Updates, news and stories

A selection of updates, news and stories from across the university.

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  • Santa J. Ono
    UBCV & UBCO
    14 September, 2020 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Santa J. Ono

    Professor Santa J. Ono was recently appointed to a second term as UBC’s 15th President and Vice-Chancellor. Prior to joining UBC, Professor Ono served as the President of the University of Cincinnati (UC). Earlier in his career, Professor Ono served in a variety of teaching, research and administrative positions at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Schepens Eye Research Institute, University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012, inducted as a member of the National Academy of Inventors in 2014, and inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars in 2015. His principal research interests focus on the immune system and eye disease. During his time at UBC, Professor Ono has led the process to create the university’s strategic plan, Shaping UBC’s Next Century. He also spearheaded initiatives to advance UBC’s strategic priorities, including supporting world-changing research, attracting top faculty members in a wide range of disciplines, and promoting interdisciplinary work across the university. He was instrumental in launching and leading the Blue & Gold Campaign for Students, the largest fundraising campaign for students in UBC history. He has also focussed on strengthening UBC’s commitment to reconciliation, worked to increase diversity and helped further build on UBC’s reputation as a sustainability leader in addressing the climate crisis. Updated 2020. An earlier version of this article was originally published in 2016​.

  • Andrew Parr
    UBCV & UBCO
    17 August, 2020 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Andrew Parr

    Andrew Parr was appointed Associate Vice-President, Student Housing & Community Services in December 2019. His portfolio includes Student Housing, Food Services, UBC Bookstore, Conferences and Accommodation, Parking and Access, Child Care Services and Campus Mail. Prior to becoming AVP, he was the Managing Director of Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS). In his role, Andrew is focused on enhancing the academic and social experience for students and supporting the creation of a strong and fulsome campus community at both Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. This effort also encompasses a desire to drive sustainability, wellbeing, equity and inclusion within his portfolio. Outside of work, Andrew is a west coast explorer and motorcycle enthusiast with a penchant for open-road adventure.

  • Bryce Traister
    UBCO
    24 April, 2020 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Bryce Traister

    Bryce Traister has been at the helm of UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies since the summer of 2017. Although he was born and raised in California, Bryce has spent most of his academic career in Canada, and his roots at UBC run deep. Not only is his spouse a graduate of the UBC Vancouver English department, his father-in-law was also a history professor at UBC Vancouver for more than 30 years. Bryce came to UBC from the University of Western Ontario, where he served as chair of the Department of English and Writing Studies. He is the former director of the Centre for American Studies in the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Western Ontario, and has served as president of the Canadian Association for American Studies and as chair of the International Committee of the American Studies Association. His research interests span a wide range of topics in cultural studies — from transnationalism and globalization to early American religious culture.

  • Adriaan de Jager
    UBCV & UBCO
    5 February, 2020 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Adriaan de Jager

    Adriaan de Jager is UBC’s Associate Vice-President, Government Relations and Community Engagement. In this role, he works with municipal, regional, provincial, and federal levels of government to promote strategic relations, advance key priorities and communicate UBC’s vision. He also works to support the building of respectful relationships with community partners through scholarship, research, and public engagement opportunities. Born in the Netherlands, Adriaan has traveled widely and has worked and studied in the U.K., the Balkans and Central America. Prior to joining UBC, he worked and studied abroad supporting international humanitarian relief efforts, reconciliation and reconstruction. He is also a former board member of the United Nations Association and past Chair of the national Government Relations Officer Network.

  • Meigan Aronson
    UBCV
    4 January, 2020 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Meigan Aronson

    Dr. Meigan Aronson joined UBC as Dean of Science in 2018. She is a physicist by trade, but in her role as Dean, brings a strong commitment to academic leadership, research excellence, and teaching and learning. She is passionate about science and has a deep commitment to the advancement of both her field and the students and faculty within it. Prior to joining the university, Dr. Aronson held the title of Professor of Physics and Dean of the College of Science at Texas A&M University, where she had appointments in both the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. In addition to her extensive publication record, and her list of honours and fellowships, Dr. Aronson has a zest for life, adventure, and travel.

  • Ainsley Carry
    UBCV & UBCO
    5 September, 2019 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Ainsley Carry

    Ainsley Carry came to UBC in April 2019, charged with leading the VP, Students portfolio. He brings with him a wealth of experience, having most recently served as the Vice-President for Student Affairs at the University of Southern California, and at Auburn University before that. A passionate advocate for students, Ainsley is on a mission to create an unparalleled experience for students at UBC. He holds a doctorate in education and a master’s degree in counsellor education, both from the University of Florida.

  • Peter Smailes
    UBCV & UBCO
    4 August, 2019 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Peter Smailes

    Peter Smailes is Vice-President, Finance & Operations. He is responsible for leading the Comptroller department, Financial Operations, Treasury and Safety & Risk Services as well as UBC Facilities (Infrastructure Development, Energy & Water Services, and Building Operations) across the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. As part of his portfolio, he serves as a board member and oversees the university’s relationship with UBC Investment Management Trust, which manages the endowment and staff pension plan, and UBC Properties Trust which develops and manages real estate assets for the benefit of the university. Peter was promoted to Vice-President in July 2018. Prior to that he served as the UBC Treasurer for 10 years and Associate Treasurer for 7 years.

  • Ananya Mukherjee Reed
    UBCO
    4 June, 2019 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Ananya Mukherjee Reed

    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’.

  • Catherine Dauvergne
    UBCV
    4 May, 2019 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Catherine Dauvergne

    Catherine Dauvergne is Dean of the Peter A. Allard School of Law. A life-long legal academic, she has worked in the areas of refugee, immigration, and citizenship law over the past quarter of a century. As a UBC alumna, she clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada, and was named a Fellow of the Trudeau Foundation in recognition of her contributions to public discourse in Canada. She was appointed Dean of the Peter A. Allard School of Law in 2015.

  • Susan E. Parker
    UBCV & UBCO
    4 April, 2019 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Susan E. Parker

    Susan E. Parker joined UBC in September 2017, as University Librarian. In her role, she is responsible for providing strategic oversight of the UBC Library system. She has held a number of leadership roles at Tufts and Harvard Law School (where she knew the young Barack Obama), before moving to California State University, Northridge, as the Associate Dean of the Oviatt Library and Associate Professor. Most recently, she served as the Deputy University Librarian and Chief Financial Officer at the University of California, Los Angeles.

  • Robert Helsley
    UBCV
    4 February, 2019 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Robert Helsley

    Robert Helsley is Dean of UBC Sauder School of Business and Grosvenor Professor of Cities, Business Economics and Public Policy. He joined UBC Sauder as Dean in 2012. Dean Helsley began his career at UBC, and previously served as Senior Associate Dean, Faculty and Research, Director of the UBC Centre for Real Estate and Urban Economics and Chair of the Urban Land Economics division, all within UBC Sauder. Between 2008 and 2012, before returning to UBC, he served at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley as a Professor and Chair in Real Estate Development, and was the Co-chair of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics.

  • Simon Bates
    UBCV
    9 December, 2018 | Leadership one-on-one | Faculty & Staff

    Simon Bates

    Dr. Simon Bates is UBC’s Associate Provost, Teaching and Learning. He provides academic leadership and oversight of the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT), UBC Extended Learning, and the UBC Learning Exchange, and also oversees the development of new programs and curriculum quality assurance. A passionate advocate and champion of technology-led learning, Simon joined UBC in 2012 as the Academic Director of CTLT and as one of the first Professors of Teaching at the university in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

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