Ministry Objectives

1.1   Align post-secondary education training and programs with labour market demand to achieve a highly skilled workforce

1.2   Respond and adapt to the diverse and changing needs of students

1.3 Increase participation and successful completion of all students

UBC Select Strategies

• Periodic department and curriculum reviews are part of ongoing planning and always attend to student demand
• Faculties continuously monitor student demand, labor market and sector needs to add new programs and to close or reduce programs
• To ensure program relevance and adaptability to changing industry and labor needs, faculties and departments have advisory councils or committees with representatives from professional associations and related sectors
• With advances in how people learn, technology and a desire for flexibility and life-long learning, UBC continues to expand its university-wide Flexible Learning Initiative
• An open call for proposals from faculty members for central support for flexible learning initiatives resulted in 65 submissions, 40 selected to receive funding, potential reach is 10,000 students
• 4 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were delivered, with the first MOOC on gaming theory attracting over 100,000 students. A second competition was held to develop another 4 courses that will launch in fall 2014
• Student health and wellbeing initiatives are underway, including a mental health and wellbeing strategy to support students in succeeding at UBC
• Early Alert, a program for triage and early identification of students at risk of not completing was implemented, with over 1,000 staff and faculty trained
• Broad based admissions are in place in all of UBC’s undergraduate programs to better align student aspirations with academic goals
• Each entering student is assigned an Enrolment Services Specialist who will stay with them throughout their time at UBC
• 74% of graduating students participate in experiential learning opportunities (international learning opportunities, internships, co-ops, service learning, research based experiences, leadership and professional skills development

Ministry Objectives

2.1 Develop a highly internationalized educational system

2.2 Build on current strengths to enhance the quality of our post-secondary education

UBC Select Strategies

• UBC collaborates across the system through leadership in the Research Universities Council of BC, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and the U15 group of research universities
• University level international partnerships include APRU, U21, Max Planck Society, Fraunhofer Institute and Science Po
• Collaborations are also built through research partnerships with other universities, government and the private sector. Examples include:

o    Extractive industries (UBC/SFU)
o    Composite Research Network with University of Victoria, University of the Fraser Valley and the Composites Innovation Centre in Winnipeg
o    IC-IMPACTS (UBC, University of Toronto, University of Alberta)
o    Cultural Evolution of Regional Research Consortium (UBC, SFU, Oxford, Aarhus University)
o    Evidence to Excellence partnership with UBC, BC Ministry of Health, BC Patient Safety and Quality Council

• Examples of teaching program collaboration include UBC, SFU, BCIT and Emily Carr awarding joint degrees in the Masters of Digital Media Program at Great Northern Way; and the UBC Langara Aboriginal Transfer Program to provide Aboriginal learners a pathway from college to university
• Vantage College, opening in September 2014, is an international college to increase access to higher education for international students
• The Vancouver School of Economics was established with 685 applications received for 80 student spaces in year one
• A China Council was set up to develop deeper relationships between UBC and China
• A strategic cooperation agreement with the City of Chongqing will include joint development of academic initiatives and curricula; collaborative research; and joint development of teaching and learning initiatives
• The Indian government approved UBC’s Delhi office, which was officially opened in Feb 2014
• International students at UBC come from over 150 countries and represent 14% of the undergraduates, 25% of Masters students and 40% of graduate students at the Vancouver campus and 9% of the undergraduates, 18% of the Masters students and 37% of the graduate studentsat the Okanagan campus
• Continue to work with other post-secondary institutions to support international mobility partnerships and now has 261 student mobility partnerships in 41 countries
• UBC students engaged in international learning opportunities in 71 countries, with 23% of undergraduates participating in an international university experience

Ministry Objectives

3.1 Lead a post-secondary education system that is strong, accountable, transparent, flexible and delivers value

3.2 Foster knowledge development to support the creation of new ideas and solutions to a range of economic, social, scientific and environmental issues

3.3 Use and provide quality information for decision making and better societal outcomes

UBC Select Strategies

• The University attracted over $564M in research funds to develop new ideas and solutions
• In addition to faculty research, UBC partners with government and non-profit agencies (1052 projects valued at $109M) and is engaged with 821 industry partners in research-related activities
• There were 8,442 research projects, 98 patents issued, 128 invention disclosures and 3 new spin-off companies (cumulative 161)
• Knowledge was shared through scholarly outputs including 7,500 published papers; 44% UBC papers have an international co-author
• Life Sciences research at UBC is ranked first in Canada and 23rd worldwide
• UBC was awarded a Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Quantum Materials and Devices, valued at $10 million over 7 years
• Through advocacy efforts led by UBC, the University of Toronto and McGill, the federal government announced the $1.5 billion Canada First Research Excellence Fund in its Economic Action Plan 2014
• Discoveries are moved into communities to improve societal outcomes, e.g. HIV/AIDS research being put into practice has resulted in a 90% reduction in mortality rates; personalized cancer genomic medical approaches improve cancer outcomes
• UBC launched an Innovation Strategy to maximize economic and societal benefits through knowledge transfer beyond the core academic mission
• UBC offers student-directed and experiential learning in intercultural understanding, for example:
• • Tandem Language Exchange
  • UBC Community Learning Initiative
• UBC’s Access and Diversity departments foster an inclusive and welcoming learning and living environment
• UBC’s Access and Diversity departments foster and inclusive and welcoming learning and living environment
• The Equipment Accommodation Fund and Equity Enhancement Fund support the university in attaining educational and employment equity goals
• UBC Board of Governors approved a presented a 10-year planning budget; all financial reports are available online
• An Integrated Reporting initiative is underway to provide measurements at all levels of the organization, click here for metrics related to Place and Promise: The UBC Plan
• The Community Learning Initiative supports student and faculty engagement with over 200 community organizations including non-profits, schools and small businesses
• The Peter Wall Solutions Initiative focuses on practical solutions to societal problems; projects must demonstrate active participation and engagement from a targeted end-user or community

Ministry

A supportive environment and a sense of shared purpose that builds on our strengths and transcends change

UBC Select Strategies

• Focus on People: Workplace Practices at UBC is a framework towards the realization of the University’s values, setting out strategies and corresponding initiatives to create an outstanding work environment for staff and faculty members
• A workplace experiences survey is conducted every 3 years and informs actions to achieving our outstanding work environment commitment
• UBC fosters a learning environment and provides training through leadership and management programs and professional development opportunities
• UBC supports a sustainable, healthy workplace through programs including the physical environment, respectful workplace, equity, and awareness and education on mental health issues