Linda Olver

Email: linda.olver@ubc.ca


 

On this page:

Celebrating student successes 2019 Convocation highlights & recognition Interdisciplinary Co-Op Program celebrates first graduating cohort

kyʕaʔaʔmiɬtm   iʔ   aʔ  tsmamayaʔəm   iʔ   scqəɬnwiɬns 

(Celebrating student success)

I was honoured to be part of the Annual Aboriginal Graduation celebration that took place on the evening of June 6th. Two graduating student speakers, Nathan Greyghost, Bachelor of Arts graduate, and Carmen Chelick, Master of Science graduate, shared their educational journeys with 183 guests, including fellow graduating students, their families, community members, faculty and staff.  This year included a special recognition of Grand Chief Stewart Phillip who received a Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa in November, and his wife, Penticton Indian Band Counsellor Joan Phillip.  Both were honoured for the dedication, perseverance, and leadership they have provided to Indigenous Title and Rights. Grand Chief Phillip and Counsellor Phillip were blanketed by Aboriginal Programs and Services Elders in Residence Eric Mitchell and Chris Marchand.

 

2019 Convocation highlights & recognition

In June we celebrated almost 2,000 students as they walked across the stage and accepted their degrees. Over 1,725 students received their undergraduate degrees, while 215 students earned master’s degrees and 40 students obtained doctorates.

 

Interdisciplinary Co-Op Program celebrates first graduating cohort

The UBC Okanagan Co-op Program celebrated its first graduating cohort this year; 38 students conferred their degrees with a co-op distinction. The re-developed cross-campus co-op program was introduced in 2016 and spans many disciplines, including arts and sciences, fine arts, human kinetics, and management. Since 2016, the program has seen continued growth year over year, with a 51% increase in applicants last September.

During the program’s first graduation celebration, two students were recognized as the UBC Okanagan Co-op program’s Students of the Year: Melany Sanchez (BSc) and Jackson Traplin (BA) were recognized for their dedication to their work, curiosity and willingness to dive into new challenges, and their unwavering sense of responsibility and commitment in all they do.

“My co-op experience as a research assistant in the Office of the Provost has not only broadened my workplace skills, but it has instilled in me the confidence to continually strive for excellence in all of my future professional pursuits” says Traplin, one of the award recipients.

Both students truly embody the spirit of Co-op and we are so pleased to recognize their accomplishments as they begin their next chapters. Applications for the 2019-20 intake for the co-op program will begin September 1st.

Next Section: Faculty and Staff Success

On this page:

Teaching excellence celebrated  Stephanie McKeown acclaimed president of Canadian Institutional Research and Planning Association

Teaching excellence celebrated

Three UBC Okanagan faculty were recognized at the 2019 teaching excellence awards ceremony for their passion for—and innovative approaches to— teaching and learning. Jonathan Holzman, Professor in the School of Engineering received the Killam Teaching Prize. Andis Klegeris, Professor in the Department of Biology, Irving K Barber School of Arts and Sciences and Sally Willis-Stewart, Senior Instructor and Director of the Nutrition Education Centre in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development, received Teaching Excellence and Innovation Awards.
Learn more…

Stephanie McKeown acclaimed president of Canadian Institutional Research and Planning Association

Stephanie McKeown, Chief Institutional Research Officer, UBC, is going to commence her role as President of The Canadian Institutional Research and Planning Association (CIRPA) in October 2019. CIRPA is a Canadian association working to promote and advance the study and practice of institutional research and planning. We wish Stephanie every success in this important role.

Next Section: Welcoming New Appointments

Welcome to the following new faculty members joining UBC Okanagan this summer (as of July 1, 2019):

Irving K. Barber School of Arts & Sciences

  • Shannon Ward
  • Tim Paulson
  • Kelly Struthers Montford
  • Neha Gupta
  • Rebecca Feldman
  • Jamie Piercy
  • Piotr Ahmad
  • Halina Sapeha
  • Manfred Elfstrom
  • Deana Simonetto
  • Alex Hill
  • Maxime Heroux-Legault

Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies  

  • Anita Chaudhuri

Library

  • Donna Langille

Health and Exercise Science

  • John Sasso

School of Nursing

  • Katrina Plamondon
  • Laura Struik
  • Sana Shahram

School of Education

  • Sandra Balascak
  • Lindsay Schroeder
  • Audrey Hystad

Next Section: Excellence Fund Initiatives

On this page:

New initiatives to transform student learning Inspiring spaces Makerspace leadership
Public Humanities Hub – Okanagan Press Play! Research creation, arts entrepreneurship, and the digital archive Student learning hub
Enhanced support to WorkStudy Program Research services expansion Introducing the ALT-2040 Fund

New initiatives to transform student learning

Four new collaborative projects received Aspire Learning and Teaching (ALT) funding in 2019—funding that strives to transform student learning through supporting program-level curriculum innovation. This year’s projects reflect a priority focus on enhanced experiential learning opportunities, increased flexibility through delivery models, and incorporating a learner-centered practice and open education resources. Congratulations to project leads: Ernest Goh, School of Engineering; Allison Hargreaves, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies; Sajni Lacey, UBC Okanagan Library; and Jennifer Jakobi, Faculty of Health and Social Development.

Some changes are coming to the ALT program— see below!

Several other initiatives have been funded and I am eager to see their outcomes:

Inspiring Spaces

Addressing UBC’s strategic goals Inspiring Spaces and Inclusive Excellence, Peter Newbury, Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning is leading a project to develop thoughtful and deliberate strategies around the design and use of learning spaces on our campus. This initiative includes the enhancement of one classroom per year for three years in order to create effective and inclusive learning spaces for face-to-face instruction, inter-campus courses, internationalization of courses, and much more.

Makerspace Leadership

Makerspace is an open access workspace on campus equipped with a wide range of machines and tools designed to allow users to bring their ideas to life. Heather Berringer, Associate Provost Learning Services, is leading a new project targeted at developing hands-on leadership to ensure the program continues to grow and create new opportunities for increased usage and engagement.

Public Humanities Hub – Okanagan

The Public Humanities Hub – Okanagan, led by Greg Garrard, will contribute to UBC’s strategies around research excellence by furthering research opportunities in the humanities and highlighting the impactful research (present and future) done on our campus. This pilot project, in conjunction with a sister pilot project in Vancouver, will foster research relationships with external partners, build internal connections between our campuses and support the research culture at UBC.

Press Play! Research Creation, Arts Entrepreneurship, and the Digital Archive

This project, led by Karis Shearer and Emily Murphy, sits in the overlapping spheres of transformative learning and research creation, key goals of UBC’s Strategic Plan. “Press Play!” gives undergraduate students an opportunity to pitch and execute a research creation project centered on creating a digital archive of previously unrecorded materials.

Student Learning Hub

Scheduled to open in September 2019, this new academic space will streamline undergraduate student access to academic supports in a single, high-profile physical and online location, in order to remove boundaries and provide seamless access to students. The enhanced student learning hub will enable and inspire student success through quality, peer-supported learning programs, including support for writing, languages, math, science, and the campus Supplemental Learning program.

Enhanced Support to WorkStudy Program

To address the need for more paid work opportunities on campus the Excellence Fund has supported 14 additional WorkStudy positions on campus for a total of 70 positions. This program is symbiotic for our students, who earn income and valuable career experience, and our campus, which benefits from having a strong student employment presence.

Research Services Expansion

This service expansion creates a storefront that brings together researcher-facing services and tools provided by the Library (including the Centre for Scholarly Communication), Research Computing Services, and the Office of Research Services, and will support a more formalized partnership to better coordinate services and maximize institutional investments. The storefront provides a single point of contact and access to create a more seamless support network for researchers, providing convenient access to the information, tools, and services needed to support the entire research lifecycle.

 

Introducing the ALT-2040 Fund

Myron Campbell, 2018/2019 ALT Fund recipient.

The Aspire Learning and Teaching (ALT) Fund was established in 2015 to support the transformative learning recommendations of the Aspire Vision by encouraging academic program innovation. Over the past four years, 14 projects were funded, engaging faculty members and students in every UBC Okanagan Faculty. In that same time period, the University developed a new strategic plan (Shaping UBC’s Next Century). UBCO responded by setting a bold direction for the campus through Outlook 2040.

As we contemplate the Fund’s fifth year of operation, we want to honour the founding principles of Aspire and bridge to the transformative learning vision of Outlook 2040. To signify this, the full name of the funding opportunity will change to Aspire-2040 Learning Transformations Fund – ALT-2040 Fund for short!

To accelerate our ability to meet the academic innovation expectations embodied in Outlook 2040, the ALT-2040 Fund includes two categories: 1) program enhancement (projects up to $25,000) and 2) program development and transformation (projects up to $100,000). This change creates opportunities for more faculty to access support for engaging in different types of program-level innovation. The ALT-2040 Fund, unlike its predecessor, may be used to develop new academic programs.

With the change in scope, the ALT-2040 Fund is poised to be a tremendous engine to support UBCO’s Outlook 2040 transformative learning goals. Look for the release of the Call for Proposals in September. More information will be available then at http://www.alt-2040.ok.ubc.ca.

Next Section: New Programs

On this page:

New Indigenous language degree underway New programs receive approval First dual-campus engineering program to launch this fall
Non-degree initiatives underway Programs receive accreditation

New indigenous language degree underway

Student Kara Ross saying the opening prayer at the Okanagan Nation Alliance flag raising.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new Indigenous Language Proficiency/Fluency Degree Framework for the Province was recently completed and the creation of a UBC Okanagan Bachelor of Indigenous Language degree is underway. This degree will be undertaken in partnership with several other institutions, including the En’owkin Centre, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, and UBC Vancouver. The degree links into a program commencing at the En’owkin Centre in September 2019, with the first cohort entering UBC Okanagan in 2021. It will focus on language immersion to facilitate the development of high levels of fluency in Nsyilxcn (the language of the Syilx people), creating new opportunities that focus on language learning and communication.

 

New programs receive approval

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two new PhD programs were approved by the Board of Governors in June: a PhD in Nursing, which will prepare outstanding nurses for leadership roles in academic institutions, practice settings, and policy arenas, and a PhD in Computer Science, with diverse research opportunities—from artificial intelligence, to data analytics and software engineering.

 

First dual-campus engineering program to launch this fall  

Technology-assisted teaching and learning in the School of Engineering.

The Faculty of Applied Science is launching its first dual-campus program this fall—a new undergraduate program in manufacturing engineering. The Okanagan campus will focus on production management, while the Vancouver campus will concentrate on production technology, with a goal of solidifying UBC’s role as a centre for digital, automated and advanced manufacturing, as well as create more opportunities for collaboration between the two campuses.

 

Non-degree initiatives underway  

Some exciting new non-degree initiatives are under development that will offer flexible, extended learning opportunities focused on skills acquisition, knowledge enhancement, career progression, and professional development.

Credit-based programs, such as pathway programs to degrees, cross-disciplinary programs, and hybrid undergraduate and graduate programs are being explored. Non-credit based programs are also being examined, such as summer programs for high school students, continuing education for professionals, and pathway programs that link to credit earning programs.

In partnership with Extended Learning on the Vancouver campus, UBC Okanagan will pilot a non-credit, short-term, summer program for high school students in 2020. The program, which will be offered in partnership between faculties and administrative units, will increase summer use of campus and offer opportunities for community engagement and exposure of programs to new audiences.

 

Programs receive accreditation

Accreditation is an essential part of many of the programs that we offer—it is our opportunity to open our doors and show the high standard to which our programs are held. Four programs recently passed their accreditation:

  • The Mechanical, Civil, and Electrical Engineering programs were accredited for a 5 year period by Engineers Canada
  • The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program was successfully accredited by the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia

Next Section: International Initiatives

On this page:

New strategic international partnerships formed UBC International Strategy finishes consultation Engineering welcomes international student summer cohort

New strategic international partnerships formed  

From left: Professor James Clark (Exeter), Dr. Charlotte Tupman (Exeter), Dr. Emily Murphy (UBCO), Dr. Lizzie Williamson (Exeter), Gary Stringer (Exeter), and Dr. Karis Shearer (UBCO).

In May UBC welcomed a delegation visiting from the University of Exeter—an institution that is emerging as a strategic partner for the Okanagan campus, with the following active research collaborations underway across four Okanagan Faculties:

  • Rehan Sadiq, School of Engineering: Water-energy nexus assessment for resilient water infrastructure in Canada and the UK
  • Rob Shave, School of Health and Exercise Sciences: Research and Education Partnerships in Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences
  • Karis Shearer, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies: Digital Humanities Research Internships, joint program of skills development
  • Jonathan Little, School of Health and Exercise Sciences: The role of b-hydroxybutyrate in suppressing exercise and obesity induced inflammation
  • Virginie Magnat, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies & Karen Ragoonaden Okanagan School of Education, Cluster of Research Excellence in Culture, Creativity and Health & Well-Being

A UBC system-wide student mobility agreement with the University of Exeter was also signed during the delegation’s visit, and Okanagan Faculties are keen to develop a strong student exchange program with their counterparts at Exeter.

A Statement of Cooperation was recently signed with FLAME University, India, and the development of student exchange opportunities is in progress. FLAME is the pioneer of liberal education in India and offers unique opportunities for student mobility, such as the Discover India Program—an intensive, experiential program to enable students to explore various facets of Indian culture and heritage.

 

UBC International Strategy finishes consultation

Following the launch of UBC’s new strategic plan: Shaping UBC’s Next Century, the Office of the Vice-Provost, International is developing UBC’s International Strategy. The strategy, expected to be released in late 2019, will help UBC articulate the role and impact of global engagement and will provide guiding values and principles to assist in decision-making related to our international activities, outline focused actions, and articulate resource and asset deployment. The Okanagan campus held an International Strategy workshop in May, with staff, faculty, and students in attendance. The consultation phase is now complete and a draft strategy is being prepared for review.

 

Engineering welcomes international student summer cohort

The School of Engineering will host a cohort of undergraduate students from Northwestern Polytechnical University in China this summer. The group of approximately 30 students will participate in an academic and cultural summer camp on campus, which includes instructional programming in Engineering, as well as social and educational site visits and activities in the local community.

Next Section: Comings and Goings

I would like to thank some of our faculty for their recently completed service in leadership appointments. Thank you to Dr. Patricia Lasserre for her efforts and hard work in supporting the Okanagan campus’ academic strategy in her administrative roles as Associate Dean of Barber School and Associate Provost. Thank you to Dr. Barbara Rutherford for providing leadership and support to the Barber School over the last year in her role as Dean pro tem of the Barber School. Thank you to Dr. Allan Jones, the founding Regional Associate Dean, Interior for his leadership in the Southern Medical Program.  And, last but not least, thank you to Dr. Dwayne Tannant for his leadership during his tenure as Dean pro tem of the College of Graduate Studies. During Dr. Tannant’s tenure, UBC Okanagan saw a significant growth in graduate applications and acceptances, which are outlined among other highlights in the Faculty’s inaugural Annual Report, and I am grateful for his leadership during this time.

I am delighted to welcome a few new faces to the campus leadership team. Effective July 1, 2019, three new interim Dean roles have been appointed. Dr. Jennifer (Jenn) Jakobi, a professor in the Faculty of Health and Social Development’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences, is Dean pro tem, College of Graduate Studies. Dr. Gino DiLabio, a professor and head of the department of chemistry, is the newly appointed Dean pro tem of the Barber School. And finally, Dr. Sarah Brears has recently been appointed as the Southern Medical Program’s Interim Regional Associate Dean, Interior.

Dr. Michael Burgess will be joining the Provost Office September 1 as Associate Provost, Strategy. Dr. Burgess will provide leadership for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for advancing academic innovation in accordance with UBC’s Strategic Plan Shaping the Next Century and Outlook 2040.

Raina Reddecliff, Associate Director, Campus Internationalization in the Provost Office is on a one-year leave. Kirsten Bennett, Manager of EFP in International Programs and Services will be covering her role. We are also pleased to welcome Linda Olver to the Provost team; Linda fills a communications coordinator role shared with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Office.

Next Section: Your Questions

I am often asked how we are addressing the question of student well-being. Obviously, one aspect is the student services we offer, which can be found here https://students.ok.ubc.ca. But equally importantly, we try to approach well-being in a holistic and proactive way; hence the goal to make this campus food secure, to bring well-being into the classroom, to increase work opportunities for students and so on. In the next edition of the newsletter I will provide a more detailed update on these initiatives.

I am also asked about my vision for the campus. I believe that visioning is a collective endeavour and in that sense, Outlook 2040 encapsulates a vision for the campus that I am delighted to embrace. Should you be interested, I have articulated some more thoughts on the my interview which was published on June 24. Thanks to Kate Hunter and her team for publishing this!

Non-credit Program Seed Funding

Competitive seed funding will be available this year to encourage the development of innovative lifelong learning opportunities, as envisioned in Outlook 2040. Funding will be targeted at exploring new programs that will offer non-degree credentials, such as diplomas or certificates. Further details will be available in the summer of 2019.

 

International Initiatives Funding

Speaking to UBC’s core focus area Local and Global Engagement, the Okanagan campus’ international funding opportunities for faculty will be expanded to support a broad range of activities, from program-wide internationalization to strategic partnership development. Details will be announced this Fall.

Dr. Ananya Mukherjee Reed is Provost and Vice-President, Academic, at UBC Okanagan and Professor in the Department of Economics, Philosophy and Political Science at the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences.

An interdisciplinary scholar in the field of Development Studies, Dr. Mukherjee Reed’s work over the past decade has mostly concentrated on inclusive and people-centered development. Her current research project, in collaboration with the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), Geneva, focuses on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the role of universities in social change.

Prior to joining UBC in November 2018, Dr. Mukherjee Reed was Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at York University. During her time at York University, she also served as Associate Vice-President of Research, Chair of the Department of Political Science, and Founding Director of the International Secretariat for Human Development. In 2016, she was named as one of five brilliant women in academia by Canadian Immigrant magazine in their third annual tribute to ‘Immigrant Women of Inspiration’.


Q1

What quality do you most admire in a leader?

AMR: Boldness of vision and an ability to create a sense of possibility. This is particularly important when hope is elusive, and despair seems to get the upper hand. A leader should be able to create a sense of possibility, whatever the perceived constraints are.

Q2

What makes you laugh?

AMR: Very sharp, spontaneous wit.

Q3

Who inspires you, and why?

AMR: I am inspired by everyday people and their struggles. That is where you see how indomitable the human spirit is. I see this especially in our Indigenous youth, and in all of the ways they are providing leadership for the reconciliation that Canada needs. I admire how their vision and efforts are helping us forge a new future.

Q4

For you, what makes UBC different?

AMR: I have watched UBC from afar for many years, and was delighted to take on the role of Provost at UBC Okanagan. There are not many universities which can boast 100 years of eminence as well as a 15-year-old campus with such a strong trajectory of achievement. Its wide range of partnerships begin with Indigenous nations and community partners in Vancouver and the Okanagan and extend to so many different parts of the globe. This sets the context for UBC to co-create knowledge and have a tangible impact in so many fields. In the Okanagan, I have seen how much a research university is cherished by the community. If we are successful in mobilizing that support, it will make UBC even more distinctive.

Q5

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned, in your career to date?

AMR: That one cannot afford to give up. As a university, we are a critically important partner to society in its search for answers to big challenges. We must continue to enrich that partnership.

Q6

How do you like to recharge?

AMR: Good conversations. Especially when my spirits are low, one good conversation is all I need. I am also recharged by simple things — such as a moment to savour the brilliance of the sun or the vastness of the sky. And yes — music and poetry — they are integral to my life.

Q7

What is the best advice you were ever given?

AMR: The best advice I have ever been given is that one can achieve many things, but they do not necessarily bring a sense of fulfilment. Fulfilment is found in pursuing things that are greater than oneself. This is a theme that has been present in my life since childhood, through my parents, grandparents, my teachers and my husband.

Q8

What do you value in your colleagues?

AMR: Their commitment to students and to the mission of the university. I also value a sense of humour. There will always be challenges but one must laugh!

Q9

What do you hope will be your lasting impact at UBC?

AMR: In my work as a critical social scientist, I am motivated by the question of justice. When I reflect on the university through that lens, I ask: “How can justice be instilled in the core of all the activities of a university?”Sometimes an argument is made that universities should pursue ‘excellence’ and ‘excellence’ alone. But when I look at UBC, I see a public institution that is extremely well-positioned to pursue both excellence and justice and demonstrate to the world how these two qualities enhance one another. I would love to contribute in any way I can to advance UBC in its quest for excellence and justice. Of course, there is no single definition or interpretation of the term ‘justice’. Universities can play an important role in creating inclusive conversations about the very meaning of justice. I would be honoured to participate in such a process at UBC.

Q10

If you could have a super power, what would it be?

AMR: To completely take away the destructive power in human beings.

Q11

What are your priorities for the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, at UBC Okanagan?

AMR: An overarching priority is to consolidate the institutional connections between UBC’s two campuses, and harness every possible synergy we can. Only then can we fulfil our public mandate, especially in key areas such as the response to the TRC Calls for Action. UBC Okanagan has been very successful in attracting talent. Now we need the resources to harness that talent, to foster the kind of inclusion we are so deeply committed to, and to offer students an academic experience that is second-to-none. The Okanagan campus is brimming with brilliant ideas. My top priority is to find the resources to bring these ideas to fruition. This is what keeps me awake at night.

Q12

UBC Okanagan is currently in the midst of a planning exercise to map out future needs, and opportunities, for this campus. What role do you see UBC Okanagan playing within higher education, in the next 10 to 20 years?

AMR: This is a very exciting time for UBC Okanagan — I feel so honoured to be here. Our Outlook 2040 was recently endorsed enthusiastically by the Board of Governors, following a similar endorsement by the Okanagan Senate.

This process has reinforced the collective commitment of the campus to work closely with and in support of Indigenous peoples and communities to address the legacy of colonialism. This is key to the future of higher education. ‘Outlook 2040’ also imagines UBC Okanagan as a place where new relationships between disciplines emerge. We are imagining the humanities, the social sciences, the creative fields, the sciences and the professional fields to come together to co-create new thinking on key questions of social importance.

The Outlook also envisions the university as an institution that never closes its doors to anyone who wants to learn — at any stage of one’s life. This is critical at a time when knowledge is evolving so rapidly. Universities must ensure that people are served by the advances in knowledge and not excluded or displaced by them. This means not only that we must rethink our pedagogy, our degree structures, our research practices (etc.), but also engage the public in this process of rethinking.

‘Outlook 2040’ expresses the bold aspirations of a young campus of a globally influential university, entering its next century. If we are successful, the impact on higher education will be significant.

These are big dreams, indeed… but you can’t dream small, can you?