“Never lose that sense of adventure, that sense of wonder”
As president of the University of British Columbia, it is my privilege to preside over graduation ceremonies at both the UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan campuses. Seeing the joy on the faces of the new graduates and the pride on the faces of their family members is an unforgettable experience. I also have the privilege […]
Welcoming Margaret Trudeau, author of Changing My Mind
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Good evening. When Margaret Trudeau wrote her courageous memoir, Changing My Mind, in 2010, she noted that three million Canadians suffered from serious depression and that only cardiac disease does more damage and draws more dollars from the health care budget than mental illness. Almost a decade later, not much has […]
Blue and Goldcast: Talking about GenSqueeze
I’m delighted to announce that I have a new co-host for the Blue and Goldcast podcast. As you may know, my previous co-host, Jennifer Gardy, has left UBC to take on a new role as Deputy Director, Surveillance, Data, & Epidemiology at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I’d like to thank Jennifer for being […]
Science and Faith: Servant Leadership and the Secular University
Refreshing Streams: Christian Medical and Dental Society of Canada Pacific Gateway Airport Hotel, Vancouver Good evening, and thank you everyone. It’s an honour and a privilege to be with you today. I’d like to start by acknowledging the staff, board, and leaders of CMDS Canada, and the local CMDS members who volunteered as members of organizing […]
Three Takeways from the Roundtable on Non-Market Housing Innovation
Last month, experts and leaders from various non-profit organizations and local governments from the non-market housing sector, and UBC leadership gathered at UBC to discuss one of the Lower Mainland’s most pressing challenges — housing affordability. I had the privilege of co-hosting the roundtable on housing, along with Dr. Penny Gurstein, the founding director of […]
The Liberal Arts in the 21st Century: More Important Than Ever
Carr Lecture St. Mark’s College, Vancouver Thank you, Dr. Meehan. It’s an honour to be here. I’m proud that UBC and St. Mark’s have been associated for over 60 years, while we’ve partnered with Corpus Christi almost 25 years. We not only share scholarship and resources, students and faculty, we share a common commitment to […]
15th Annual UBC Okanagan Learning Conference Keynote Closing Remarks
UBC Okanagan Thank you, Ananya, for your kind introduction. Good afternoon, and thank you everyone. It’s an honour and a privilege to be with you today. It’s definitely an exciting time to be part of UBC, especially UBC Okanagan. I’m sure you’re aware of the excitement about the UBC Okanagan 2040 plan, and I hope […]
Shaping UBC Okanagan’s Future
Whenever I’m at the UBC Okanagan campus, I can feel the excitement and the energy. It’s definitely an exciting time to be part of UBC, especially UBC Okanagan. A few weeks ago, the university’s Board of Governors enthusiastically endorsed a fascinating report from leadership at UBC Okanagan outlining the next 20 years of transformation for […]
Congress 2019: Canada’s biggest academic conference is coming to UBC
In just two short months an anticipated 10,000 attendees will arrive at our beautiful Vancouver campus for Congress 2019. Congress takes place June 1 to 7, and I can’t tell you how excited I am for this event – not only because it will be my first Congress experience – but also because it’s more […]
UBC gets global recognition for sustainability impact
I’m proud to announce that UBC has been ranked first in the world in university climate action and first in Canada (third in the world) for sustainable cities and communities in the first ever THE University Impact Rankings. UBC was singled out for its “research on climate change, use of energy and preparations for dealing […]
What Music Means to Me
I was speaking to some students the other day and one of them asked “What does music mean to you? Is it just entertainment?” I was nonplussed for a moment. It was quite the question, and I wasn’t really sure how to answer. After a moment’s thought, I replied that music meant everything to me. […]
Thriving Communities: UBC’s Strategic Plan and You
Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Four Seasons Hotel, Vancouver Thank you, Robert, for your kind introduction. Good afternoon, and thank you everyone. It’s an honour to be with you today. I’d like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam, the Squamish and the Tsleil […]
TEDxUBC 2019: #NominateHer
Good morning! A few days ago, a very kind person indicated that he’d like to nominate me for a major prize. He said he felt I deserved it and that it would bring credit and a spotlight on UBC if I were selected as the laureate. I told him I was very flattered but would […]
Annual Giving – Faculty & Staff Appeal
Dear members of the UBC community, In 2017, UBC launched the Blue & Gold Campaign for Students, with the goal of raising $100 million in student support over three years. Since then, thousands of alumni, donors, faculty and staff have come together to support UBC students—making a difference in their lives by helping them to […]
Remarks at the Musqueam Flag Raising Ceremony
Good morning everyone and thank you for coming out today. As you may know, until now, UBC has marked National Indigenous Peoples Day by temporarily raising the flag of its host First Nation in place of the university’s flag. Last Fall, we raised the flag of the Okanagan Nation Alliance permanently at the UBC Okanagan […]
Raising the Musqueam Flag: Acknowledging the past, recognizing our future responsibilities
Students, faculty, staff and visitors at UBC’s Vancouver campus may have noticed, and wondered, about the three flag poles standing bare at the foot of Student Union Boulevard. Wonder no more. On Monday, February 25, three flags will be raised at the site – the UBC flag, the provincial flag and the flag of […]
UBC Medicine: Looking to the Next 70 Years
Alan Bernstein Distinguished Lecture, Vancouver, BC (PDF: 2019 02 08 Alan Bernstein Distinguished Lecture) Good morning and thank you. It is an honour to be invited to give the Alan Bernstein Distinguished Lecture. Bernstein was the founding president of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and Executive Director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise. In […]
School Community Mental Health Conference 2019 Remarks
Vancouver, BC Thank you, Minister. Happy to be here and to discuss this important topic; one that is important to our country, to UBC, and to me personally. Mental health is a significant issue: one in five Canadians will have a mental health problem or illness this year. It’s a world-wide problem too, with growing […]
UBC Connects: Connecting UBC to the community
What do a bestselling novelist, a world-renowned physicist, a futurist and an Indigenous activist-athlete have in common? They are all “provocateurs” who are shaping the way people think about a broad range of issues. And they all participated in the first season of the UBC Connects speaker series last year. The talks by novelist Isabel […]
Episode 5: No More Silos
On the fifth episode of The Blue and Goldcast, Santa and Jen meet two professors who are charting a new path for higher education in Canada. Dave Ng, a biologist and associate director of the Michael Smith Laboratories and Allen Sens, a Professor of Teaching in UBC’s political science department teach ASIC 200, a class […]