Message from the President

Dear Parents,

When I welcome new students and their families to the University of British Columbia, I am often asked by parents what they can do to support their child through this critical stage in his or her academic career.

Now that I have a daughter in university myself, my first response is to say thank you …. For the financial support you have already provided. For the practical help you gave your child to move across town, or across the country, or out of it. For your enthusiasm over your child’s unique dreams and aspirations, even if they differ from your own.

Next, I say: Your child will change. It’s part of the reason they’re here. A university education is—or should be—a transformative experience, not only for what a student learns in the classroom but also for what he discovers about himself, what she encounters in others whose views and backgrounds differ from her own, and for what each comes to contribute of themselves to the greater community. This leaves you with the intricate task of learning to love the adult they are becoming as much as the child they have been.

UBC Okanagan Parent's Conference will inform you of the many opportunities available to your child and the different paths they can follow to achieve their goals. This event is designed to give you information about UBC Okanagan’s many educational options and student services and to connect you with current students, faculty, and staff who have first-hand knowledge of all that UBCO has to offer.

Your child will change; your love and support can affect that transformation more than you may imagine. Leave them room to exceed your hopes, to exceed your ambitions and whatever role you may have envisioned for them. One day, just a few short years from now, they will have become a well educated global citizen, fully prepared to meet the challenges of this changing world and to give of themselves in as-yet unimaginable ways.

For all you’ve done to prepare them for this day, and for all you will do to ready them for that one, I thank you. It is my pleasure to welcome your child to the UBC Okanagan community.

Professor Stephen J. Toope

President and Vice-Chancellor

The University of British Columbia

Message from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Dear Parents,

Welcome UBC's Okanagan Campus. This is a particularly exciting time for your children to join our small but vibrant campus community as new UBC students.

Over the past year we have completed many new facilities for teaching, research, and student services. These provide a wide variety of spaces and amenities that enhance our campus life, and have allowed us to develop new academic programs in several disciplines.

We encourage students to take part in the many campus life activities planned for the upcoming year. Getting involved is a great way to meet new friends, discover the student community, and contribute in meaningful ways to the dynamic and diverse social and cultural life that is our university.

Our UBC Okanagan Parent Conference is an excellent opportunity for you to find out more about the first-year experience, the quality of campus residences, and the kinds of assistance that students can count on to help them overcome any problems they may encounter in the transition from high school to university.

Our goal is to help your children achieve great success and get the most from their University experience. I wish your children the very best during the upcoming year as UBC Okanagan students.

Deborah Buszard
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal

The University of British Columbia

Okanagan Campus