Vantage College Committees

Service Committee Assignments 2022–2023

Listed below are committee descriptions and suggested goals. It is recommended that each committee meet at least twice per term. At the end of each academic year, the chair of each committee will be asked to write a short summary (maximum one page) of the committee’s activities that year.

Academic Executive

Abelló, Juan
Fox, Joanne
Gadhia, Atul
Ives, Joss
Lavallee, Suzie (Chair)
Wilson, Brian
Zappa-Hollman, Sandra

Program Committees

Goals: coordinate the curriculum in a Vantage program (Applied Science or Science) or in the Vantage Academic English Program, promote collaborations between instructors, advocate teaching innovations.

The Academic Director and the Director of the Academic English Program are ex officio members of all curriculum committees.

Academic English Program

Academic Director (ex officio)
Faizel, Ismaeil
Ferreira, Alfredo
Kim, Won
Lightfoot, Jennifer
Lynch, Sarah
Mahmood, Fatimah
Martin, Jodie
Mehdian, Noosha
Pringle, John
Riccardi, Daniel
Shaw, Amber
Todd, Brett
Walsh Marr, Jennifer
Wilson, Brian
Zappa-Hollman, Sandra (Chair)

Program Committee, Applied Science

Academic Director (ex officio)
Abelló, Juan (Chair)
Chan, Tina
Eikenaar, Jannik
Elnaggar, Ayman
Gadhia, Atul
Ghaemi, Roza
Goh, Ernest
Mahmood, Fatimah
Motavas, Saloome
Najarian, Siamak
Potvin, Gabriel
Pringle, John
Prodanovic, Vladan
Walsh Marr, Jennifer
Wilson, Brian
Zappa-Hollman, Sandra (ex officio)

Program Committee, Science

Academic Director (ex officio)
Addison, Chris
Allen, Meghan
Bodon, Emanuele
Dennis, Beth
Donnelly, Caitlin
Ferreira, Alfredo
Friedman, Benjamin
Gadhia, Atul
Grant, Ed
Ives, Joss (Chair)
Lekhi, Anka
Leung, Fok-Shuen
Martin, Jodie
Ola, Kemi
Pete, Shandin
Rieger, Georg
Thomas, Anne
Wilson, Brian
Zappa-Hollman, Sandra (ex officio)

Vantage Committees

If you are interested on serving on any of these committees below, you can email your expression of interest to joanne.fox@ubc.ca

Academic Outreach

Goals: communicate information about the Vantage programs and educational innovation to the academic community and the public, spread successful practices and innovations, generate a public annual report on activities at Vantage.

Hajdukovic, Daniela
Martin, Jodie
Riccardi, Daniel (Chair)
Rieger, Georg
Jennifer Lightfoot
Alfredo Ferreira

Access, Diversity and Equity

Goals: advocate diversity and equity, respond to access, diversity and equity issues, promote a culture of inclusion and justice.

Gadhia, Atul (Chair)
Ives, Joss
Schmiesing, Susanne
Shaw, Amber

Admissions and Transition

Goals: adjudicate admissions and transition into degree programs, report on the composition of the entering class. While adjudication is done by stream, this committee meets to provide updates and spread successful practices.

The Academic Director is ex officio chair of this committee.

Academic Director (Chair)(ex officio)
Advising, Applied Science (ex officio)
Advising, Science (ex officio)
Chair, Applied Science (ex officio)
Chair, Science (ex officio)
Director, Academic English Program (ex officio)
Manager, Academic Advising (ex officio)

Emerging Media Lab Working Group

Goal: investigate, adopt, develop and share emerging media such as artificial intelligence, xR reality, and geo-aware applications to enhance teaching and learning.

Goh, Ernest
Wilson, Brian

Health & Safety

Goals: ensure Orchard Commons meets the standards set out by Worksafe BC.

Mahmood, Fatimah
Riddell, Katherine (Chair)
Schmiesing, Susanne
Tsiu, Oscar
Wilson, Brian

Intercultural Communication

Goals: organize programming to enhance intercultural understanding, respond to intercultural issues, develop a vision for intercultural communication at Vantage.

Intercultural Communication Committee Reading Group Resources

Andrade, Luiza
Eikenaar, Jannik (co-chair)
Hajdukovic, Daniela
Lekhi, Anka (away on sabbatical)
Walsh Marr, Jennifer (co-chair)

Professional Development and Awards

Goals: organize educational and professional development programs, nominate staff and faculty for awards.

Allen, Meghan
Ferreira, Alfredo (Chair)
Schmiesing, Susanne
Zappa-Hollman, Sandra

Space & Facilities

Goals: coordinate allocation of space and approve alterations at Orchard Commons, develop IT initiatives for Vantage programs, respond to Vantage-specific IT issues.

Kim, Won
Schmiesing, Susanne (Chair)
Tsui, Oscar
Wilson, Brian

Student Awards

Goals: Propose and adjudicate student awards, including the Vantage One Excellence Award.

Abelló, Juan (Chair)
Lekhi, Anka

Student Engagement

Goals: work with Vantage Peer Mentors and other groups at UBC to organize events for Vantage students; work with other committees, as well as with Vantage student representatives and other units on campus to arrange a coherent, principled set of activities for Vantage students throughout the year, promote student engagement with the academy.