"It is an honour and a privilege for UBC to have been asked by the government to work with the people in this region to develop a distinctive research-intensive university right here in the Okanagan -- a university that will build on the achievements of Okanagan University College and the history of the University of British Columbia."

- Excerpt from speech by President Piper in Kelowna, B.C, upon the government's March 17 announcement to establish UBC Okanagan.

The Year in Review 2003/04

President's Message

It was a landmark year in the history of the University of British Columbia. The provincial government decision to establish a UBC Okanagan campus crowned a remarkable year for enrolment, teaching and research.

The university's growing global reputation was reflected in a European Commission survey that ranked UBC 35th out of the world's top 500 universities. The survey took into consideration many of the benchmarks that herald a university's strength: academic and research performance, highly cited researchers, publishing activity in science and social science journals, and the number of Nobel laureates.

In 2003-04:

• UBC enrolled 40,945 students in more than 500 academic programs.
• The number of international students grew by 25 per cent to 4,054, from 123 countries.
• UBC grew its financial assistance by $9.2 million, awarding students a total of $41.9 million in scholarships, fellowships and bursaries.
• Faculty researchers attracted $343 million in research funding in support of 5,576 projects.
• The university gained new world-class research centres, including the James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, the Brain Research Centre, and the Mood Disorders Centre of Excellence.
• UBC was host to three Nobel laureates in April -- His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Dr. Shirin Ebadi. In June UBC hosted Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado of Japan.
• More than 8,854 students graduated in 2003-04, including 6,924 undergraduate students and 1,930 graduate students.

The pages that follow provide a snapshot of the accomplishments of UBC's students, faculty and staff.