UBC's Okanagan campus launches unprecedented fundraising and alumni engagement campaign UBC's Okanagan campus has kicked off an ambitious campaign to raise $100 million and double the number of alumni engaged in the life of the university by 2015. The campaign, start an evolution, is among the biggest ever to be staged in the B.C. Interior and is part of UBC’s overarching twin-goal campaign with a $1.5 billion fundraising target - the largest in Canadian university history. By combining philanthropic gifts and alumni talents, UBC will enhance student learning, expand research capacity and extend its community engagement initiatives. If you have a passion for a particular issue, there's every likelihood UBC is already involved. You are invited to pursue your passions by actively participating in intellectual, cultural, and social activities – both at UBC and in your community – through volunteering, mentoring, networking, advocacy and/or by donating.
UBC Dialogues sparks lively conversation The UBC Dialogues series began with the goal of bringing the expertise of UBC faculty, staff and alumni to bear on issues of real significance in our communities. Dialogues are meant to spark debate, conversation and contemplation. No question, the recent Kelowna event did just that. A conversation about social sustainability, in the Okanagan and beyond, is one that could – and hopefully will - go on for months, even years. If this is an issue that speaks to you, we invite you to carry on the conversation in your workplace, social and professional groups, with your kids and in the media. By investigating, getting involved with and sharing the ground-breaking UBC research and initiatives that relate to social sustainability, you can be a part of UBC’s greater goal for positive action in the world. If you missed the event, don’t despair. To listen to the podcast please visit the UBC Dialogues: Kelowna website here and can also be viewed on UBCO.TV.
November: Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner? The 2011 Community Builder Award has been dedicated to UBC’s newly launched fundraising and alumni engagement campaign – and all the incredible outcomes that will result from it. This year, the Okanagan alumni chapter committee is putting a new spin on support for the Okanagan Alumni Endowment Fund. Watch for invitations coming soon to Guess Who's Coming for Dinner? – an opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with our community leaders and provocative personalities. Guess Who's Coming for Dinner? offers an exceptional opportunity, not only to support the Okanagan Alumni Endowment Fund, but also to break bread with people you might not otherwise have the chance to talk with, one-on-one. UBC alumni, friends and senior executives – some with hidden talents and expertise – will host dinner parties of six, in their homes. As with the highly successful Alumni Endowment Fund Gala, tickets are $100 per person and include a fabulous meal, wine, engaging conversation, community connections and a fun way to support the students of the Okanagan campus. Hosts and locations will be revealed soon.
Bill Strickland: The Art of Leadership and the Business of Social Change Give people the tools they need, treat them with respect, and they will perform miraculous deeds, says social architect and community leader Bill Strickland. For 30 years, Strickland has transformed thousands of lives, restored faith in ethical leadership, and reshaped the business of social change. As president and CEO of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation -- a jobs training centre and community arts program -- he and his staff work with corporations, community leaders, and schools to give disadvantaged kids and adults the opportunities they need to build a better future. In his Kelowna presentation, Strickland will share a message of leadership, self-worth and the intrinsic ability in all of us to achieve remarkable transformation in our lives. Date: Thursday, November 3, 2011 Seats are free, but online registration is required via the Distinguished Speaker Series website.
WiSE Mentoring Program: Okanagan area The first year of the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Mentoring Program is kicking off this fall at the Okanagan Campus of UBC located in Kelowna! The goal of the program is to support the success of young women transitioning from their undergraduate education to a career in science or engineering; and to prepare and mentor them to remain in scientific careers. We are looking for mentors across all disciplines of engineering in the region. Please go to the website for more information and to complete a mentor application, or contact Amy Swan, WiSE Mentor Liaison - Engineering for more information.
Learn more about volunteer opportunities For information on volunteer opportunities visit UBC's Okanagan Learning Exchange website. To step up as an alumni volunteer, contact Brenda Tournier.
World, meet the Okanagan More students from around the world are experiencing Canadian living at UBC’s Okanagan campus. Last year, 74 countries were represented by international students, on the Okanagan campus, up from 22 in 2005. Konyerem Tobechukwu Achimole-Ibe experienced culture shock in more ways than one when he arrived at UBC’s Okanagan campus from Nigeria last October. The 18-year-old pre-pharmacy student says technology is one of the major educational differences between Canada and home. Here, students mostly work on their own classroom lab equipment, while in Nigeria 15 students might share a piece of equipment. Sometimes there was no equipment for hands-on experience at all and students simply relied on textbook illustrations. Doing everything via computer and the Internet is also a new experience.
New buildings at UBC's Okanagan campus ready for students Classes, offices and living quarters incorporate sustainability features With new labs, classrooms, more learning and living space, engineering and medical students coming to class at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus will get their education in some of the newest, state-of-the-art classrooms on any post-secondary campus. The School of Engineering building (Engineering, Management and Education Complex) and the Purcell residence building both opened with return to classes this fall, while the Health Sciences Centre will be ready for the first intake of 32 students in the Southern Medical Program early in the New Year. The educational buildings incorporate the latest in high-tech teaching tools from lectures being delivered on huge screens from anywhere in the world to the newest energy-saving technologies. The new structures use geothermal process to heat in the winter and cool in the summer, as do all of the academic buildings on campus.
Students encouraged to Get Involved
Volunteer program will benefit students, campus and community |
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UBC Stories at a Glance
- September 12
Social media being used to help young people stop smoking - September 2
University braces for annual mass influx of students
New Alumni Network
Growing pains – were they worth it?
Recently, we’ve been meeting with Okanagan campus alumni in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. These are centres that are home to a large proportion of our students, and centres where many of them naturally return after graduation. It’s fantastic to talk with these grads, see how they’re doing in the ‘real’ world, and hear how our campus has helped to shape who they are. Our alumni are already up to some pretty amazing things.
One of the questions we ask when we’re talking to these grads is how they felt about being, really, our pioneer students – the very first people to learn, play and graduate on the Okanagan campus. There’s no denying, the ‘build-out’, as it’s called, resulted in some growing pains. Our question to alumni – was it worth it?
The answer, inevitably, has been an enthusiastic ‘yes’. Not saying their experience was perfect, but overall, our alumni adapted to an environment that often included the sound of jack hammers, temporary spaces and developing course offerings. They adapted because, outweighing it all, was an educational experience enriched by small class sizes, professors who knew who they were and opportunities for undergraduate research and field work. Not to mention having a hand in creating something great. As students, our alumni reported that they had the opportunity to build the clubs, course unions, activities and special projects they wanted to see. That’s not something you can do at every campus, now is it?
So, was it worth it? Yes it was.
Erica Triggs, BA ‘10
Fifteen questions to consider before joining a board
Separating your personal life from your professional life
How to ace a phone interview
Career Connections
To find out more visit UBC's Okanagan campus Career and Life Planning website.
Also, check out the great career resources offered through UBC's Vancouver campus.
October 2011
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Okanagan campus Continuing Studies
October 13:
Concurrent disorders: Adapting mental health service delivery for Aboriginal communities
Evidence on the effectiveness of service delivery models for concurrent mental disorders experienced by Aboriginal adults will be presented, and recommendations for service integration will be discussed.
Time: 12-1pm
Location: UBC’s Okanagan campus, University Centre room 210
This event is open to the public and is FREE to attend. For more information and access to teleconference details, please contact Kate Woods at 250.807.8072.
October 13:
FCCS Visiting Author Series: playwright Shawn Macdonald
Shawn Macdonald's plays World's Greatest Guy and Prodigal Son have both won the Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Original Script. Prodigal Son is his most recent publication.
Time: 7-8:30pm
Location: Okanagan Regional Library -- 1380 Ellis St., Kelowna
This event is free and open to everyone. To find out more contact the department of Creative Studies at 250-807-9648.
October 20 and 27:
Monsters and Significant Others
This open seminar is designed to explore some key ideas in contemporary critical studies. This year, the themes of monstrosity and otherness are explored, as these have been developed through language, literature, art, film and cultural discourse. How do we come to see "other" than us--"other" than human, "other" than the self--has often bounded our sense of the human.
The classes are part lecture, part discussion, so please come with a willingness to explore. You are welcome no matter what your educational background, as this seminar is designed to instigate questions and stimulate ideas.
Time: Thursdays 7 - 9 pm
Location: Rotary Centre for the Arts, Pacific Safety Boardroom
Upcoming lecture dates: November 10th , November 24th, January 5th, January 19th, February 10th, February 24th, March 8th, March 22rd, April 5th.
Heat ready to take on the best in the West
Men and women’s teams compete in CIS for first time
The Heat will be stepping up the level of competition this year in men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball after officially becoming members of the CIS.
The University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus Heat are ready to meet some of the best intercollegiate teams in the land, and the action begins this fall.This marks the first year the men’s and women’s volleyball and basketball teams will compete in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) after the teams were accepted into the Canada West Universities Athletics Association in May.
Sought-after Terry Fox Secondary School graduate Bret Macdonald says the university joining the CIS provides the level of competition he is after.
Catch the UBC Heat at home in October
With the UBC Heat varsity athletics transition up to the Canada West league, Athletics and Recreation at UBC's Okanagan campus is trying to reach new heights of Heat spirit in the Okanagan.
The Heat are just getting started in October. Find out more by visiting the links below:
- October 15 and 16
Heat Women's and Men’s Soccer Games - October 28 and 29
Heat Women's and Men’s Volleyball Games - October 28-30
2011 PacWest Soccer Provincial Championship - November 4 and 5
Heat Women's and Men’s Volleyball Games
To find out more about the upcoming Heat schedule you can also contact Adam Goodwin at 250-807-8862.
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UBC Events at a Glance
- October 12
Master of Management Info Session - October 13
Distinguished Speaker Series: Dan Buettner - October 18
Coast to Coast Seminar Series: Exploiting sub-structure in non-smooth optimization problems - October 18
Equity and Diversity Research Graduate Student Spotlight: Food Fight - October 19
Smart business, small business - October 24
Latin American film festival: La niña santa - October 26
Men & Depression - November 1
Coast to Coast Seminar Series: Optimization models and methods for radiation therapy treatment planning - November 1
Spanish Film Series: La lengua de las mariposas - November 1
Spanish Film Series: La lengua de las mariposas - November 2
Latin American film festival: Mamachas del Ring