Our focus in this plan is on the growth and wellbeing of faculty and staff who constitute UBC Science today, as well as of the learners who have chosen and will choose the Faculty.
Our objective in these strategies is to further develop an inclusive and supportive community that embraces diversity, helping people build richer lives through meaningful connections within UBC Science and beyond.
Strategies
Practices that create capacity for, and recognize, our core work: research, teaching, and engagement.
It is imperative that we use our time differently and align incentives so we can engage most effectively in conducting and supporting research, teaching and engagement. We will better configure our administrative activities and governance processes. We will explore mechanisms that encourage a more explicit approach to prioritization, emphasizing work that advances our mission. We will support major research leadership roles and continue to promote educational leadership faculty to bolster teaching capacity and innovation. We will ensure that impact in both internal community-building and external service is recognized and valued. Together with colleagues across UBC, we will assess and adopt new ways of working, notably through improved use of technology.
Attraction, development, and retention of promising and exceptional individuals.
We will more explicitly embed the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our appointment and progression practices, with the aim of creating and sustaining a substantially more diverse Faculty. We will enhance our efforts to support members of the community at key career stages, establishing a Science-wide faculty mentorship program, expanding onboarding for new faculty and staff, and helping facilitate steady career progression. We will find new ways to support the ongoing development of our people and strengthen training to identify and invest in potential academic and administrative leaders. In addition to the benefits for individuals, these activities will have a tremendous positive impact on the culture and vibrancy of UBC Science, reinforcing our role as a place of learning and providing the consistency in experience that sustains students and trainees.
Structures and approaches that foster community wellbeing and inclusion.
This strategy reflects our desire as human beings to feel supported and connected. Discussion throughout our planning process reinforced the need to strengthen relationships and equity within and across disciplines and roles. We must take an active and purposeful approach to addressing this challenge. Building on our foundational work in diversity, we will expand our understanding of the challenges facing women, racialized minorities, and other genders and equity-seeking groups, revising our practices where needed to support their voices. We will continue to improve the diversity of our leaders and refine our accounting for intersectional diversity. In conjunction with broader UBC efforts, we will expand wellbeing and social programming, and consider how physical space renewal can foster collegiality. We will resource key initiatives with cross-Faculty teams and create small groups (or 'pods') that bring together faculty, staff, trainees, and students in areas of shared professional or social interest. We will also work to centralize information to ensure transparency and access to opportunities for all members of the UBC Science community.