I would like to acknowledge that UBC’s Vancouver campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Musqueam, 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 wanted to begin by noting that today will be the last Board meeting for all three of our student-elected Governors: Eshana Bhangu, Isabella Bravo and Kamil Kanji. I understand that they are all graduating this year.
Eshana Bhangu was elected to the Board by the Vancouver students in 2023 and again in 2024. During her two years of service, Eshana has served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Campus Vision 2050 and Rapid Transit; the Employee Relations Committee; the Executive Committee; the Finance Committee; the Presidential Transition Advisory Committee; and, the UNA-UBC Liaison Committee. Not to mention all of her contributions to the University in student politics outside the Board of Governors. Thank you, Eshana!
Isabella Bravo was elected by the Okanagan students in 2023 and again in 2024, and over her two years of service she has served as a member of the Governance, Learning & Research, and People, Community & International Committees and the Subcommittee to Review the Board’s Committee Structure. She also served as a member and as the Vice-Chair of the Indigenous Engagement Committee. Thank you, Bella!
Kamil Kanji was elected by Vancouver students in 2024 and has served on the Audit, Finance, Property, Indigenous Engagement, Learning & Research, and People Community & International Committees during his time on the Board. Thank you, Kamil!
I think I can speak on behalf of the Board when I say it has been a pleasure to work with all of you! Thank you all for your service and your contributions. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
Congratulations as well to newly elected students Cade Desjarlais and Jasper Lorien from the Vancouver campus, and Michael Sandler from the Okanagan campus. Our newly elected students will begin their terms on April 1st – we look forward to working with you all over the coming year!
I also wanted to acknowledge Julie Wagemakers, who will soon be retiring from her position as the Executive Director of the President’s Office. Julie, we greatly appreciate all the work that goes on behind the scenes and all the support you have given to the Board throughout your many years of dedicated service. We hope you enjoy your well-deserved retirement!
I’d like to extend a welcome to Kirsten Nicholson, who has taken on the role that Julie will be leaving behind. I know Benoit will have more to say, but Kirsten, we look forward to working with you and wish you success in your new role.
UBC’s next Chief Enterprise Risk & Assurance Officer will step into that role in April, and we will welcome her at our next meeting. At this time, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Allen Amyotte for his service in the role of Interim Chief Assurance & Risk Officer for UBC since September 2023. Allen, thank you for stepping into this key role for the past year and a half. We greatly appreciate all that you have done to support the Audit Committee and the Enterprise Risk Assurance & Risk Management functions of the University. Thank you, Allen.
Now, I would like to acknowledge faculty members of notable distinction:
- In the service category we recognize Linguistics Professor Henry Davis from the Faculty of Arts for winning the King Charles III Coronation Medal. This medal is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional service to Canada. Professor Davis has dedicated his career to the study of Indigenous languages in BC and has continuously supported those languages through research, the development of language resources for speech communities, and mentoring students engaged in Indigenous language documentation and revitalization.
- In the teaching category we recognize Associate Dean and Professor of Teaching Manuela Reekie, from the School of Nursing on the Okanagan Campus for receiving the 2024 Excellence in Nursing Education award from the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC. The award is presented to nurses who demonstrate excellence in nursing education in their own work setting. Her educational leadership roles have included significant involvement in the curricula redesign of the UBC Okanagan BSN program, and serving as a member of the Nursing Education Planning Council – Learning Pathway Framework Working Group.
In addition, we recognize UBC’s new University Killam Professors, announced in January 2025.
The University Killam Professorship is the highest honour that UBC can confer on a faculty member. Most recently recognized for their leadership and achievements were:
- Professor Isabel Grant, from the Peter A. Allard School of Law, who is one of Canada’s leading law scholars, specializing in criminal law with a particular focus on violence against women and against people with disabilities. She is the recipient of a Killam Teaching Prize, the Georges A. Goyer, QC Memorial Award for Distinguished Service from the Canada Bar Association, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
- Professor Marco Marra, from the Department of Medical Genetics in the Faculty of Medicine and Michael Smith Laboratories, who has demonstrated the pivotal role that genomics can play in human health and disease research. His research has uncovered new cancer mutations, candidate biomarkers and therapeutic targets, and has been instrumental in demonstrating the functional interplay between the cancer genome and epigenome. Dr. Marra is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of British Columbia, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and a laureate of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
- Professor Jamie Peck, from the Department of Geography in the Faculty of Arts, who is a geographical political economist with research interests in urban and regional restructuring, capitalist transformations, the politics of policy formation, and economic geography. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy, and the recipient of the VautrinLudPrize, Dr. Peck is the founder of the Summer Institute in Economic Geography.
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.
The major item on the Board’s Agenda today is the 2025-2026 Budget for the University. The presentation and materials that we will receive and consider today are the results of months of careful work undertaken across the University. I want to thank our Vice-President Finance & Operations, Frank Laezza and his team, as well as Lesley Cormack, our Deputy Vice-Chancellor, our two Provosts Gage Averill and Rehan Sadiq, and everyone else who contributed to the development of this budget.
