I would like to acknowledge that UBC’s Vancouver campus is situated on the ancestral and 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.
On Tuesday, September 30, we will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also referred to as “Orange Shirt Day”. This day marks a commitment to acknowledging historic injustices to Indigenous peoples, and to support healing and foster understanding.
As we begin a new academic year, we welcome all the new students who are beginning their journey at UBC. And to returning students, and faculty and staff on both campuses, welcome back! On behalf of the Board, I hope the first term of the Winter Session is off to a great start for everyone.
Today we will hear from the leadership of UBC’s student unions: the Students’ Union Okanagan from the Okanagan Campus, and the Graduate Student Society and Alma Mater Society from the Vancouver Campus. These leaders represent our student body, and the Board greatly values these annual presentations, so that we can better understand students’ key priorities.
Now, I would like to acknowledge three faculty members of notable distinction:
- In the research category we recognize Friedrich Götz, Associate Professor of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts for his having received the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science. Rising Stars are individuals whose innovative work has already advanced the field and signals great potential for their continued contributions.
- In the service category we congratulate Taraneh Sowlati, Professor of Wood Science in the Faculty of Forestry for having earned the EDI Excellence Award and Canadian Operational Research Society Excellence Award, for exceptional and meaningful commitment and leadership in advancing equity, diversity and inclusion within the Canadian Operational Research Society
- In the teaching category we recognize Ahmed Hieawy [hi-owie], Associate Professor of Oral Biological & Medical Sciences in the Faculty of Dentistry for having been named as a 3M National Teaching Fellow by the Society for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education. This is Canada’s most prestigious recognition of educational leadership and teaching excellence.
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.
Today, we welcome new Governors to their first Board meeting. New Governors Maryse Harvey and Mike Walker were appointed to the Board by the Province in July. Thank you for joining the Board, Maryse and Mike, we are looking forward to working with you!
I would also like to welcome our new Board Secretary, Juliana Laing, to her first Board meeting in that role. Welcome Juliana!
The Board extends its thanks to Michael Sandler for his service. Michael had been elected to the Board by the Okanagan students earlier this year but has since resigned his position. A by-election is currently underway, and we look forward to welcoming the next Okanagan student Governor at our next meeting.
I would also like to thank Rehan Sadiq, Provost and Vice-President of the Okanagan Campus for all of his work and service on behalf of the Board. Rehan, we wish you all the best as you take on your new role at Nazarbayev University.
All of us had a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another better yesterday at a Board retreat, where we learned more about plans to implement the University’s Refreshed Strategic Plan, that we will be asked to endorse today.
