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Prof. Stephen J. Toope, President - photo by Martin Dee
President's Welcome
Prof. Stephen J. Toope
This is an exciting time in the history of UBC. We are approaching the centenary of the granting of our charter in 1908, an anniversary that prompts us to take account of what we have accomplished and what we can do in the years ahead.
In our century, UBC has grown into one of Canada's finest universities, one that in so short a time already ranks among the world's 40 best. Measured by any criterion-the intellectual calibre of our students, the quality of faculty teaching and research, the professionalism of our staff-UBC is an outstanding university, and plays a vital role in the cultural, social, and economic development of our region and our country.
In recent years UBC has seen dramatic changes. Enrolment has grown from 31,000 students in 1995-96 to more than 45,000 today, with a corresponding expansion of UBC Vancouver's academic core, including new buildings dedicated to science and engineering, forestry, the health sciences, and the library. A University Town is emerging on our campus, bringing lively residential, social and cultural diversity to a more complete community.
In 2001, we strengthened the bonds with our Vancouver community by establishing a downtown campus at Robson Square in the heart of the business district and by opening an educational outreach centre, the Learning Exchange, on the city's Downtown Eastside. We have joined with Simon Fraser University, the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design to build a shared downtown campus at Great Northern Way, with an emphasis on teaching and research in urban sustainability, technology and the arts.
And in the most exciting venture since students in 1922 embarked on the Great Trek to push government for the construction of our Vancouver Campus, in 2005 UBC reached out to the southern BC interior with the establishment of UBC Okanagan in Kelowna. Now, 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students are participating in unique and innovative UBC degree programs on a rapidly growing campus in the beautiful setting of the Okanagan Valley.
UBC has also strengthened and increased its international links. Following up on commitments made in our strategic planning documents Trek 2000 and Trek 2010, we have developed new academic exchanges with numerous foreign institutions, and greatly increased international student enrolment. Our Vancouver campus is the site of residences dedicated to hundreds of students from Japan, Korea, and Mexico, and, soon, Hong Kong. We have also made a special effort to connect with major universities in Asia, and in 2005 we opened an office in the centre of Hong Kong.
From this brief overview I hope it is apparent that, whatever your interests, whatever your goals and ambitions, UBC has much to offer all who come here-an unrivalled choice of degree programs, learning and research opportunities, international experiences, and recreational and sporting facilities. And underlying this wealth of offerings is our belief in several vital principles that in one way or another inform all aspects of learning and research at UBC: active engagement in civil society, the pursuit of sustainability in its social as well as its environmental forms, and commitment to global citizenship.
I offer my warmest welcome to all who join UBC and help us to address the many opportunities and challenges that face our local and global communities.
Stephen J. Toope
President, University of British Columbia