UVic VP receives national recognition

University of Victoria Vice President External Relations Carmen Charette has been named this year’s recipient of the national Walter Hitschfeld Award from the Canadian Association of University Research Administrators.

The prestigious award is presented to “an individual who has demonstrated an exceptional impact on the enhancement of the research environment in Canada.” Previous Hitschfeld winners include David Strangway, former president of the Canada Foundation for Innovation and President Emeritus of the University of Toronto and UBC, and Arthur Carty, former national science advisor to the prime minister and former president of the National Research Council.

Charette, who served as senior vice president at the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and then executive vice president for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) before joining UVic in 2012, was described by her nominators as “visionary, intelligent, forthright” and someone who has made a “profound contribution to the evolution of the Canadian research landscape” in a “stellar career” of leadership in research management.

“We’re pleased and proud to see Carmen receive national recognition for her key role in the creation of a strong research environment in Canada,” says UVic President Jamie Cassels. “The same qualities make her such a valuable member of UVic’s leadership team.”      

Charette’s cited accomplishments at SSHRC include leadership roles in the developmentof a new strategic plan, on the largest program overhaul in the agency’s history, and in repositioning SSHRC with the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

At CFI, she launched innovative programs that helped to transform Canada’s research environment, forged strong working relationships with institutions and governments to deliver new funding opportunities, initiated a requirement for institutional strategic research plans, and developed an innovative multi‐disciplinary merit review process.