About CCDS


“Collaboration and information sharing across institutions and with government and funding agencies at all levels are key to our success in promoting science education and research in Canada, and CCDS plays an important role in facilitating these.”

–Rui Wang, former CCDS President, Dean of Faculty of Science, York University

CCDS strives to achieve its mission through:

  • an annual conference, usually held in May, hosted by a member institution;
  • the maintenance of a national database of deans;
  • information sharing and its website

Goals:

  • To be a forum for discussion and sharing of best practices about scientific research and education for Deans of Science across the country.
  • To develop and promote academic leadership.
  • To develop future scientific research, innovation, and education capacity in Canada by training high quality personnel in scientific research and education to support economic growth and innovation across Canada.
  • To promote Canadian success in scientific research and education.
  • To promote scientific literacy in the Canadian population.
  • To be an advisory body for government on issues of scientific research, innovation, and technology policy development.
  • To be an advisory body at appropriate venues to discuss the requirements needed to sustain high quality infrastructure to support fundamental scientific research and innovation across the country.
  • To be an advisory body for government on issues of scientific education at all levels across the country.

Membership:

Membership is open to senior academic leaders in Science at Canadian universities and colleges that are members of Universities Canada. To have your name added to the national database, please email welcome@ccds.website to do so.


Logo and Visual Identity

The graphical elements in the CCDS logo pay respect to the scientific and cross-Canada nature of the Council.

In 2022, the logo was updated to incorporate the following:

CCDS logo
  • Ten Elements: Dean -from Old French deien, from late Latin decanus ‘chief of a group of ten’, from decem ‘ten’.
  • Colour: taken from previous logo/identity. Variations come from the lightest and darkest values.
  • Maple Leaf: Iconic symbol of Canada. Taken directly from the flag.
  • Science: A systematically organized body of knowledge on a particular subject.

Together these elements attempt to encompass the principals of being a Dean of Science. The ten arranged components reflect logic, inquiry, and organization of the scientific method. The nice bars of uneven height lend to the ever-unfinished work in the pursuit of scientific knowledge and reach for further discovery. The tenth symbol, the maple leaf, provides the undeniable symbol of Canada and unites this council.