In the fourth episode of The Blue and Goldcast, Jen and Santa talk about women in STEM, the importance of mentorship, and ways for institutions like UBC to encourage diversity. They hear a story from UBC Mathematics Professor Stephanie van Willigenburg about her struggle to find a place in a disproportionately-male field. Blue and Goldcast […]
Welcome to the November 2018 issue of Letter to the Board, a regular communication from myself to members of the UBC Board of Governors, issued in advance of regular meetings of the Board. Highlights Strategic Plan Earlier this month, I hosted a roundtable discussion with prominent UBC supporters, alumni, and community leaders to discuss […]
The holiday season is a good time to reflect back on the year that has gone and to look forward to the year ahead. Looking back, the past year has seen a number of significant accomplishments, most notably the endorsement of the new UBC strategic plan, Shaping UBC’s Next Century. Other milestones included the opening […]
As the NHL and NFL struggle with an epidemic of concussions, we talk about brain science and sports policy. Santa, Jen and their guest, Dr. Naznin Virji-Babul, discuss mysteries of the brain, the social impact of concussions, and the role that Universities like UBC should play in making sports safer. Blue and Goldcast · Blue […]
Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre, Vancouver Thank you, Jayne. Good morning, everybody! So happy to see so many people here to help celebrate the academic achievements of our Thunderbird varsity student athletes. These students are indeed special. To be honoured, they must have an average of 80% or higher in the 2017/18 academic year and […]
One hundred years ago today, the guns fell silent in Europe, marking the end of what many hoped would be the war to end all wars. Although UBC was only a few years old, many of its students, faculty and staff heeded the call to serve their country in that far-away conflict. In the hundred […]
Today, October 29, marks the beginning of Thrive Week at UBC. Thrive is a mindset and week-long series of events focused on helping UBC students, faculty and staff explore their path to mental health. Over the next five days, Thrive UBC will be hosting many activities to help promote mental health, including mindfulness drop-in sessions, […]
Will artificial intelligence usher in the next industrial revolution? In this episode, we look at the social, political, and economic consequences of AI. We profile UBC professor’s quest to make a ‘smart wheelchair’ for patients in long-term care. Blue and Goldcast · Blue And Goldcast Episode 2: The Next Industrial Revolution Download the transcript: Blue […]
Later this week, the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University will present His Highness the Aga Khan with a joint honorary doctorate of laws degree—the first joint honorary degree conferred by the two universities together. The honorary degree, which will be conferred during a special ceremony on Oct. 19, is being awarded in […]
As you know, earlier this year, UBC adopted a new strategic plan, Shaping UBC’s Next Century. Over the past few months, we’ve been busy putting the structures in place to implement the plan. At this time, I’d like to give an update on where we are and where we are going, as we transition from […]
Tenth Church, Vancouver BC Thank you, Ken, and all of you for inviting me to speak at your services today. I was asked to talk about servant leadership. I certainly didn’t start out imagining that one day I would be called to be a leader. I became an academic because of my natural curiosity and […]
World One Reputation Network, Vancouver BC Thank you, Mark and good morning, everybody! I’d like to begin by acknowledging that I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. I am inspired by the calibre of the people and institutions represented in the […]
Welcome to the first issue of Letter to the Board, a regular communication from myself to members of the UBC Board of Governors. As I mentioned in my remarks at the June board meeting, Board members have asked for more communication from the University. To serve this need, I have started this regular e-newsletter, […]
I’m excited to announce the birth of The Blue and Goldcast. As you can probably guess from its name, The Blue and Goldcast is a podcast. I’ll be cohosting it every month along with Jennifer Gardy. Jennifer is an assistant professor at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health, a Canada Research Chair in Public […]
In the first episode of the Blue and Goldcast, we focus on indigenous research methodologies: how can we include traditional ways of knowing into the university? Blue and Goldcast · Blue And Goldcast Episode 1: Indigenous Ways of Knowing Download the transcript: Blue and Goldcast Episode 1 transcript
Imagine, UBC Vancouver Welcome UBC Class of 2022! Look forward to communicating with you over the years. Say hello on campus. Or connect through social media (@UBCPrez) World Class University, #25 in NTU, #27 US News 3 Prime Ministers of Canada, 8 Nobel Laureates, 65 Olympic Medalists, 71 Rhodes Scholars, and has >300 faculty members […]
Welcome to UBC! You’re joining a special community – a community of 65,000 students – students like you, who come from more than 150 countries to study at one of the top universities in the world. You’re starting on an exciting period in your lives. You will meet new friends, discover new interests. Maybe, […]
Dear friends and colleagues: Today, we welcome thousands of new and returning students to our campuses. As we embrace the energy and excitement that comes with every new beginning, I would like to take an opportunity to reflect on UBC’s recent developments – and to look ahead to the coming academic year. Welcome to our […]
The University of British Columbia continues to assist students ordered to cease studies at Canadian universities by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. UBC has about 280 new and returning students with Saudi Arabian citizenship in English-language, undergraduate, postgraduate, and graduate programs. Of that number, about 80% are sponsored by the Saudi Arabian […]
