June 29, 2022

Welcome everyone who is joining our meeting here and to those who may be joining via Livestream as we convene this Board of Governors meeting at our Okanagan campus.  We have not been here for so long because of the pandemic, and it is wonderful to be back, especially at this time of year.

Please join me in welcoming Okanagan Nation member Krystal Lezard from Westbank First Nation, who will be singing the Okanagan song.

I would like to acknowledge that the beautiful UBC Okanagan campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation.  I would also like to acknowledge UBC’s Vancouver campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Musqueam people.  Many Board and UBC community members may be joining us remotely today from many places, near and far, and we acknowledge the traditional owners and caretakers of those lands.

We are very fortunate to be able to convene here in the Okanagan, after a two-year hiatus from travel with the Board.  Over my four and a half years on the Board, I’ve learned that UBCO truly is a unique place.

I would like to thank the Administration for their hospitality, including a campus tour and community reception yesterday, which highlighted the impressive growth and development of the Okanagan campus, as well as future opportunities.

At UBCO, students can pursue their education at one of the world’s top universities, and do so in a close-knit, empowering campus environment.

During the pandemic, UBC Okanagan has achieved many things. Enrolment has grown to nearly 12,000 students; 1 in every 6 UBC students attends classes here in the Okanagan.

Annual research funding at UBCO is now more than $46 million, a fact which makes UBC the second-ranked research university in Canada (by annual research funding).  Without UBCO, UBC would fall to third place!

Exciting new academic programs have been launched, including a Bachelor of Sustainability and the Bachelor of Nsyilxcn (In-silk-sen) Language Fluency, Canada’s first bachelor’s degree of Indigenous language fluency.  New and expanded programs are also coming online to meet the demands of the burgeoning Okanagan tech sector and the significant needs of our health system, and the Board was excited last night to hear more about UBCO’s ambitions for its future expansion in the downtown Kelowna core.

The Board is very proud of the achievements of the UBC Okanagan campus in providing excellent education, and delivering ground-breaking and impactful research while deepening our relationships with the community.  Thank you to all those who are contributing to this thriving campus.

Today we will hear directly from students at UBCO and some of the high-impact practices in place to support student experience.

I’d like to acknowledge that it’s Pride Month, an opportunity to celebrate with and to show our respect to community members who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two spirited.  Inclusion is one of the overarching themes at UBC.  Pride Month embodies our core values and everything we strive to do in building an inclusive culture.

June is also Indigenous History month, a time to honour the diverse histories and cultures of Indigenous peoples across Canada and the strengths, contributions, and resilience of Indigenous communities.  For non-Indigenous people, it is an important time to listen, learn and reflect.  UBC is grateful for our partnerships with Indigenous community members on whose traditional lands the university exists and throughout the Province.  As we work to uphold UBC’s purpose, the full inclusion of Indigenous perspectives is critical to the advancement of a sustainable and just society, and to the pursuit of reconciliation.

We have a very important and strategic discussion today in open session, to receive and discuss the Report and Recommendations from the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Task Force.  This Task Force was convened by the President in support of UBC’s pursuit of Inclusive Excellence, and in acknowledgement that racism exists at UBC and impacts Indigenous, Black and People of Colour faculty, students and staff.  The ARIE report provides recommendations for addressing institutional and other forms of racism and to promote inclusive excellence in all that we do.

On behalf of the Board, we offer our heartfelt congratulations to all those who graduated from UBC this spring.  Achieving this milestone is something to be celebrated!  We wish you all the best in carrying forward what you have learned here at UBC, and know that you will continue to inspire people, ideas and actions for a better world.

As we always do, I would like to acknowledge three faculty members of notable distinction, all of whom are from the Okanagan campus:

  • In the research category we have Abbas Milani who is a Professor in the School of Engineering and Director of Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute. Dr. Milani received the UBC Okanagan Researcher of the Year award in 2015 and the Killam Research Fellowship in 2016. Most recently, in 2020, Milani was named a new member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.  Dr. Milani’s study is in the area of modeling, simulation and optimization of engineering materials. His research has designed lighter and stronger materials for aerospace industry leaders such as Bombardier and Boeing.
  • In the service category we recognize Jeffrey Andrews who is an Associate Professor in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science. Dr. Andrews was recently elected the 2022-2023 President of the Classification Society, a nonprofit interdisciplinary and international organization focused on promoting the study of the classification and disseminating scientific and educational information.  As a teacher of statistics and data science, Dr. Andrews leads students through methods to quantify information, draw useful conclusions and make accurate predictions.
  • In the teaching category we congratulate Jordan Stouck, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Teaching in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. Dr. Stouck’s dedication to teaching was recognized in 2021 when she was awarded the Provost’s Teaching Excellence and Innovation Award. Dr. Stouck has demonstrated the value of community and the creation of learning outcomes aligned with assessment tools that ensure stable and equitable delivery of courses.

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.

I will note this is the first Board meeting in which Karamjeet Heer and John Metras are serving in their new roles as Interim Vice-President Finance and Interim Vice-President Operations respectively.  Congratulations on your new roles.

I would like to acknowledge that Lisa Pankratz will be retiring as chair of the Board of Directors of UBC IMANT.  During her service, Lisa has overseen a fulsome governance review of UBC IMANT, the hiring of CEO Dawn Jia, and the strategic development of UBC’s Responsible Investing Policy.  Our thanks go out to you, Lisa, for your years of service, and we wish you well in your future endeavours.  Welcome to incoming Chair Gord MacDougall.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge and thank Governor Raghwa Gopal, who is finishing his final term and six years of service on the Board of Governors in July 2022.  Raghwa has embodied wisdom and compassion in his work with this Board.  He served through the reappointment of President Ono, the undertaking of complex and challenging technology adoption, and has been a strong advocate for the development of the UBCO campus.  Additionally, he has served on the IT Advisory committee, and as a committee vice-chair and Board vice-chair.  Raghwa, your presence at the Board table will be very missed.