[9] In 2014, Western's Senate and Board of Governors approved the University's ambitious strategic plan titled "Achieving Excellence on the World Stage.
[12] Chakma was recognized for playing a leading role in the establishment of a new health sciences campus in Kitchener and the relocation of the school of architecture to Cambridge during his tenure as vice-president at Waterloo.
In 2012, Chakma received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to Canadian post-secondary education.
The award citation described how Chakma used education as the basis for his remarkable journey as a young boy from a tribe in the hills of southeastern Bangladesh to becoming a university president in Canada.
[15] The award is meant to provide national recognition for a career of outstanding contributions to further international education at state and land-grant institutions.
[26] Chakma has served as chair of the board of directors of a Canada-based development organization of long standing the World University Services of Canada (WUSC)[27] from 2011 to 2015.
[29] Chakma said in his recommendation that "Nguyen's candidacy has been the fruit of our relentless proactive efforts in identifying potential women faculty members.
[31] On March 27, 2015, Chakma came under criticism after reportedly earning $967,000 in salary and benefits in 2014, a year in which class sizes grew as Western administrators squeezed faculty, shrunk staffing and left empty vacated positions.
[32][33] Chakma's pay was a result of "double-dipping," allowing him to collect a second full salary for choosing to work during his paid administrative leave.
Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Reza Moridi replied that a bill had been passed the previous year allowing public sector executive compensation to be capped, but that Chakma's contract was signed before this legislation came into force.