I would like to acknowledge that UBC’s Vancouver campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Musqueam people, and that UBC’s Okanagan campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation. Board members and others are joining us remotely from many places near and far, and I’d like to acknowledge the traditional owners and caretakers of those lands as well.
I would like to welcome our two newest Board members to their first meeting. Dr. Charles Menzies is a familiar face; he is a Professor of Anthropology and has been elected by the faculty members of the Vancouver Campus to serve on the Board for the next three years. He also served on the Board in this capacity from 2017 to 2020. Welcome back Charles!
Matthew Tan, who is Associate Director of Partnerships in Athletics and Recreation, has been elected by the staff members of the Vancouver campus. Welcome Matthew! We look forward to working with you both. Congratulations on being elected to the Board, and congratulations to Dr. Anna Kindler who has been elected to a second term by the faculty members of the Vancouver campus.
Today also marks the end of term for our elected student members, Max Holmes, Georgia Yee and Tashia Kootenayoo. Thank you all for your contributions and service. Tashia has been a member of the Board since April of 2022; Georgia has been with us for the past two years and Max has been a member of the Board since 2019 and is one of our longest-serving students. I’d like to acknowledge in particular, Tashia’s strong contributions to the Governance committee, Georgia’s passionate advocacy for student wellness and accessibility, and Max for his significant contributions to Campus Vision 2050, issues of affordability and housing, among many others. It has been a pleasure to work with you all and we wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
It will be a year of many transitions for the Board as we welcome three newly elected students next month, and newly elected staff and faculty representatives from the Okanagan campus in September.
We also welcome to his first Board of Governors meeting UBC’s new Vice-President Finance and Operations, Frank Laezza. Welcome Frank! We look forward to working with you.
As this is our first major meeting since a new Minister was appointed, I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate our new Minister of Post-Secondary and Future Skills, Minister Selina Robinson. We look forward to working with the Minister and her team and having the opportunity to meet with her in the near future.
Now, as we always do, I would like to acknowledge three faculty members of notable distinction:
- In the research category we have Professor Saima Hirani, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing in the Faculty of Applied Science who was named the Outstanding Woman Researcher in Mental Health Promotion by the Centre for Advanced Research and Design (CARD) of Venus International Foundation (VIF). This award recognizes exceptional contributions to fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights. Hirani’s research interests relate to mental health and mental health promotion, particularly for vulnerable and high-risk populations.
- In the service category we recognize Professor Rebecca Paluch for being named an Untapped Workplace Inclusion Champion by the Open Door Group, one of BC’s largest not-for-profit providers of employment services focused on building equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI). Dr. Paluch’s research is focused on EDI in organizations as well as the changing nature of employment relationships and careers. Since joining the Sauder School in 2019, she has been a sought-after voice in the local and national media on subjects related to EDI and human resources.
- In the teaching category we congratulate José Rodríguez Núñez, Associate Professor of Teaching in Chemistry for receiving the 2023 Margaret-Ann Armour Award for Early Career Chemistry Education. This award is presented in memory of Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour, OC as a mark of recognition to an early career educator who has made an outstanding contribution in Canada to undergraduate education in Chemistry. Dr. Núñez has demonstrated sustained teaching excellence specializing in analytical and materials chemistry education. His friendly demeanor and dedication to student mentorship have undoubtedly enriched UBC.
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.
Lastly, I wanted to say a few words about the decision on the budget we are presented with today.
Following discussions during the Finance Committee’s closed session, UBC administrators requested extra time to revise the draft 2023-2024 budget and proposed Trek Endowment spending increase and so the 2023-2024 budget presentation and approval was deferred to a future meeting to be held in April.
I wanted to affirm that UBC’s overall financial health remains strong, and that the Finance Committee and Board appreciate all of the hard work of the Administration in preparing the draft budget, as well as their responsiveness to the discussions held at the Finance Committee.
Following its meeting of March 22, the Finance Committee recommended that UBC continue 2022-2023 base budget allocations and release $800,000 for food security initiatives. This decision is on our agenda today.
We look forward to receiving a revised budget for consideration in April.
