Allan Tupper

Allan Tupper is Professor and Head, Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. A native of Ottawa, Dr. Tupper is a graduate of Carleton University (BA, DPA, MA) and Queen’s University where he received his PhD in Political Studies in 1977.

From 2002 and until 2006, Dr. Tupper was Associate Vice President (Government Relations) at UBC. Prior to that he was Professor of Political Science at the University of Alberta from 1976 to 2002. While at the University of Alberta, Dr. Tupper was as Chair of the Department of Political Science, Associate Dean of Arts and Associate Vice President (Government Relations). He was also Vice President (Academic) at Acadia University. His major teaching and research interests are Canadian politics and public policy, western Canadian politics and public policy, and public administration. Professor Tupper has published extensively on these topics as well as federal-provincial relations and post secondary education policy. He has authored or edited six books and many articles and chapters. Between 1998 and 2004, Dr. Tupper was Editor of Canadian Public Administration, the internationally recognized journal of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. In 2003, he was appointed Senior Academic Fellow of the Canada School for Public Service in Ottawa, the Government of Canada’s executive development agency.

Dr. Tupper was co-chair of the Advisory Committee on National Affairs to Hon. Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta. He also chaired a review of Alberta’s conflicts of interest legislation that called for major changes. Among many other activities, Dr. Tupper was a member of the Canadian delegation to the United Nations Election Monitoring Mission during the historic 1994 general elections in South Africa. In 2006, he was a member of the Triple R (Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships) Review Committee that examined important aspects of governance in the City of Vancouver. He is actively involved in national professional associations and has served on the boards of the Canadian Political Science Association and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. Since 1991, he has been listed in Canadian Who’s Who. In 2006, he was awarded the Lt. Governor Medal for Excellence in Public Service. In 2007, he was a member of the Premier of Alberta’s Task Force on the Governance of Provincial agencies, boards and commissions.

Dr. Tupper is actively involved in community outreach, public speaking and media relations. He is an advocate of outstanding university teaching, university leadership in public debates and closer links between faculties within universities. He is a frequent commentator on regional and national media.