I would like to open by congratulating our new Minister of Advanced Education and proud UBC alumna, the Honourable Anne Kang, on her appointment. President Ono and I were fortunate to meet with Minister Kang a couple of weeks ago to share UBC’s vision and priorities, as they align with the Minister’s mandate. We also specifically spoke about the University’s response to COVID-19, emphasizing that health and safety has been at the forefront of all decisions, and that UBC students, faculty, staff and administration have all stepped up to challenges presented by the pandemic and are adapting as the situation changes day by day. The Minister specifically asked that we relay her deep thanks to the UBC community for coming together and for your hard work throughout the pandemic.
As we approach the end of the University’s fiscal year, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the advancement of UBC’s goals over the past year and consider plans for the coming year ahead.
Today, we will receive an update from President and Vice-Chancellor Santa Ono, on the progress made this year on UBC’s strategic plan, Shaping UBC’s Next Century. In addition to managing through the pandemic, this year’s focus has been on five strategic goals, including;
- Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Research through academic renewal
- Inclusive Excellence and Anti-racism
- Implementation of the Indigenous Strategic Plan and Reconciliation
- Climate Action and Sustainability
- Operational Excellence
I should note that while all of these strategic goals required specific actions this year, each of them will be a multi-year journey with annual objectives and milestones to measure progress.
Our committee meetings this cycle were very much focused on these topics. I will highlight three notable items. In the Learning & Research Committee we had a presentation by members of the black student caucus, sharing their experiences as black students at UBC along with their recommendations for action. I would like to thank Adeerya Johnson, Binta Sesay, Dinah Holliday and Rebecca Barkley Nguinambaye for their powerful and engaging presentation to the Board to enable us to gain more knowledge and awareness. In the Indigenous Engagement Committee we heard from Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond on her report “In Plain Sight” documenting the stereotyping, racism and profiling of Indigenous people’s in the BC Health System, and the areas of action that the Faculty of Medicine is taking to address the findings in her report.
In the Sustainability Committee we received the report and recommendations of the Climate Emergency Task Force formed early last year after President Ono declared a climate emergency. We are very thankful to all of the members of this task force and the entire community who took the time to share their thoughtful input. The report contains a clear and actionable set of recommendations to advance UBC’s response to the climate emergency.
At today’s Board meeting, we will continue on this theme of strategy advancement. We are very fortunate to have two Deans joining us:
We will hear from the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Meigan Aronson, on the refresh of that faculty’s strategic plan and how it supports UBC’s overall strategy.
We will also hear from the Dean of Education, Blye Frank, who led the task force on cross-campus collaboration to consider strategies to optimize and leverage the unique strengths of our Okanagan and Vancouver campuses.
Before we move into those presentations, as we always do, I would like to acknowledge three faculty members of notable distinction at UBC.
In the Research category we have Professor Claire Kremen from the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability who was honoured with the Volvo Environment Prize by the Volvo Environment Prize Foundation. Considered one of the scientific world’s most respected environmental awards, Kremen is recognized for her world-class research on how humanity can feed itself while also protecting biodiversity. Professor Kremen’s work on diversified farming systems and conservation has helped us to understand how the increasingly globalized food system affects biodiversity, sustainability and equity. A key focus of her research work involves changing working lands – agriculture, forestry and ranches – to more diverse landscapes to preserve biodiversity.
In the Teaching category we have Professor Karthik Pattabiraman from Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dr. Pattabiraman joined UBC in 2010 after spending a post-doctoral year at Microsoft Research (Redmond). Dr. Pattabiraman teaches both undergraduate and graduate course in topics that include web applications, software engineering and the Internet of Things. His research specialties lie in fault-tolerant and secure systems, software engineering, and compilers.
Prof. Pattabiraman has received the UBC Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring. His students describe him as an outstanding coach and mentor who spares no effort to cultivate their own interests and potential and to support their growth and success as scholars. He makes conscious efforts to foster a culture of excellence, openness, respect and collegiality with and among his students. He understands the ability, passions, personality, and career plan of each student, what makes them motivated and productive, and encourages them to give back to society.
In the Service category we have Professor Elizabeth Saewyc, who is also the Directory of the School of Nursing on the Vancouver Campus. Dr. Saewyc joined the UBC School of Nursing in 2004.In addition to her administrative and academic work in Nursing, she is Executive Director of the Stigma and Resilience among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC) at UBC.
Prof. Saewyc is an internationally recognized leader in research about marginalized adolescents. She regularly consults for the World Health Organization and other agencies. As a recent recipient of the Sexual Health Champion award, Dr. Saewyc and the team at the Youth Centre are recognized for their research, education, and advocacy around young people’s sexual health. The Youth Centre’s research focuses on how stigma and trauma influence health, and what protective factors and interventions can foster resilience and health equity.
To these distinguished faculty members, and the others whose research, scholarship, teaching and other academic contributions have recently been recognized, we offer our recognition and appreciation.
Before I turn to President Ono for his remarks, I would like to say a few words of thanks to two student Governors who are attending their final meeting as Governors today. First is Governor Jassim Naqvi, elected to the Board by UBC Okanagan students. Jassim has been a strong advocate for Okanagan students and cross-campus synergies during his one-year term, and over the last few Board cycles stepped in as Vice-Chair of the Learning & Research Committee. Jassim will be graduating this spring with his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry.
Also leaving the Board is Governor Jeanie Malone, who is completing an unprecedented fourth term. Jeanie has been a strong voice for UBC’s equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and was a leader on the Board in the University’s implementation of Policy 131 (now known as Policy SC17), regarding sexual violence prevention. Jeanie provided leadership to ensure that the policy was not only adopted, but was embedded across the University. She was also an advocate and supporter of collaboration between the SVPRO and SASC offices, to ensure that victims were well supported however they chose to seek help. Jeanie is leaving the Board to complete her PhD in the School of Biomedical Engineering A graduate from UBC’s Electrical Engineering program, Jeanie develops and validates optical tools for the early detection and management of cancer. Her work explores the potential of optical coherence tomography and imaging for ovarian cancer detection.
On behalf of the Board and Administration, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Jeanie and Jassim for your service to the University and wish you both well in your future endeavors – we will be watching you!
