UBC invites open dialogue following resignation controversy

The University of British Columbia wants to hear from faculty, students and staff about how they think the post- secondaryinstitution is being run.

The invitation comes ascontroversy continues to swirl aroundthe sudden resignation last summer of former presidentArvindGupta.

A publicly releasedletter frominterim president Martha Piper and new board chairman Stuart Belkinsaysthe university is committed to an "open dialogue" about how the university isgoverned and has invitedfaculty, staff and students to aboard of governors meeting in April.

"We take seriously the concerns expressed about board governance at the university and we are committed to an ongoing evaluation of board processes and the adoption of best practices," says the letter, signed by Piper and Belkin.

• Former UBC president ArvindGupta says he regrets resigning

The university's faculty association, which has pressed for more information about Gupta's resignation, has circulated a petition calling for a non-confidence vote against the board of governors.

The faculty association is also calling for an external review of the university's board of governors.

Meanwhile, the university's new vice president of external relations, is admittingmistakes were made in how Gupta'sdeparture was publicized. Philip Steenkamp, who took over the positionlast December, said Gupta's sudden departure demanded a publicexplanation. When that didn't happen, various parties weighed in,he said, filling the information vacuum.

"At the time of the resignation you actually needed a bit of a storyaboutwhathappenedbecause everybody is filling in that vacuum with their own interpretations."

UBC must be transparent, new VP says

However, at the same time, Steenkamp said UBC officials were legallyconstrained by how much they could divulge because Guptahad signed a non-disclosure agreement.

"But the problem was, there was no explanation at all," he said. "I don't think there could have been a full explanation because there are privacy issues."

In the future, Steenkamp said the university should be mindful thatthe public "will belooking for explanations around these things."

Last month, the Gupta controversy re-emergedfollowing the mistaken release of un-redacted documentsrelated to hisdeparture from the university.Thosedocuments revealed that, prior to Gupta's departure, there wasa growing rift between him andUBC's board of governors.

The release of those documents prompted Gupta to speak out about his resignation for the first time. He said he regretted resigningand wished he had pushed back harder withthe board of governors, who were raising complaints about his performance.