The new generation of global issues now challenging societies and
their governments worldwide will be the focus of the new Liu Centre
for International Studies at UBC.
Recently approved by the university’s Senate and Board of Governors,
the centre will enhance the abilities of researchers to delve into
the many circumstances produced by globalization, including those
associated with new trading and investment practices, environmental
deterioration, migration patterns, and communicable diseases.
Academic programs begin Sept. 1.
“In addition to the global perspective, the centre will endeavour
to study issues and propose solutions that will be of use to governments
and international organizations as they tackle unprecedented problems,”
said Law Prof. Ivan Head, who helped plan the centre’s creation.
“Current knowledge is simply inadequate to devise wise policies
and courses of action. The complexity of these problems demands
the involvement of scholars from a wide range of disciplines” said
Head.
The centre, which will be part of the Faculty of Graduate Studies,
will draw on the expertise of more than 90 faculty members from
across campus and particularly with the Institute for International
Relations, the Centre for Human Settlements, the Sustainable Development
Research Institute, and the South-North Studies Program. The centre
will also collaborate closely with the University of Victoria and
other institutions.
Prof. Olav Slaymaker, chair of the centre’s Academic Steering Committee,
said linkages with individuals and institutions outside the university
will also play an important role. The centre is seeking the participation
of senior diplomats and officials now engaged with international
organizations, and with the Canadian and other governments through
fellowships and other linkages. Ties to the business community will
also be developed, Slaymaker said.
Master’s and doctoral students and faculty associated with the
centre will participate in a range of seminars and other scholarly
activities enhanced by close interaction with UBC’s Green College
and St. John’s College.
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