UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) is pleased to announce that one of its staff members has received a President's Staff Award. Among this year's recipients is Rockne Hewko, the Academic Support Manager on the Student Academic Services at the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS).
The President's Staff Awards at the Vancouver campus recognize the personal achievements and contributions that our staff make to UBC, and to the vision and goals of the university.
President’s Staff Award for Leadership
Rockne (“Rock”) Hewko has an extraordinary record of excellence in service to the university through his 25+ year career at UBC. First within the ranks of CUPE 2950 for 20 years, and then as an Academic Support Manager, Rock has been the constant leadership presence, the beating heart of the G+PS SAS team, the encyclopedic knowledge bank, the trainer par excellence, and the laughter in tough times that has buoyed his G+PS teammates and his extended community of colleagues across all graduate programs at UBC. With his absolutely exceptional dedication to creating a warm, inclusive, supportive, and resilient learning/working environment for his colleagues, Rock stands alone in the positive impact he has had on generations of staff and faculty that work with graduate students. Rock has trained and mentored dozens of new UBC staff in entry-level roles, instilling in them an ethos of teamwork, service and perseverance, many of whom have gone on to other roles across campus.
Since I first joined UBC as a Graduate Program Administrator, Rock has truly lived up to his name, serving as a longstanding, steadfast and dependable presence within G+PS. He exemplifies a rare combination of wisdom, deep institutional knowledge, professionalism, collegiality, and an unwavering commitment to service, mentorship, and leadership. - Cecelia Gruber, Global Surgical Care program
View all of the recipients on the UBC Focus on People website.
Congratulations to all of the staff recipients of the 2026 President's Service Awards for Excellence and the President's Staff Awards. These awards are presented annually by the university to recognize staff members who demonstrate outstanding achievement and excellence within the UBC community.