UBC Reports | Vol. 47 | No. 08 | April 19, 2001

'Ambassador' for department and UBC

A 'little knowledge of cleaning' goes a long way

Working as head bartender on Fiji might seem like a fantasy job for many, but for Michael Khan the opportunities waiting in Canada proved more attractive.

Khan arrived here in 1974, and after spending two years as a bartender in Vancouver's Hyatt Hotel, he happened to visit the Museum of Anthropology.

"I took a look around and became very keen -- this was a beautiful place," says Khan who soon got a job as a janitor with `little knowledge of cleaning' as he puts it.

He is now UBC's head service worker and for 18 years has been a supervisor of 45 custodial staff.

He is responsible for custodial services at about 40 per cent of all buildings on the west side of campus, including Cecil Green Park, Norman MacKenzie House and the Liu Centre for the Study of Global Issues.

He also sets up major ceremonies on campus that can include visits by world leaders.

"A highlight was meeting Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton," says Khan who helped with the arrangements when the then presidents' 1993 Vancouver Summit took place at UBC.

The ability to handle a myriad of details is daily fare for a man who must provide everything from gigantic tents to umbrella stands.

One of his biggest yearly challenges is the set-up for Congregation ceremonies, which he has seen grow from a three-day event at War Memorial Gym to 22 ceremonies spanning a week at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Thousands of parents, students, faculty and dignitaries move through the building and it has to be spotless with only limited time for cleaning between ceremonies.

"Mike is a wonderful ambassador for his department and for UBC during Congregation," says Ceremonies manager Eilis Courtney. "He's invaluable to us."

Maintaining modern buildings is a simple job he says compared to cleaning the former Second World War army huts that served as classrooms when he first arrived at UBC.

In addition to his supervisory duties, Khan makes time for his involvement with UBC's United Way campaign.

UBC is also where Khan met his wife, Fernanda, who works at UBC Bookstore and to whom he has been married five years.

"This is the greatest job -- I meet so many people. I have no complaints at all."

See also

• Staff recognized for 25-year service
• She's the 'heart and soul'
• Flying like a bird