The University of British Columbia
UBC - A Place of Mind
The University of British Columbia
Office of the President
  • The President
    • About the President
    • The President’s Medal of Excellence
      • 2018 Recipients
      • 2019 Recipients
  • The Office
    • President’s Office Staff
    • Past Presidents
    • Ombudsperson for Students Office Review 2018-19
  • Communications
    • Articles
    • Blog
    • The Blue and Goldcast
    • Letter to the Board
    • Media: Santa in the News
    • President’s Newsletter (Letter from Santa)
    • Speeches & Announcements
    • Statements to the University Community
    • Weekly Updates
    • Videos/Audio
  • Strategic Initiatives
    • UBC’s Strategic Plan
    • Presidential Priorities, 2021-22
    • President’s Community-University Roundtables
    • Statement of Apology
    • Together Against Racism and Injustice
    • Anti-Asian Racism Forum Recommendations
    • UBC Connects
  • Contact Us
    • Meeting Request Form
    • Breakfast with the President request
    • Email the President
    • Request the President’s Participation
Home / Blog / 2017 / September / 05 / Looking ahead to 2017-18

Looking ahead to 2017-18

September 5, 2017

Dear members of the UBC community:

Welcome back for the start of the 2017/18 academic year. I hope you all had a chance to enjoy the summer.

Today, UBC is welcoming thousands of new and returning students to our campuses and learning sites. As we embrace the energy and excitement that comes with this, I would like to take an opportunity to reflect on UBC’s recent developments – as well as looking ahead to the future.

Welcome to our students

As you know, the academic year begins next week with 15,000 new students coming from across British Columbia, Canada and 142 countries around the world, many of whom are joining us thanks to access to our extensive scholarship programme.

For some of the new students, their first day at UBC will be their first experience of university, while others come to us after attending another university or college. Either way, it’s an exciting  transition.  For my part, I continue to be proud of the way UBC delivers on its educational mandate year after year. This semester, we will have 65,000 students being taught by 5,500 academic staff in 200 degree programs. UBC faculty continue to win awards for teaching, which shows the quality of our efforts.

Today, our new and returning students will join more than 1,000 volunteers to celebrate Imagine Day at the Vancouver campus and Create at UBC Okanagan. I hope you’ll join us on this special day.

Welcoming new faculty and staff

Besides our students, we are welcoming dozens of new faculty members; among them, Dr. Peter Zandstra, who will head the new School of Biomedical Engineering, and Alix Ohlin, who will join UBC as chair of the Creative Writing Program in January. I would like to extend a warm welcome to them and to all the other new researchers and teachers joining our community this year.

I would also like to reiterate my welcome to some new additions to our senior administration team: Professor Andrew Szeri (Provost and Vice-President, Academic) and Professor Gail Murphy (Vice-President, Research and Innovation). Also, a warm welcome to Karen Carriero (Associate Vice-President, Communications), Professor Bryce Traister (Dean of the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan), Dr. Mary MacDougall (Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry), and Susan E. Parker (University Librarian).

This term will see further changes to the senior administrative team as Lisa Castle (Vice-President, Human Resources) leaves after years of outstanding service. We have initiated a search for this position and I look forward to providing updates in due course.

UBC’s Strategic Plan

One of the most important initiatives of the new term will be the continued development of UBC’s Strategic Plan. As you know, this is an extremely important process for the university and I am proud to be leading it. We have finished the first two phases of the planning process and I am working closely with the Deans and the Executive to prepare a draft strategic plan for review by the steering committee and the broader UBC community. I would like to thank my senior advisor, Dr. Emma Cunliffe, for helping to establish the foundations for the plan and her contributions to moving us forward. I have asked Professors Szeri and Murphy to join me in leading the next phase of this process.

Research and innovation

Our commitment to science and research will also be evident as we continue to work on the B.C. research supercluster, and on our partnerships with other universities and industry in the competition for federal technology superclusters. We are also working on recruitment for the President’s Excellence Chairs and the Canada 150 Chairs. I have been very impressed with the magnitude, breadth and quality of candidates for both these programs.

I will be making a presentation at a Universities Canada panel on the Naylor Report at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa where I will stress the importance of fundamental science in Canada.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

I recently met with the Vice Presidents’ Strategic Implementation Committee on Equity and Diversity. I appreciated hearing their perspectives and made my commitment to work directly with them – with the aim of making UBC an even more diverse and inclusive community. To this end, I am asking all members of my Executive to outline steps to enhance a more diverse and inclusive community during this academic year. I cannot emphasize enough that we are committed to providing an environment that is welcoming and safe for every member of the UBC community.

I also want to reaffirm my personal commitment to academic freedom. As I stressed in my message referring to the troubling events in Barcelona, Charlottesville, and elsewhere, all members of our community must work to ensure everybody feels welcome and safe.  UBC fosters a welcoming, open community for discussing and debating all ideas and practices, no matter how complex, contentious, or difficult. The openness and tolerance this demands is a responsibility we all hold.

Our formal UBC statement on academic freedom reads as follows: “Central among these rights is the freedom, within the law, to pursue what seem to them fruitful avenues of inquiry, to teach and to learn unhindered by external or non-academic constraints, to engage in full and unrestricted consideration of any opinion.”  This freedom extends to all members of our community.  I will work with Professor Neil Guppy (the Senior Advisor on Academic Freedom) and a small working group, to issue a more comprehensive statement on this in the near future.

Our Indigenous partners

We will continue to strengthen our efforts to improve educational opportunities for Indigenous students, education about Indigenous issues, and collaborative research benefiting Indigenous communities.

Later this year, I will be making a statement regarding UBC’s involvement in the Indian Residential School system. As members of the UBC community, we all inherit its history. Unless we act to change that history, we will contribute to its perpetuation through our failure to educate and act.

Those of you on the Vancouver campus may have noticed that construction on the new building between the Walter C. Koerner Library and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre is now complete. That building, known as the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, will open next spring. The centre will provide an accessible place on the west coast for survivors of the Indian residential schools, to access the records of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Through advanced use of interactive technology it will allow faculty, staff, students and members of our wider community to learn about that history and its implications on both our shared past and our future directions.

Our global connections

UBC’s global ties will be a priority this term. Yesterday, I attended the Times Higher Education World Education Summit, where I participated in a panel on “Modern graduates: citizens of the world or citizens of nowhere?” alongside the presidents of New York University, Humboldt University of Berlin and the Hong Kong University.

Later this month I will attend the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference in Seattle, which will bring together business, tech and government leaders from both sides of the border to explore how we can leverage and grow a stronger technology and innovation cluster between Vancouver and Seattle.

Campus construction

This coming year we will open the new School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. The Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (QMI) addition and National Soccer Development Centre are complete, and other construction projects are well underway. Construction of the New MacInnes Field (behind the Nest) will begin soon, and we will start public consultation regarding a new residential neighbourhood and a new Thunderbird Stadium.

New student residences have been built, including an addition to Totem Park that will carry a Musqueam name, and Brock Commons – Tallwood House, which has the distinction of being the tallest mass timber building in the world. I am happy to announce that additional student housing is in development on both campuses, as well as continued planning for academic precincts on the Vancouver campus and an innovation precinct at UBC Okanagan.

At the heart of the Okanagan campus, the new teaching and learning centre and extension to the Library is emerging from the ground. Construction is on schedule, we’re less than a year from opening the building, and the first 400-seat classroom on the campus.

Also on the Okanagan campus, thanks to a grant from the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, the commons athletic field is being upgraded with lights and other amenities– the project will mean a significant enhancement to student life.

Our commitment to sustainability

Brock Commons – Tallwood House has been rightly acclaimed for its sustainability features and our new student housing initiatives will feature the latest in sustainable technologies. We are continuing to pursue aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets with the Climate Action Plan, moving towards a 67 percent reduction (relative to 2007 levels). Recently, I met with a coalition of 10 environmentally focused student groups to discuss UBC’s commitment to sustainability. The students brought forward some innovative proposals that are worthy of careful consideration as the university builds on its sustainability initiatives.

New courses and programs

There are also many new academic programs beginning this fall (too many to mention), but I would like to single out the new HEAL 100 course at UBC Okanagan, open to all first-year students and directly aimed at meeting UBC’s commitment to wellbeing.

Celebrating 100 years of alumni

This is of course the 100th anniversary for alumni UBC. A number of activities have been planned, both on our campuses and around the world, to celebrate UBC’s outstanding graduates. Look out for further updates.

In closing, I would like to thank all of you for your commitment and dedication to UBC and its academic mission. This promises to be a great year!

Best wishes

Professor Santa J. Ono
President and Vice-Chancellor

 

 

Latest Updates

  • Episode 40: Overcoming Adversity: The Coltyn Liu Story
  • Vancouver Police Department Mess Dinner Keynote Address
  • Asian Heritage Month: A Conversation with Henry Yu
  • Blue & Gold Campaign—It’s a wrap!
  • TransLink and UBC
Follow Santa Ono on social media

Previous Posts

  • Asian Heritage Month: A Conversation with Henry Yu
  • Blue & Gold Campaign—It’s a wrap!
  • National Day of Mourning
  • TransLink and UBC
  • Community Update: Mask Requirement Extended
  • Statement on BDS
  • Strategic Plan Update
  • Community Update, April 1, 2022: Reducing Exam Stress
  • Community Update, March 11, 2022: Masks Still Required on UBC Campuses
  • Statement on Russia and Ukraine
  • Community Update, February 18, 2022: Pink Shirt Day
  • Community Update, February 11, 2022: Thank You for a Safe Return to Campus
  • Update on Winter Session, Term 2
  • Statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
  • Statement on Williams Lake
  • At the University of British Columbia, we are committed to doing our part to address the climate crisis
  • Holiday Greetings 2021
  • Update: In-person exams, residence and testing
  • Community Update, December 10, 2021: New paths toward meaningful reconciliation
  • UBC launches ambitious climate action plans
  • Community Update, December 2, 2021: Envisioning Equality
  • Community Update, November 18, 2021: Emergency Funding Available for Those Affected by Flooding
  • Observing Trans Day of Remembrance
  • Community Update, November 12, 2021: Thanks to you, UBC is COVID safe
  • Community Update, November 4, 2021: Creating the most sustainable campuses in the world
  • Community Update, October 20, 2021: Vaccination Declaration Non-Compliance
  • Community Update, October 15, 2021: Vaccination Clinics at UBC
  • Community Update, October 8, 2021: Looking Forward to Celebrating Graduation In Person
  • UBC Sending Delegation of Eight to COP26
  • Community Update, September 29, 2021: Orange Shirt Day | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
  • Presidential Priorities, 2021-22
  • Community Update, September 16, 2021: Homecoming
  • IRP Student: UBC’s Renewal Journey Continues
  • Do Your Part: Declare Your Vaccination Status
  • Community Update, September 1, 2021: Vaccination is the key to a successful return to campus
  • Voting in the 2021 Federal Election
  • Community Update, August 27, 2021: Mandated Masks and Vaccinations
  • Community Update, August 20, 2021: Preparing our campuses for Fall 2021
  • National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2021
  • Update, August 13, 2021: Supporting Mandatory Indoor Masking and Vaccination
  • COVID-19 Concerns
  • Community Update, July 16, 2021: Black Opportunity Fund
  • Black Opportunity Fund partners with UBC to empower next generation of Black leaders
  • Weekly Update: June 25, 2021: Return to Campus will be a transition, not an event
  • Statement on the Missing Children of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools
  • Weekly Update, June 18, 2021: The Anti-Asian Racism Forum is Over, But Our Work is Just Beginning
  • Weekly Update, June 11, 2021: A Phased Approach to the Fall
  • Weekly Update, June 4, 2021: Statement on the Kamloops Indian Residential School
  • Statement on the Missing Children of the Kamloops Indian Residential School
  • Weekly Update, May 28, 2021: Spring Graduation
  • Weekly Update, May 21, 2021: Plans for Fall 2021
  • External Review of Campus Security
  • Weekly Update, May 14, 2021: Join the Vaccine-Nation
  • Weekly Update, May 7, 2021: Asian Heritage Month
  • Weekly Update, April 30, 2021: Let’s Bring SkyTrain to UBC
  • Universities Must Do More to Address the Climate Emergency
  • Weekly Update, April 23, 2021: UBC and Global Engagement
  • Weekly Update, April 20, 2021: Planning for Fall 2021
  • UBC and the Overdose Crisis
  • Weekly Update, April 9, 2021: Vaccination Clinic at UBC
  • Launching UBC’s Global Engagement Strategy
  • Statement on Anti-Asian Racism
  • Weekly Update, March 12, 2021: Planning for the Fall
  • UBC and UTokyo – A Relationship Forged Through Baseball, Quantum Materials and Mutual Esteem
  • Weekly Update, March 5, 2021: International Women’s Day
  • QS World University Subject Rankings Demonstrate UBC’s Breadth of Excellence
  • Weekly Update, February 26, 2021
  • Weekly Update: February 19, 2021
  • COVID-19 innovations hold lessons for national policy
  • Weekly Update, February 12
  • Statement on Release of Loujain Al-Hathloul
  • Weekly Update, February 5, 2021
  • Weekly Update, February 1, 2021: Black History Month
  • Let’s Talk About Mental Health
  • Weekly Update, January 22, 2021
  • Congratulations to UBC’s Killam Professors
  • UBC’s response to sentencing of alumna Loujain Al-Hathloul
  • Holiday Greetings
  • Update on UBC’s Evolving Relationship with the RCMP
  • Weekly Update, December 11, 2020
  • Update: Extending the SkyTrain to UBC
  • Weekly Update, December 4, 2020
  • Weekly Update, November 26, 2020
  • Weekly Update, November 20, 2020
  • Weekly Update, November 13, 2020
  • Weekly Update, November 6, 2020
  • Weekly Update: October 30, 2020
  • Weekly Update: October 23, 2020
  • Weekly Update: October 16, 2020
  • Weekly Update: October 2, 2020
  • Voting in the 2020 BC Provincial Election 
  • Weekly Update: September 25, 2020
  • Weekly Update: September 21, 2020
  • Welcome Back to the Blue & Goldcast!
  • Weekly Update: September 14, 2020
  • Weekly Update, August 28: Welcome New Students
  • Looking Forward to the Next Five Years
  • Statement on National Indigenous Peoples Day
  • Welcome to Steven Lewis Point; Farewell to Lindsay Gordon
  • Touring Brent Sparrow’s ʔəlqsən art installation
  • Guest Post: Working in the President’s Office
  • COVID-19: UBC and the Community
  • COVID-19: A Message to International Students
  • A Message to Students: The importance of physical distancing
  • Repatriating Cultural Property: A Priority for UBC
  • UBC: Among the Best in the World
  • Choose to Reuse
  • UBC launches Iranian Student Memorial Award
  • Looking Back on 2019
  • Happy Holidays from Santa
  • Honour the École Polytechnique Women by Learning About Them
  • UBC funding to foster collaborations in research excellence
  • Remembrance Day Reflections: We Owe Our Veterans So Much
  • Thriving at UBC
  • Election 2019: Why your voice matters
  • Presidential Priorities for 2019-20
  • UBC: The Next Century – the book!
  • Putting Students First with the Blue & Gold Campaign
  • U7 Alliance will Address the World’s Most Pressing Challenges
  • UBC’s Next Century: An update on the strategic plan
  • The President’s Medal of Excellence: 2019 Recipients
  • Changing My Mind: Margaret Trudeau on Mental Health
  • “Never lose that sense of adventure, that sense of wonder”
  • Blue and Goldcast: Talking about GenSqueeze
  • Three Takeways from the Roundtable on Non-Market Housing Innovation
  • Shaping UBC Okanagan’s Future
  • Congress 2019: Canada’s biggest academic conference is coming to UBC
  • UBC gets global recognition for sustainability impact
  • What Music Means to Me
  • Annual Giving – Faculty & Staff Appeal
  • Raising the Musqueam Flag: Acknowledging the past, recognizing our future responsibilities
  • UBC Connects: Connecting UBC to the community
  • Take the Cool Campus Challenge
  • Strategic Plan funding focuses on Indigenous, cross-campus initiatives
  • UBC’s Emeritus College is the first of its kind in Canada
  • Holiday Reflections: Honouring our commitments
  • So that the guns will fall silent forever
  • Thrive Week at UBC
  • His Highness the Aga Khan: An inspiration to us all
  • Shaping UBC’s Next Century: An update on the strategic plan
  • Listen Up, it’s the Blue & Goldcast!
  • Welcome to UBC!
  • Looking ahead to 2018-19
  • Stadium Neighbourhood: developing a thriving and sustainable community
  • Be a tourist at UBC this summer!
  • UBC: Proud to be a Pacific Rim university
  • The President’s Medal of Excellence: “A significant contribution to the purposes and ideals of the university”
  • Residential Schools: Breaking the Silence
  • Graduation: Sharing the Pride and Joy
  • Introducing Innovation UBC
  • Taking the SkyTrain to UBC
  • Continuing the journey: UBC’s strategic plan
  • Life is a marathon, not a sprint
  • The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre: Fulfilling a Promise
  • Building a more inclusive campus community
  • Budget 2018: A clear recognition of the value of Canada’s science and research community
  • Digital Technology Supercluster means exciting opportunities for UBC, now and in the future
  • Inspire: “This is our moment”
  • Getting closer to where you want to be
  • Looking back on 2017, looking forward to 2018
  • The Blue & Gold campaign: Change their world so they can change ours
  • Going global: Our future depends on it
  • Building a better Canada
  • Overcoming the stigma of mental illness
  • UBC’s Next Century — the next phase of engagement
  • Supporting the dreamers
  • Imagine UBC 2017
  • Summer at UBC
  • Exercise Run Down: Keeping the UBC community safe
  • Thank you, faculty and staff: you make UBC special
  • In a time of global uncertainty, innovation is more important than ever
  • Tokyo trip lays building blocks for future engagement with Japan
  • Graduation: The next stage in a remarkable journey
  • Exam anxiety? UBC can help
  • We cannot change the past, but we can honestly recognize it
  • UBC’s Next Century: Have your say
  • The Learning Exchange: Engaging UBC with the Downtown Eastside
  • Using data for social good: Announcing the Cascade Urban Analytics Cooperative
  • Update on Presidential Task Force
  • An innovative start to the Year of the Rooster
  • UBC’s Next Century: Moving from Excellence to Eminence
  • UBC’s Next Century
  • UBC’s Strategic Plan – seeking your input
  • A time for reflection
  • Office of the President
    7th Floor, Walter C. Koerner Library
    1958 Main Mall
    Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z2
    Website president.ubc.ca
    Email presidents.office@ubc.ca
    Find us on
        
    Back to top
    The University of British Columbia
    • Emergency Procedures |
    • Terms of Use |
    • Copyright |
    • Accessibility