RUCBC Newsletter - May 2021 Vol 19

RUN - RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES' NEWSLETTER

VOL 19 | MAY 7, 2021

President's Message

We look forward to a return to campus in September. Throughout the pandemic, we have worked closely with various levels of government, provincial health authorities, and our post-secondary partners across BC to prioritize the health and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. As our knowledge and management of COVID-19 improves and the impact of vaccines in lowering community case counts comes into focus, we are increasingly confident of a return to more normal campus activity. Rejoice.

Full economic and social recovery will be supported by extensive collaboration and engagement with our communities, across all sectors and regions of the province, the country, and the wider world.

Fortunately, our universities have long been deeply embedded in the communities they serve, with a long-standing commitment to cultivating respectful, mutually beneficial relationships with diverse partners. Previous issues of RUN have focused on the integrated and complementary nature of BC’s public post-secondary system, but our engagement reaches far beyond system-wide initiatives and shared services. Formal and informal instances of engagement with community, industry and citizens are too numerous and varied to fully document. The stories below illustrate world-leading collaboration with industry, expansion of program offerings across regions, partnership with institutions beyond our borders, and supporting urgent needs of local community.

Our universities are deeply committed to mobilizing academic and research capacity through ever-deepening relationships with external partners. Partnerships and cooperation enrich the student experience, enhance accountability to our communities, and maximize our collective ability to take on complex societal challenges. We are stronger together.

Be Safe! Stay curious!

Max Blouw, RUCBC President

UBC ranks first in the world in innovation and industry partnerships

In the recently released Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, The University of British Columbia tied for first place in Sustainable Development Goal 9, which captures research on industry and innovation, industry engagement and the number of patents and spin-off companies.

The THE rankings measure how well universities help to advance the 17 United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) that promote social and economic well-being across the planet. In addition to its overall impact, UBC placed in the top 10 in six of the goals tracked by the rankings. More than 1,000 institutions participated in the rankings – a 50 per cent increase from last year.

UVic lab’s harm reduction research responds to community need

Housed at UVic’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, Co/Lab, or the Collaborative Community Laboratory on Substance Use and Harm Reduction, brings together academics, drug user groups, service providers and policy-makers with the aim to promote health and health equity for people who use drugs.

“It is kind of a community-academic-policy triad,” explains Co/Lab co-lead Karen Urbanoski, CISUR scientist, public health expert and Canada Research Chair in Substance Use, Addictions and Health Services Research. “We’ve got this perfect platform for the exchange of info and ideas. We can be responsive to community when they say ‘we need this.’”

“Part of the reason we are able to do this is because we have developed relationships with health authorities and people with lived experience over many years.”

UNBC expands regional delivery of Bachelor of Education program

Expanded regional delivery of UNBC’s renewed BEd program will offer students across northern British Columbia more options to pursue an undergraduate elementary stream education degree closer to home.

“The design of the Bachelor of Education program reflects northern British Columbia’s rich cultural diversity, especially concerning Aboriginal and Indigenous populations,” says UNBC Interim President Dr. Geoff Payne. “Offering this program in both Terrace and Quesnel highlights our commitment and value that our northern communities play in UNBC’s vision and mission. This commitment ensures we are giving students the chance to complete their studies and practicum placements closer to home and at the same time meeting the need to train qualified teachers across the north.”

TRU signs agreement with international colleges signs agreement with international colleges

Thompson Rivers University (TRU) has signed a partnership with the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ) so associate-degree students can transfer credits to TRU where they can complete a bachelor degree.

The partnership allows students who have taken two years of the CCCJ-approved psychology associate degree to enter TRU’s Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program. Students will have access to the Co-op Arts program and will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in psychology. Successful applicants enter directly into the third year of the arts degree program.

“This agreement gives Jamaican community college students a direct path to a Canadian degree in psychology,” said Laurie Robinson, director, International Partnerships and Business Development. “TRU offers students small class sizes and experiential learning, with outcomes which include a Canadian bachelor’s degree and eligibility for up to a three-year post-graduation work permit.”

The Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia (RUCBC) represents the interests of BC's research universities. RUCBC's mandate is to identify issues facing the universities, provide system-wide leadership in the development of relevant public policy and communicate on behalf of the university system.