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An outstanding university administrator with roots in British Columbia
and extensive experience in the North will be the University of
Northern British Columbia’s next President.
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Dr. Don Cozzetto, seen here with Dr. Charles Jago at today's announcement.
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Dr. Don Cozzetto was born and raised in Rossland, in southeastern BC,
but has spent the last 18 years in the United States. He received his
PhD in Public Policy and Public Administration from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University and has held a number of
academic and administrative posts at universities in North Dakota,
Florida, and South Dakota. He was most recently Provost and
Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Northern State University in
South Dakota, where he held the position of Interim President for one
year. He also has experience with building a new university, serving as
Dean of the largest faculty when Florida Gulf Coast University opened
in Fort Myers, Florida. Dr. Cozzetto has authored 16 articles and book
chapters and has co-authored two books. He is a specialist in public
administration, human resource management, and aboriginal government.
Prior to his academic career, Dr. Cozzetto worked for nearly ten years
for the housing corporations in the Yukon and Northwest Territories and
has visited all of Canada’s communities north
of 60.
“Dr. Cozzetto has extensive experience in strategic planning, community
relations, fundraising, student recruitment and retention, and
budgeting, and these are all essential for our new President,” says Dr.
Don Rix, Chair of the UNBC Board of Governors. “He also has real
passion for British Columbia, for the North, and for what UNBC can
contribute to the province and to the country. The Board has
enthusiastically endorsed his appointment.”
Dr. Cozzetto will take over as President on July 1, 2006. He will
replace Dr. Charles Jago, who will have served as UNBC President for
eleven years by the completion of his term.
“I know that I have big shoes to fill. Charles Jago has definitely left
his mark on UNBC and northern BC and I’m honoured to have been selected
to succeed him,” says Dr. Cozzetto. “There will be so many people to
meet and so many things to learn, but I’m anxious to get to know people
in the University and the northern region, as well as those many
supporters in communities right around the province.”
Dr. Cozzetto is joining UNBC at a time of growth: both the Northern
Sport Centre and the Teaching and Learning Centre will add significant
capacity to UNBC within the next two years, and the expansion of the
academic programming has included Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Nurse Practitioner, Environmental Engineering, and the Northern Medical
Program.
“An obvious question at this time in UNBC’s evolution is ‘where do we
go from here?’ I’m excited to lead the University toward a shared
vision of excellence, one that fosters a climate of student success,
regional partnerships, educational opportunities for aboriginal people,
and increased connection to the rest of the world,” says Dr. Cozzetto.
“My wife, Pat, and I are eagerly awaiting our move to Prince George
with our son, Domenik. I love hockey and I look forward to becoming a
big fan of the local teams.”
UNBC was created by the Government of BC in 1990 and its main campus in
Prince George opened for full operations in 1994. There are also
regional campuses in Quesnel, Fort St. John, Terrace, and Prince
Rupert. The quality of UNBC’s teaching and research is noted regularly
in provincial and national surveys. For example, UNBC recently placed
fourth in the Maclean’s ranking of small Canadian universities and in a
national survey of students at 28 Canadian universities, UNBC
consistently placed higher than the national average in categories that
measure student satisfaction.
UNBC Presidents
Geoffrey R. Weller 1990 – 1995
K. George Pedersen Summer 1995 (Interim President)
Charles J. Jago 1995-Present
