April 9, 2018 Today the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC was opened to the public in a ceremony that included a statement of apology, which I delivered, to Indian residential school survivors and, more generally, to Indigenous people, for the university’s involvement in the system that supported the operation of the […]
On behalf of the University of British Columbia, I want to extend my condolences to the family of Colten Boushie. I also acknowledge that the events surrounding the trial and verdict have caused considerable distress for many Indigenous people, including our faculty, staff and students, and many others. At the University of British Columbia, we […]
On behalf of the University of British Columbia, I am delighted to extend best wishes to The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, P.C. on the occasion of her retirement as the Chief Justice of Canada. Chief Justice McLachlin was the first woman to hold the position of Chief Justice of Canada and she retires from […]
Dear members of the UBC community: Freedom of expression continues to be a major topic of discussion at higher education institutions around North America. Here at UBC we have been encouraging discussion about our own homegrown statement (which can be found on the VP Academic website). As our academic community grows and diversifies, it is […]
Dear members of the UBC community: I am pleased to confirm that we are now entering the next phase of UBC’s strategic planning process. Over the last few months we have conducted a series of events and consultation activities: from open houses on our Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, and other learning and research sites, to […]
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 […]
In recent months we have all sadly witnessed incidents of hate, racism and xenophobia across the globe. Tragedies such as today’s attack in Barcelona, and the unrest in Charlottesville, only serve to remind us that we cannot and must not tolerate hatred and racism. These incidents are antithetical to the very fabric of a just […]
I am shocked and very concerned about yesterday’s assault on a student at Totem Park residence. Right now we are focused on supporting the victim and the victim’s family. We are also deeply concerned for the students who witnessed the assault or who have been affected in any other way and we are providing the help they may need. I appreciate this incident may make some of you feel anxious.