University of British Columbia
EN-13: Community Stakeholder Engagement

UBC is committed to working with community stakeholders to ensure the University and its campuses are planned, built, operated, and made accessible in a way that reflects community interests and needs.

UBC’s strategic plan, Place and Promise (http://strategicplan.ubc.ca/), provides the foundation for the University’s commitment to community stakeholder engagement. Community Engagement, Aboriginal Engagement, and Sustainability are pillars of Place and Promise. Amongst other goals in its strategic plan, UBC is committed to being a leader in fostering public understanding of societal issues and in stimulating action for positive change (Community Engagement), increasing engagement and strengthening mutually supportive and productive relationships with Aboriginal communities (Aboriginal Engagement), and in making UBC a living laboratory in environmental and social sustainability by integrating research, learning, operations, and industrial and community partners (Sustainability). UBC is intrinsically connected to and a part of numerous external communities. Established structures and practices ensure community stakeholder engagement is applied across UBC’s activities.

UBC has policies and guidelines for planning, strategic, and operational decisions that emphasize community stakeholder engagement and collaboration. For example, the UBC Vancouver Campus Plan provides a cohesive framework for the campus’ current and future development and was developed through a six-phase, comprehensive, inclusive, and engaging consultative process with students, residents, alumni, and other stakeholders. UBC’s Engagement Principles and Guiding Practices (http://planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/projects-consultations/consultations-engagement/ccp-engagement-principles), approved by the Board of Governors in Fall 2014, includes a set of principles for defining, designing, implementing and concluding public engagement for campus and community planning.

Cross-campus initiatives also routinely bring together university and community stakeholders. The Campus as a Living Laboratory initiative integrates UBC faculty, staff, and students with external private, public, and NGO partners to make decisions and collaborate on how to use the University’s physical infrastructure to test, study, teach, apply, and share lessons learned, technologies created, and policies developed.

UBC’s participation at stakeholder tables provides direct connection to several stakeholder groups. This includes UBC’s ongoing participation as contributing member to national and regional educational associations, as well as relationships with neighbouring communities and involvement on the boards of numerous community-based organizations.

The Board of Governors’ People, Community and International Committee (http://bog.ubc.ca/?page_id=169) holds responsibility for promoting, securing, and maintaining relationships with the many external communities on and off campus and internationally. It is also common practice at UBC for administrative units, faculties, and programs to have external advisory committees that provide ongoing input on decisions that impact community. Examples of Advisory Committees on campus that include community stakeholders include UBC’s Land Use Committee, Advisory Committee to VP Communications and Community Partnership, UBC Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee, Faculty of Education Dean’s Advisory Committee, Faculty of Law Dean’s Advisory Committee, IK Barber Learning Centre’s Advisory Committee on Community Engagement, Community Advisory Board to the Doctor, Patient and Society program in Faculty of Medicine.

At UBC, many offices and units across campus are responsible for engaging different community stakeholder groups:

COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
http://vpcommunications.ubc.ca/
The Communications and Community Partnership portfolio is the University’s central planning and coordinating office for university relations and communications, both internally and externally with government and the community. Communications and Community Partnership programs are carried out by the respective departments in cooperation with the University’s administration, faculties, and departments.

GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE RELATIONS UNIT
http://governmentrelations.ubc.ca/
Within the Communications and Community Partnership portfolio, the Government and Corporate Relations Unit helps coordinate and facilitate UBC’s interactions with local, provincial, and federal governments and the private sector. This Unit promotes the interests of the University and its faculty and staff through contact with public officials, tracking of pertinent government policy and supporting initiatives on behalf of the University and the post-secondary sector on a wide variety of issues. The unit also supports University leadership in engaging with government to provide advice on matters of public policy, and orientating itself with private sector partners as a concierge service to help external groups leverage research and university strengths.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP UNIT
http://communityengagement.ubc.ca/community-partnership-unit/
The Community Partnership Unit works to reduce barriers and increase opportunities for community engagement and is developing a Community Engagement Strategy with community participation.

LEARNING EXCHANGE
http://learningexchange.ubc.ca/
The Learning Exchange is a community engagement initiative in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that supports opportunities for marginalized local residents to learn and teach computer skills, English, arts, culture, and more. Programs are free, and either target or are made barrier-free to vulnerable groups including Aboriginal peoples, women, low income, seniors, people with disabilities, people with mental health issues, homeless individuals, and people struggling with addiction. They apply the values of inclusion, collaboration, celebration, learning, pragmatism, and sustainability to all of their interactions.

FIRST NATIONS HOUSE OF LEARNING/ABORIGINAL PORTAL
http://aboriginal.ubc.ca/longhouse/first-nations-house-of-learning-2/
http://aboriginal.ubc.ca/
The First Nations House of Learning and the UBC Vancouver Aboriginal Portal provide strong connection to and engagement with Aboriginal communities including the Musqueam Nation on whose traditional and ancestral territories UBC campuses are located.

EQUITY, INCLUSION, DIVERSITY
http://equity.ubc.ca/
The work of UBC’s Equity and Inclusion Office, UBC’s Intercultural Understanding strategy and the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Equity and Diversity ensure that the institution continues to thrive on the open expression and exploration of differing perspectives.

COMMUNITY ENGAGED LEARNING/COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING
http://students.ubc.ca/about/centre-community-engaged-learning
The Centre for Community Engaged Learning and the Community Service Learning Program work with community partners to identify the needs of community-based organizations in order to identify student learning opportunities that will benefit community.

UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY LIAISON OFFICE
http://www.uilo.ubc.ca/welcome
The University-Industry Liaison Office is responsible for industry engagement and partnership with government and the non-profit sector to facilitate interaction with research expertise, discoveries and capacity of UBC and to link the perspectives and needs of industry with the activities of the University.

CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY PLANNING
http://planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/projects-consultations/consultations-engagement
UBC’s Campus and Community Planning (C+CP) department is responsible for long-range land use planning, land use regulations, campus and landscape design, licensing and permits, managing programs that cover sustainability initiatives to transportation, and community-building activities.

C+CP is committed to engaging the campus community and its neighbours in the planning and design of UBC’s academic campus and neighbourhoods to create two-way communication, informed participation, and a culture of collaboration, both during planning processes and on an ongoing basis. A range of approaches are used to engage with the campus community and its neighbours, from informing, consulting, joint problem solving, and collaborating through to partnership, depending on the mandate, impact, and interest of planning processes.

C+CP also chairs a committee that is comprised of organizations and individuals from UBC and also includes representatives of neighbouring communities and interests. The role of this committee is to provide advice and input to the Associate Vice President, C+CP, on the general implementation of plans and to allow for information sharing among the various members of the committee. The committee meets twice a year to provide a regular forum for representatives of neighbouring communities to receive and discuss information regarding the implementation of the Land Use Plan for the UBC Campus.

In addition to the above mentioned central administrative units, individual faculties, departments, and faculty members initiate and run their own community stakeholder engagement activities, including industry advisory committees, community service learning projects, outreach, and much more.

Community stakeholders include:

EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia (RUCBC), British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer, Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC, Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.

GOVERNMENT BODIES
Government of Canada, Government of British Columbia, City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, TransLink (regional transportation authority), Musqueam Indian Band, Electoral Area A.

PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS
Professional regulatory bodies, sector councils, Municipal Boards of Trade, BC Business Council, Sector Specific Industry Associations (Digital Media, Life Sciences, Information and Communications Technology, Natural Resources), Centres of Excellence in Commercialization and Research (CECRs), etc.

TRADE UNIONS
UBC Faculty Association, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 2950, CUPE Local 116, CUPE Local 2278, Association of Administrative and Professional Staff (AAPS), BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU), International Union of Operating Engineers Local 882.

STAKEHOLDERS FROM CIVIL SOCIETY
Numerous civil society organizations including NGOs, NPOs, charities, voluntary organizations, student-led clubs, as well as individuals from and organizations representing vulnerable or underrepresented populations.

CAMPUS RESIDENTS AND NEIGHBOURS
University Endowment Lands, University Neighbourhoods Association, West Point Grey, Dunbar Village, Parent Advisory Councils from the elementary and secondary schools in the area, Pacific Spirit Park Society, and Wreck Beach Preservation Society.

There are a myriad of examples to draw on from across the University. The following are samples of outcomes from specific initiatives that occurred during this STARS reporting period:

CAMPUS SHUTTLE ROUTE CHANGES
In 2012, UBC worked with TransLink (regional transportation authority) and the broader community to make improvements to the existing community shuttle service on campus. A collaborative process was used to identify how to enhance the campus community shuttle services, with the goal of increasing ridership and improving connections. UBC and TransLink identified two alternative routes to better connect UBC neighbourhoods and amenities.

Public consultation was integral to ensuring that a new campus shuttle route would meet the needs of the campus community and neighbours. The public was offered both online and in-person opportunities to provide feedback on the proposed shuttle route changes. 975 questionnaires were taken and 15 letters of submission were received. Input was received from students, staff, faculty, residents, and stakeholders who live on campus, in UBC neighbourhoods, and neighbouring areas as well across the region. The feedback received provided insight into the level of support for the proposed route options, along with suggestions on bus stop locations.

As of December 2013, two new shuttle routes were created to replace and improve the existing service. The process used to improve the shuttle service was viewed as a success for several reasons: 1) There was a large response rate, with broad representation from the campus community and neighbours; 2) The shuttle routes were adjusted based on the feedback received from the consultation; 3) It was a successful collaboration between UBC, TransLink, the campus community and neighbours; and 4) There is ongoing positive feedback on the new route, particularly from students.

THE CANADA FIRST RESEARCH EXCELLENCE FUND
In 2013/14, UBC helped formulate and successfully advocated for a new, major source of university research funding in Canada. Working closely with university sector organizations, other Canadian research-intensive universities, and federal government departments, UBC’s efforts helped establish the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, a $1.5 billion, 10-year commitment to propel areas of research strength at Canadian institutions to global prominence while creating long-term economic advantages for Canada. Units at UBC (President’s Office, Government Relations, VP Research and Innovation) responsible for this effort were a part of national collaboration efforts between post-secondary institutions and organizing bodies.