Imagine UBC 2017
Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, UBC Vancouver (Click here to see a video of the speech) Thank you! Well, I’ve been waiting for today for several months. People have been working really hard trying to choose you. As you probably know, there are about 30,000 people who applied to this institution to have the privilege […]
Looking ahead to 2017-18
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 […]
Summer at UBC
I love summer at UBC. The sunshine, the luxuriant foliage, the mountains and the ocean, the historic buildings – it all reminds me how lucky I am to work at this amazing institution. Another thing I like about walking or cycling through the campus on my way to work at this time of year is […]
Exercise Run Down: Keeping the UBC community safe
On the morning of Wednesday, June 28, UBC Risk Management will stage a large-scale emergency preparedness exercise in the area of Agronomy Road and Main Mall on the UBC Vancouver campus. Exercise Run Down (as it’s being called), will simulate a mock vehicle attack at a running event during which the driver is shot by […]
Thank you, faculty and staff: you make UBC special
I give many speeches in my role as president and vice-chancellor of UBC. This past week alone, I’ve spoken at graduation ceremonies at UBC Okanagan, at a luncheon for the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, at a dinner for the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference and on other occasions. Later this week I’ll be […]
In a time of global uncertainty, innovation is more important than ever
On Friday, June 2, I will have the honour of hosting His Excellency, The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Open Text founder and chair Tom Jenkins, co-authors of a book on Canadian innovation called Ingenious: How Canadian Innovators Made the World Smarter, Smaller, Kinder, Safer, Healthier, Wealthier, and Happier. (The book, published by […]
Tokyo trip lays building blocks for future engagement with Japan
As you may know, I recently returned from a week-long visit to Tokyo. It was the first time a UBC president has travelled to Japan since Stephen Toope went there in 2010. While there, I visited the University of Tokyo, as well as two Japanese firms that regularly hire UBC coop students. I also engaged […]
Graduation: The next stage in a remarkable journey
Now that exams are over, students, faculty and staff at UBC are getting ready for the next big event in the academic calendar – graduation. It’s a joyful time on our campuses, when graduating students, their families and friends gather to celebrate a significant milestone. From personal experience, I can tell you that one of […]
Exam anxiety? UBC can help
April in Vancouver can be amazing. The cherry blossoms are in bloom, the days are longer, and the temperature is (most days anyway!) getting warmer. April this year also brings the convergence of three holidays of deep significance to people of different faiths throughout the world: Passover, Vaisakhi and Easter. Whatever you celebrate, I wish […]
We cannot change the past, but we can honestly recognize it
This past weekend, I was honoured and humbled to participate in the raising of Reconciliation Pole at UBC’s Vancouver campus. It was gratifying to see so many people turn out for this important occasion and to hear from residential school survivors such as Elder Barney Williams and Pauline Jones (below left), who spoke with courage and candour of the […]
UBC’s Next Century: Have your say
Friends, I am delighted to report that we are launching the next phase of the UBC’s Next Century strategic planning process with a series of public open houses starting next week (see below for details). As you know, the plan is designed to provide an effective framework to guide and implement UBC’s key priorities, goals and […]
The Learning Exchange: Engaging UBC with the Downtown Eastside
According to its website (http://learningexchange.ubc.ca), UBC’s Learning Exchange is “a place where everyone has something to teach and something to learn – a place where learning is exchanged”. I’m not sure I taught the staff, students and patrons of the Learning Exchange anything, but I certainly learned a lot on my visit earlier this week. […]
Using data for social good: Announcing the Cascade Urban Analytics Cooperative
Thanks to a $1-million donation from Microsoft Corporation, UBC and the University of Washington have an unprecedented opportunity to transform the Cascadia region into a technological hub comparable to Silicon Valley and Boston. The donation allows UBC and UW to establish a Cascadia Urban Analytics Cooperative (CUAC), an applied, interdisciplinary, regional centre that brings together […]
Update on Presidential Task Force
As I announced Sunday, I have established a task force to determine what assistance the university can offer those affected by the U.S. Executive Order preventing individuals from seven countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days. The task force is headed by Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President International pro tem Pam Ratner and encompasses key support […]
An innovative start to the Year of the Rooster
Yesterday, I was honoured to be named British Columbia’s first Chief Advisor: Innovation Network, and to be appointed to the Premier’s Technology Council. The announcement was made at DarkVision Technologies in North Vancouver, a terrific example of a BC-born, innovation-driven company. As Chief Advisor, I will work with leaders in industry and post-secondary education and research to transform […]
UBC’s Next Century: Moving from Excellence to Eminence
Canadian Club, Vancouver, BC: Thank you to Joyce Murray for that warm introduction, and thank you all. I am honoured to be here today, to deliver the first address to the Canadian Club during this, the country’s sesquicentennial. Before I begin, I would like to thank the law firm, Farris, for sponsoring this event. I […]
UBC’s Next Century
I trust that everyone had a restful and happy holiday season.
I’m looking forward to 2017, my first full year as president and vice-chancellor of the University of British Columbia. It promises to be an exciting year for UBC, as we start work in earnest on developing our new strategic plan, UBC’s Next Century: From Excellence to Eminence.
UBC’s Strategic Plan – seeking your input
The holiday season is a time both for reflection and for looking ahead to the future. As I reflect on UBC’s first 100 years, I am also looking ahead to UBC’s future as an eminent public research university. To help secure this future, UBC is embarking upon a comprehensive strategic planning process. Our new strategic […]
A time for reflection
The holiday season is a time for reflection, and lately I have been thinking fondly of the warm welcome that the members of the UBC community have extended to me and my family in the months since I took up my position as 15th president and vice-chancellor of the University…