Student Housing First Priority for Okanagan’s New UBC Campus

Mar 17, 2004

KELOWNA — One thousand new residence spaces will help create
a vibrant learning community at B.C’s newest university
campus, UBC President Martha Piper said today following provincial
government announcement of a new UBC Okanagan campus for 7,500
students.

“Planning and community consultation starts now to
meet the housing and social needs of the students of tomorrow
who will gain from today’s announcement of greatly improved
post-secondary access in the Okanagan,” Piper said.
“In establishing an exciting research-intensive university
campus here, we can collaboratively shape the living and learning
environment for a distinctive Okanagan student experience
within the University of British Columbia.”

UBC’s Okanagan campus will open in September 2005,
with the first UBC degrees granted in May 2006. It will be
located on what is now the North Kelowna campus of Okanagan
University College (OUC). OUC, under the direction of a government-appointed
Administrator, will continue to grant its current degrees
and diplomas for existing programs until August 31, 2005;
currently enrolled students are guaranteed completion of their
programs.

“In pursuing a vision for UBC Okanagan,” Piper
said, “we must pause to pay tribute to the students,
faculty and staff of Okanagan University College for building
an institution that is now poised to build research excellence.”

Brad Bennett, former OUC Board Chair, now joins Kelowna resident
James Eccott on the UBC Board of Governors, and has accepted
the position of Chair of the President’s UBC Okanagan
Community Advisory Council. “I am delighted that Brad
has agreed to help guide the establishment of UBC Okanagan,”
Piper said.

By 2009, there will be 7,500 UBC undergraduate and graduate
students on the campus (currently 3,000 undergraduates are
enrolled in OUC’s university programs).

Piper said the provincial government’s choice of UBC
to establish a full-status university in the Okanagan is a
three-fold win for B.C.’s fastest growing region and
the province as a whole:

Access: The province’s confidence
in UBC results in an immediate decision to increase university
access in the region by more than doubling the existing
number of seats allocated to OUC to 7,500.

Research: UBC is one of Canada’s
leading research institutions and is ranked 35th in a recent
survey of 500 global universities. UBC will introduce an
already substantial university-level research program, including
national grant funding and graduate students. UBC attracts
$377 million in research funding per year, and has created
113 spin-off companies employing 2,500 British Columbians.
Canada Research Chair and B.C. Leading Edge Chair appointments
will add to the research vitality of the region, and future
research park activity will help to bring discoveries to
the marketplace.

Economic Impact: The region is expected
to experience an annual economic impact of almost $400 million
from the presence of UBC Okanagan, and an increase of 500
jobs created by university and college expansion.

“A research-intensive UBC campus in the Okanagan presents
an exciting opportunity to attract outstanding faculty and
students to this spectacular region of British Columbia,”
Piper said. “UBC Okanagan will respond to local needs
and opportunities in teaching and in research, and the campus
will have its own academic Senate and Deputy Vice Chancellor
to promote development of distinctive programs that honour
OUC’s strengths and traditions,” Piper said.

Piper said the campus will be an integral part of the University
of British Columbia. There will be one Board of Governors
— now with more Okanagan representation — one President,
one Chancellor, and common student policies on access and
financial assistance.

“There will be a single UBC degree,” Piper said,
adding that UBC Okanagan will offer a wide range of undergraduate
degrees, postgraduate research degrees at the Masters and
PhD levels, as well as continuing studies programs. “In
the months ahead, we will have the opportunity to determine
specific faculty and program linkages that make sense for
both Okanagan and Vancouver UBC campuses.”

UBC will work with the government-appointed OUC administrator
as the programs and assets of OUC are distributed to UBC and
to a college to be established on the downtown Kelowna OUC
site and other regional community college campuses, including
Penticton, Vernon and Salmon Arm.

“UBC looks forward to working collaboratively with
the new college and its Okanagan community campuses to offer
an integrated post-secondary solution for the region,”
said Barry McBride, UBC Vice President, Academic and Provost
and, as Deputy Vice Chancellor UBC Okanagan, the person who
will lead the formation of UBC’s new Okanagan campus.
McBride said UBC Okanagan will work with the community campuses
to offer university credit and non-credit courses.

“The dramatic increase in the number of undergraduate
students as well as the introduction of graduate students
and full research capabilities will honour and build on the
achievements of Okanagan University College,” McBride
said. “What took UBC nearly 100 years to achieve in
teaching and research excellence will be immediately available
for the region.”

McBride’s team will include Moura Quayle, Dean of UBC’s
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, who will assume a new title
as Associate Vice President, UBC Okanagan Programs and the
job of integrating programs between the Okanagan and Vancouver
campuses.

Piper said that residence construction will start as soon
as detailed requirements are known through engagement with
the Okanagan community, students and faculty.

New residence construction at UBC Okanagan will be financed
from proceeds of a $125 million bond that UBC issued in 2001.
“UBC’s strong credit rating allowed us to raise
the funding through an innovative public-private partnership,
and we are indeed proud today to invest it directly in the
future of the Okanagan and our province,” Piper said.

More information

-30-