In addition, Dr Owram served in many capacities outside the university. Chief among these was his tenure as President of the Canadian Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2001 to 2003, as Chair of the Campus Alberta Quality Council from its inception in 2004 until July 1, 2006, and as a National Historical Association board member since 2004. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of NeWest Press, including a term as Vice-President, and on grant committees of SSHRC and the Molson Prize Committee. He also served as a member of the SSHRC steering committee on the future of the Humanities. From 2008-2011 he served on the Council of the Royal Society of Canada and was Secretary to Academy II. He is currently a member of the Board of the Degree Quality Assessment Board of British Columbia and served as Chair of an Expert Panel of the Council of Canadian Academies on Memory Institutions and the Digital Age.