A new issue of the ‘From the Provost’s Desk’ newsletter is now available. Read the newsletter to learn more about milestones and achievements of our campus community, along with current initiatives from the Office of the Provost.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Student spotlight – Shriya Agrawal
Congratulations to UBC Okanagan’s newest Canada Research Chairs
UBC’s Co-op Student of the Year
International partnership expands: UBCO-Exeter Excellence initiative
PAIR team developing first provincial framework for BC Work Integrated Learning
International partnership expands: UBCO-Exeter Excellence initiative
On December 7, UBC Okanagan and the University of Exeter renewed and expanded the institutions’ Statement of Cooperation to further strengthen the relationship and encourage cooperation in the areas of academic exchange, education and research. Building on previous collaborations, the universities have established the UBCO-Exeter Excellence initiative. This includes the creation of three funding schemes over the next three years, in the form of Initiator and Catalyst Grants and a Visiting Scholar Joint Fellowship Scheme. The grant lines will help academics at Exeter and in UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS) and Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences to tackle research and/or education challenges through collaboration.
“UBC and Exeter are engaging through partnership to address some really vital, shared challenges of our time,” said Exeter’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, External Engagement, Professor Mark Goodwin. “The Excellence initiative will enable people of both institutions to work together and combine their knowledge and expertise to generate new knowledge, new opportunities for faculty and students, and bring impact to our communities.” Dr. Greg Garrard, Associate Dean Research & Graduate Studies, FCCS, who represented UBC at the agreement signing added, “it has been an absolute pleasure to visit the Streatham campus, meet with scholars undertaking innovative research, and renew UBC Okanagan’s partnership with the University of Exeter. I’m confident the joint funding we’re announcing will take our existing collaboration to a new level.”
As you know, the month of May is Asian Heritage Month. It comes to us amidst significant adversities: the unprecedented rise of anti-Asian racism, the scepter of the unrelenting pandemic, the humanitarian crisis in India and so on. And yet even in the face of such daunting realities, we see communities coming together, raising their voices and offering support to one another, within and across borders.
It is with this spirit of coming together that I am writing to invite you to the first-ever Asian Heritage Month at UBC Okanagan. Beginning on May 6, we will hold several virtual events during the four weeks of May. The initiative is inspired by our students . . .
It is my pleasure to announce two outstanding projects that have received funding through the Aspire-2040 Learning Transformations (ALT-2040) fund. This fund supports faculty in transforming the way we teach and learn at UBC Okanagan.
Please join me in congratulating the 2021 ALT-2040 funding recipients:
Committing to a Culture of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Building a Pathway Towards the Development of Culturally Competent BSN Prepared Nurses
Lead applicant: Dr. Manuela Reekie, Faculty of Health and Social Development
This project seeks to address inclusion, diversity and equity in health care through increased cultural competency education for BSN graduates that better prepares them to meet the social, cultural and linguistic needs of patients. Learn more about this project.
Indigenous Land-based Writing and Pedagogy Guide for Students and Instructors
Lead applicant: Dr. Kerrie Charnley, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
This project supports the development of an Indigenous academic writing guide that will assist students and faculty to write in culturally relevant ways within university learning environments and expand faculty understanding of Indigenous pedagogies, including how they can be incorporated into courses and programs. Learn more about this project.
I am heartened to see the commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion exemplified by these two projects. In particular, both projects reflect UBC Okanagan’s commitments in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and I look forward to sharing more about this work as the projects get underway.
It is projects like these that make me truly excited to see what the future holds for UBC Okanagan, and the impact this funding will have on our students, faculty and community. Congratulations to the ALT-2040 2021 recipients.
Sincerely,
Ananya Mukherjee Reed
Provost and Vice-President Academic
UBC Okanagan
Message from Santa J. Ono, President and Vice-Chancellor
Today, Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, provided information for B.C. public post-secondary institutions to guide planning for a return to on-campus activity this fall.
Based on current immunization timelines and vaccine approvals, and with strong and effective safety plans in place, I can confirm that UBC is planning for a return to on-campus activity for Winter Session, Term 1, in September . . .
We have grown significantly since our last newsletterand I am delighted that each of you has made UBC Okanagan your home. Below is a list of new faculty and post-docswho have joined us as of October 2019. I look forward to connecting with each of you virtually and in-person once it is safe to do so.
Faculty
Megan Smith, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Paul Tsopmene, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Amir Ardestani-Jaafari, Faculty of Management
Michael Noonan, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Margaret Eileen Carlyle, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Jessica Lougheed, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
John Cho, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Andrea Craig, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Matthew-Jim D’Elia, Library
Ahmad Al-Dabbagh, Faculty of Applied Science
Conor Pranckevicius, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Elizabeth Keys, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Michael Benoit, Faculty of Applied Science
Babak Mohamadpour Tosarkani, Faculty of Applied Science
Victoria Komisar, Faculty of Applied Science
Madeleine Ransom, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Brendan Dyck, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Brad Epperly, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Alon Eisenstein, Faculty of Applied Science
Meaghan MacNutt, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Post Docs
Emilian Tuca, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Mohamad-Jaafar Nehme, Faculty of Applied Science
Houman Alipooramirabad, Faculty of Applied Science
Chun-Sheng Wang, Faculty of Applied Science
Gehad Mohamed Hossam Abdelaz Makeen, Faculty of Applied Science
Jordan Babando, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Arezoo Hosseini, Faculty of Applied Science
Gholamreza Farzan, Faculty of Applied Science
Jolene Garber, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Milad Kamkar, Faculty of Applied Science
Hashim Islam, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Ehsan Hosseini, Faculty of Applied Science
Amanda Liczner, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Anna Ordog, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Seong Ho Kim, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Shambhu Adhikari, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Saeed Rahbarimanesh, Faculty of Applied Science
Hani Balkhair, Faculty of Applied Science
Syed Asad Hussain, Faculty of Applied Science
Changki Kim, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Madeleine Orr, Faculty of Management
Amrit Paudel, Faculty of Applied Science
Camille Guertin, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Osamah Siddiqui, Faculty of Applied Science
Lecturer
Sylvie Babadjide, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Frazer Atkinson, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Ryan Ard, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Mairi Richter, Faculty of Applied Science
Allison Jensen, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Danielle Robinson, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Evan Habkirk, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Rachel McGraw, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Meilan Ehlert, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Phil Smolenski, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Natalie Funk, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Francois Gauthier, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Jing Li, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Matthew Hamilton, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Angela Finley, School of Education
Vsevolod Lynov, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Roshan Jahangeer, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Laura Hall, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Graham Zilm, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Emma Lind, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Md Abdullah, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Sukhjit Chohan, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
Shelley Weisser, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Stephanie Tobin, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Reza Khanbabaie-Shoub, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Heather McLean, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
James Long, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Chad Fletcher, Faculty of Applied Science
Craig Hostland, Faculty of Applied Science
Graeme Webb, Faculty of Applied Science
Eleonore Goldberg, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
James Phelan, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Tanya Halsall, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Mir Faizal, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Christina Behme, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Science
This webinar featured panelists Dr. Maydianne Andrade, Professor; President, Canadian Black Scientists Network; Co-Chair, Toronto Initiative for Diversity & Excellence; Special Advisor to the Dean, Inclusive Recruitment & Equity Education, University of Toronto Scarborough, Dr.Namandjé Bumpus, E.K. Marshall and Thomas H. Maren Professor and Director, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Dr. Emmanuel Osei, MITACS & Michael Smith Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, UBC.
The talk was followed by a moderated Q&A. Click the link below to watch the recording.
Places throughout the world are facing multiple challenges: climate change, the health and economic insecurities provoked by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the absence of equity, diversity, and inclusion, to name just a few. In the context of such challenges, what do their economic development futures look like? And how can those futures be shaped by citizens, businesses, universities, and governments? What strategies and policies are required to reimagine our economic development pathways over the next 20 years?
This webinar brought together invited speakers to reflect on these questions in three very different contexts, from Europe, North America and South America. The speakers reflected on these experiences and challenges, shared their thinking about the economic development futures they envisage over the next 20 years, and considered what is required for these visions to be realized.
With an increasing need for continued education among those looking to build their knowledge in high-demand fields, UBC Okanagan has launched two micro-credential programs as part of its career and personal education portfolio. The first of their kind at UBCO, the two new micro-credentials will focus on the fields of technical communication and industrial automation.
The new credentials are part of British Columbia’s $4 million in funding for similar initiatives across the province. Both programs are delivered online and credentials will be issued as a non-credit Letter of Proficiency. Learners will receive a traditional paper copy of the credential as well as a digital badge that can be shared on their professional social media profiles. . .
The Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic and UBC Okanagan Library are pleased to announce the 2020/21 OER Grant-funded projects as part of our ongoing commitment to flexible and open learning.
The UBC Okanagan Open Educational Resources Grant pilot program provides funding and support for UBC Okanagan faculty to adapt or create open educational resources (OER). OERs are free teaching and learning materials available to students with an open license that allows for their reuse, revision, and redistribution. Through this funding, a wide range of OERs are being developed that will provide UBC Okanagan students with accessible education resources that will improve their learning experience and potentially offer significant cost savings.
Funded projects include open textbooks, open lab manuals and open question banks. Visit provost.ok.ubc.ca/awards-funding/oer for a full list of funded projects or to learn more about OER.
