Academic Priorities
Who are we academically?
UBC Okanagan has spent its first 20 years establishing itself as a vital part of a top-50 university, offering world class education and research in a unique, student-centered environment.
In 2025, UBCO defined academic priorities for our campus that provide a strong foundation for academic units to work collectively towards a unified vision that will amplify our influence by focusing on transformative engagement with our local and global communities.
What makes UBC Okanagan unique?
- A campus of a top-50 global university, strategically positioned in a growing, entrepreneurial region, a unique pairing that provides students, faculty and staff with deep community connections and access to world-class resources and opportunities.
- A leading economic driver in the region, attracting distinguished faculty and exceptional students while advancing the local economy through job creation, innovation and training a talented workforce.
- UBC Okanagan’s research and creative activity across resilient environments, healthy people, thriving communities and emerging technologies position our campus as a leader in addressing critical regional and global challenges.
- Being located within the BC Interior positions the campus to engage with the region’s distinct challenges and opportunities using a holistic, transdisciplinary approach to sustainability and resilience that informs global, social and ecological issues.
- The campus’ compact size within a strong system enables it to adapt quickly and offer distinct opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and high-impact student experiences, supporting education and research to address complex challenges across multiple domains.
- A strong commitment to fostering reciprocal partnerships with the communities we serve, including local Indigenous nations, to support learning, co-create knowledge and drive regional innovation with global relevance.
Our academic priorities
Resilient people, communities, economies and environments in support of a sustainable future
(Core Academic Focus)
UBC Okanagan approaches resilience as a complex, interdisciplinary challenge that demands insights from across academic domains to foster healthy people, communities, economies and environments. Our research, curricula and creative outputs empower students with the skills and knowledge necessary to tackle one of the most urgent issues of our time—sustaining the planet for future generations.
UBC Okanagan is committed to cultivating and considering diverse expertise, including Indigenous knowledge. By exploring resilience and adaptation through varied lenses, UBC Okanagan equips students with a comprehensive, multi-dimensional understanding of climate and cultural challenges and opportunities, preparing them to lead in building sustainable futures.
The importance of place to inform a global perspective
Our location in the Okanagan, a region confronting diverse climate challenges, deeply shapes and informs our academic mission, as does our historic partnership with the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA). Rooted in the communities of interior British Columbia, UBC Okanagan fosters community-engaged research and applied learning to address critical regional challenges that have global implications. We also work to solve broader global problems by applying a local and experiential lens.
We collaborate through reciprocal relationships with local industries, government institutions, Indigenous communities, cultural organizations and health agencies. UBC Okanagan offers students meaningful, real-world experiences that enrich their education while fostering strong, mutually beneficial partnerships within the community.
Distinctive student experiences that cultivate success
At UBC Okanagan, high-impact student experiences are the foundation of the learning journey, with opportunities spanning classrooms, industries, our communities and the globe. Students at all stages of their learning journey have the unique opportunity to engage in research at a research-intensive university and participate in a vast range of experiential and international study options, ensuring students develop skills in diverse, real-world settings.
Our commitment to student success is reflected in comprehensive academic services and support programs that foster an inclusive and welcoming campus and support critical thinking with integrity. UBC Okanagan is a close-knit community where faculty work alongside students, administrative teams work collaboratively, and everyone is driven by a shared commitment to creating a better future.
How are we implementing these academic priorities?
With a strong foundation in place, we’ve been exploring multi-year strategies to advance the Academic Priorities and support our vision for the future.
For more information, explore the individual strategies below. We’ll be updating them with additional details and engagement opportunities as available.
Strategy 1
Academic Restructure
In process. Anticipated completion: Sept. 2027
Strategy 2
Curricular Transformation
In process.
Strategy 3
Reimagine the Student Experience
In process.
Strategy 4
Research, Innovation and Creative Activity
In process. Anticipated completion: Nov. 2026
How were these priorities determined?
The shifting global context and resulting challenges faced by higher education institutions around the world demanded that we take the aspirations of Outlook 2040 a step further to clearly define who we are academically.
To form this vision, the Okanagan Leadership Council held strategy sessions throughout 2024 where data were analyzed, including external demographic, trend and outcome data, as well as internal data that considered areas of program and research strength. These efforts resulted in the initial draft of the UBC Okanagan Academic Priorities.
Community engagement summary
The Deans shared the resulting positioning with their Faculties and Schools, while input was gathered from students and key groups, including the Indigenous Advisory Council.
Following these consultations, we took the draft priorities to the community for feedback through a series of faculty council meetings and a community-wide survey to ensure the proposed direction resonated with the campus community.
Total responses to the survey
Average positive support for priorities
Responses from Faculty members
Based on the survey responses, we revised the academic priorities to better reflect our community’s collective vision. Adjustments include amplifying the global relevance of our work, revising the language to provide space for a wider range of academic pursuits and expanding on the student experience.