This year marks UBC Okanagan’s 20th anniversary. Join us at the Faculty & Staff Welcome Back BBQ Info Fair as we begin the academic year on Tuesday, August 26, from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. This event is a wonderful opportunity to showcase your department, faculty, or association and to highlight the contributions that make UBCO such a dynamic and collaborative community.

Why Participate in the Info Fair?

• Celebrate a Milestone: Help mark 20 years of UBCO by sharing how your team contributes to the campus’s growth, excellence, and community spirit.
• Engage and Inform: Promote your latest initiatives, services, or opportunities to faculty and staff from across campus.
• Connect and Reconnect: Build connections, spark conversations, and enjoy the energy of coming back together in a vibrant, outdoor setting.

Ready to Participate?

If your department, faculty, or association would like a table, please complete the online registration by August 8, 2025.

Let’s make this year’s celebration one to remember!

For questions about the Info Fair, contact ubco.hr@ubc.ca.

Thank you for helping make this event a meaningful kickoff to both the academic year and UBCO’s 20th anniversary.

Note: BBQ details will be shared separately by Ceremonies and Protocol at a later date.

UBC has received direction from the Public Sector Employers’ Council (PSEC) to pause performance-based salary increases for executive, union-excluded, and non-union employees until further notice.

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Celebrating 20 Years of UBC Okanagan – Honoring Outstanding Staff Achievements

As we mark 20 years of UBC Okanagan, we have a unique opportunity to recognize the incredible staff whose passion, innovation, and dedication have helped shape our campus community.

It’s time once again to shine a spotlight on those contributions through the Principal’s Staff Awards (formerly the Staff Awards of Excellence). These awards honor outstanding staff achievements that continue to move our campus forward.

With seven award categories, there’s no shortage of ways to recognize excellence across our community:

• Enhancing the UBC Experience (Individual)
• Equity and Inclusive Excellence (Individual or Team)
• Global Citizenship (Individual)
• Leadership (Individual)
• Okanagan Campus Spirit (Team)
• Sustainability (Individual)
• Wellbeing (Individual or Team)

Help us tell the story of UBCO’s past, present, and future—one nomination at a time.

All UBC Okanagan faculty, staff, and students are invited to nominate a colleague or team for the 2025 Principal’s Staff Awards. Nominations will open May 1 and be accepted until 4:00 p.m. on June 13.

Visit Principal’s Staff Awards for nomination details and resources. Let’s come together to celebrate the people who’ve helped make the last 20 years possible—and who are paving the way for the next 20.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Human Resources at ubco.hr@ubc.ca.

Sincerely,

Lesley Cormack
Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor
UBC Okanagan

UBC is proud to be recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers in 2025 for the 18th year. This special designation recognizes employers in British Columbia that lead as exceptional places to work and offer employees the most progressive and forward-thinking programs and resources.

Being named one of BC’s Top Employers is a great honour and an important strength of UBC. The annual winner’s list recognizes organizations that offer exceptional human resource programs based on criteria such as: workplace; work atmosphere and social; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; training and skills development; community involvement, and more.

This year, UBC is also featured in a full-page employer profile in a special online magazine co-published with The Vancouver Sun as of February 11.

Read the full announcement on the Focus On People website to learn more about what makes UBC a top employer in BC year over year.

Learn more

Congratulations to the 24 staff recipients of the 2024 President’s Service Awards for Excellence and the President’s Staff Awards. These awards are presented annually by the university to recognize staff members who demonstrate outstanding achievement and excellence within the UBC community.

Read about the staff who are making UBC a great place to teach, learn and work. Congratulations to all!

Meet the recipients

If you are a UBC employee seeking certification as a professional coach and want to apply your new skills, competencies and knowledge in coaching UBC staff and faculty, then the Coaching Internship Program is for you.

The 2024 program will be opening applications on Monday, October 7 – apply by Monday, December 2.

Learn more about this program at the upcoming virtual information sessions:

• Tuesday, October 22 | 12–1 pm – Register for session #1
• Friday, November 1 | 11 am–12 pm – Register for session #2

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Faculty, staff and students are invited to apply for a $300 Thrive Grant to help host events during Thrive in November that promote mental health, such as:

• Promoting mental health literacy (e.g. educational seminar or workshop)
• Provide opportunities for social connection
• Foster a supportive and inclusive community
• Build skills to support positive mental health and resilience
• Highlight resources on campus
• Advocate for positive mental health and reduce stigma Additional consideration will be given to events and activities that support diverse perspectives on mental health

Learn more

On September 30, wear orange to honor residential school Survivors and remember those who didn’t return. Between September 23 and 30, attend a local event, spread awareness, and reflect on how to ‘walk your learning forward’.

Learn more

Congratulations to the following honourees who are being recognized for their unwavering commitment and dedication across four award categories:

Enhancing the UBC Experience

Christina Chin, Social and Digital Content Strategist, from the Associate Vice-President Students portfolio

Christina has grown the @ubcostudents Instagram account from 2,800 to over 10,500 followers, engaging 13,500 accounts monthly and generating nearly 390,200 impressions, fostering community and student engagement on campus.

Jordan Andrews, Physics Lab Tech, Faculty of Science

Jordan’s innovative use of Qualtrics forms and electronic lab manuals has streamlined lab processes, significantly improved student service, and enhanced the efficiency of the Physics program at UBCO.

Leadership

Megan Lochhead, Curriculum & Academic Programs Manager, Faculty of Science

Megan’s leadership in developing and implementing academic, professional, and micro-credential programs and fostering inclusive practices has driven significant advancements and sustainable success at UBCO.

Paige Hohmann, Archivist, Library

Paige’s leadership has transformed archival practices and built vital community partnerships, notably with the establishment of the new Okanagan Special Collections and Archives space.

Okanagan Campus Spirit

Okanagan Campus Security Team including Adam Hyatt, Bradley Hitchman, Catherine Chirkoff, Christopher Lebans, Darlene Sunderland, Doug Hufsmith, Geoffrey Batchelar, Jack Kasycki, Kathy Manuel, Michael Kunzli, Robyn Boffy, Sarah Clair, Shelley Kayfish, Tina Dolan, Tony Parrotta, and Troy Campbell.

This team has consistently demonstrated dedication and resilience, effectively managing exceptional situations, like the wildfires near our campus last year, while ensuring campus safety and maintaining a positive work environment.

Wellbeing

Melissa Feddersen, Manager, Campus Wellness & Education

Melissa’s leadership in wellness initiatives, including the creation of the PICNIC space and dedication to mental health and harm reduction, has greatly enriched UBCO’s community.

Spela Grasic, Engineering Advisor, School of Engineering

Spela’s transformative approach to student support, including compassionate communications and empathetic resources, has significantly enhanced wellbeing in the School of Engineering.

Like last year, the formal awards ceremony will be on October 30^th alongside the Length of Service Recognition reception.

For more information visit the Staff Awards of Excellence webpage.

The Length of Service Awards is a long-standing tradition at UBC, celebrating the dedication and commitment of our exceptional staff and faculty. This program acknowledges service milestones of 15+ years in 5-year increments.

We determine the years of service for qualifying staff and faculty based on several factors, including uninterrupted service for more than one year. For the 2024 honorees, the service years begin in 1979 (45 years), 1984 (40 years), 1989 (35 years), 1994 (30 years), 1999 (25 years), 2004 (20 years), and 2009 (15 years). If you have not been contacted by our office this year and believe you qualify based on these dates, please reach out to us at ubco.hr@ubc.ca