The Government of British Columbia has appointed two new Board members to the University of Northern British Columbia:

Noreen Rustad of Prince George was nominated by the University's alumni association. She is currently Past President of the Prince George Community Foundation and was named an honorary graduate of UNBC in 2001 for her involvement in community philanthropy.

Don Rix is Chairman of MDS Metro Laboratory Services, a medical laboratory located in Burnaby, BC. He has been a physician for more than 40 years and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He has been a Board member of various medical associations in British Columbia and Canada.

Ms Rustad and Dr Rix are replacing Alice Downing and Louise Gorton - both of Prince George - on the UNBC Board. With the ending of Ms Downing's appointment to the Board (and her four-year term as Chair), Ron Fichtner of Prince George has been elected the new Board Chair.

Ron Fichtner is a Chartered Accountant and partner in the Prince George office of Deloitte and Touche. He was previously the Audit and Accounting Manager for Deloitte Haskins & Sells and Controller and Chief Financial Officer for Carrier Lumber Ltd. Mr Fichtner was appointed to the Board of Governors in 1999 and has been Chair of the Administration and Finance Committee.

Colin Griffith of Fort St John is the Board's new Vice-Chair and has served on the Board for nearly three years. Mr Griffith has extensive experience in municipal government having worked more than 31 yeas in Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, and Fort St John. He was awarded the inaugural Municipal Officers Association Professional Award in 1986.

The Board of Governors is the primary governing body responsible for the administrative and financial operations of the University. The Senate is responsible for academic governance.

The next public Board of Governors meeting is May 31 at 9am in Prince George.