UBC held a simulcast symposium across its Okanagan and Vancouver campuses on September 24 to kick off its new fundraising and alumni engagement campaign.
At the event, UBC President Santa Ono and Deputy-Vice Chancellor UBC Okanagan Principal Lesley Cormack announced 'Forward, the campaign for UBC', a campaign to raise $3 billion and double alumni engagement.
Ono and Cormack discussed a wide range of uses for the funding but focused on research and innovation at UBC. Cormack said some will also specifically go to “needs-based student and affordability programs.”
“Universities have a responsibility to address the immediate issues facing our societies and [focus] on the long view, creating new knowledge required for a better world,” Cormack said.
'Faculty visionaries' from the fields of biomedical engineering, energy sustainability, Indigenous linguistics and more spoke at the event to highlight forward-thinking research at the university.
Dr. Suzanne Simard, professor of forest ecology, discussed her research on protecting old growth trees and their role in preventing climate change.
“We could also reduce the risk of a grim climatic future by one-third simply by caring for our environment,” she said.
Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, associate professor of Indigenous studies, spoke about how Indigenous languages like Nsyilxcn, spoken by the Sylix Okanagan nation, capture history and form cultural identity.
“The health of Sylix people is connected to our language experience,” she said. “The unbearable loss of that experience is felt individually and experienced by our whole community.”
UBC Okanagan has started a bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency program, which Armstrong said is focused on “the deep knowledges of these, our, places.”
Ono thanked the faculty who spoke for helping envision a "bright future" with their work.
Ono said that despite his imminent departure from UBC, he believes the vision of the fundraising campaign will be reached.
“This campaign …. is the collective vision of the entire leadership of the institution.”