinator Kristine Serjak at kserjak@caubo.ca.
In an effort to expand professional development opportunities, CAUBO has partnered with NACUBO and its Eastern chapter, EACUBO, to offer reciprocal member pricing on events. Visit www.nacubo.org and https://www.eacubo.org/ for a list of upcoming events. If you see an activity that you would like to participate in, click here for details on the discount codes and registration instructions.
Earn Accreditation Credits from CAUBO Professional Development
Members who participate in CAUBO’s professional development offerings can now ask to have them applied as credits towards some accreditation programs and designations in their respective fields. We have engaged with a number of accrediting organizations who have acknowledged CAUBO as an offeror of professional development that may be eligible for their programs.
How do I acquire my credits?
Each individual member will be responsible for assessing whether or not the PD activities you take part in are relevant to your work and/or education requirements. If you believe they are, you must file directly with the specific accreditation body to earn your credits. Generally, the receipt or email confirmation originally provided by CAUBO can serve as proof of registration. Please contact the respective organizations directly to find out more about how to receive your credits.
Which accreditation bodies are participating?
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
If you have questions about this accreditation initiative, please contact Kris Serjak at events@caubo.ca.