One of my top priorities over the coming academic year will be the development of a new vision and strategic plan for UBC.
UBC has been extremely well served by Place and Promise, the plan introduced in 2009 by President Stephen Toope; since then, however, the world has changed in many ways, and our university needs to revisit its goals and priorities to reflect those changes.
Accordingly, over the next several months we intend to consult as widely as possible to determine how the students, faculty, and staff of UBC may best engage to meet the needs and aspirations of the people of British Columbia and Canada, and how we may move an already outstanding institution from excellence to eminence.
To assist us in handling the logistics of a complex and many-faceted process, we shall engage a dedicated team with experience in this area, to be selected by a committee comprising representatives of faculty, staff, students, and alumni from Vancouver and the Okanagan.
Once that step has been taken, we shall publish a program and a timeline to govern the process of consultation. Our plan is to issue a consultation document in the fall, and to use that as the basis for discussion and dialogue as we begin to develop a draft vision early in the New Year.
Whatever the nature of your relationship with UBC, I encourage you to take part in the shaping of UBC’s future. As a centre of learning and research, UBC has already achieved great things and is recognized worldwide; to preserve and enhance that reputation, we need to move to the next level by making strategic investments in the people who form our community.
Once the consultation process is underway, we shall invite you contact us with your comments and suggestions. Meanwhile, please feel free to share your views with me at presidents.office@ubc.ca, or contact me via Twitter or Instagram (my handle is @ubcprez).
Professor Santa J. Ono
President and Vice-Chancellor