UNBC continued to adapt and evolve in “dynamic” 2025: Interim President

“Dynamic.”

That’s the word Interim President Dr. Bill Owen used to describe 2025 for the University of Northern B.C.

“I use the term dynamic to refer to a lot of change. The University continues to adapt and evolve, but at the same time, what impresses me about this University is the core mission that this University is here for, our regional commitment, and it’s the reason why 16,000 people signed a petition to get UNBC here, and that resonates,” Owen said in a year-end interview with Vista Radio.

“We don’t necessarily use the same words that we used back in the late 80s, early 90s to get this institution moving forward, but those themes keep coming through, they came through this year in our refreshed Academic Plan and our refreshed research plan, so it’s great to see that even with newer faculty, a large contingent of newer faculty and staff here at the University, the heart of why we’re here and what we do remains the same.”

Owen stepped into the role of Interim President in October, after the University announced in June former President Dr. Geoff Payne would be leaving to pursue a new role with the Michael Smith Health Research Council of B.C.

“I’ve had the opportunity to walk alongside Dr. Geoff Payne and several other presidents in the past,” he said.

“This is a very different role than roles that I’ve been in previous years, so it has taken some time to adjust, a lot more external facing, components to the role. I’ve said to folks you never know what the role is like until you come into the office, then you look at their calendar, and you realize, oh, that’s what the role is about, but I’m very proud to represent UNBC, to represent our students, our staff and our faculty in those external facing roles, to make sure that our voice is heard in Victoria, in Vancouver, Ottawa, across the country, and also to reconnect with alumni, so exciting times.”

Owen added the biggest surprise has been the amount of external engagement.

“When I reflect back, I remember a comment by Dr. Charles Jago, a past president here, who said external facing opportunities for the president represent about 40 per cent of their responsibility,” e said.

“That conversation was a long time ago, so it certainly came and was highlighted when I looked at the calendar and some of the responsibilities that I now had to engage in.”

Owen said the convocation tour is something that always stands out for him.

“This year we had about 800 graduates, adding to the close to 18,000 graduates and alumni that we have at UNBC,” he said.

“This year, we got to honour Shirley Bond and also Yvonne Pierreroy with honourary doctorates, so that was remarkable for us. It’s also special for me to go out to the regions, to talk with graduates, to talk with their parents, and to see the impact that UNBC has beyond Prince George, in Terrace, in Quesnel, and in Fort St. John.”

Owen said there were nine nursing grads in Fort St. John, all of whom are staying within Northern B.C.

“That’s the purpose of having local, accessible, affordable education in the home communities, and you can see that kind of impact,” he said.

Owen added the Northern Region is in “a state of precarity.”

“We don’t have a sense of security of what the next few years are going to look like,” he said.

“We look at what’s happening in the world, politics, tariffs, etcetera, and so to be able to educate people here in the region, and have them contribute to sustainability of our communities, to have them contribute to, beyond sustainability, resilience of the communities, because the tariffs are not the last thing that this region is going to face, there’ll be a new issue next year, and the fact that our graduands go on to do remarkable in community, and to help stabilize and help provide that resilience gives us a sense of hope for the region, and it’s something that excites me, is seeing how those students have a direct impact in their home communities.”

This year, the University has also produced incredible research with real-world applications, including a biodegradable seafood packaging project that is being used by industry.

“The contributions that NALS and many other labs are doing to help have a sustainable and resilient future for all of us, is just remarkable,” he said.

“The ability for our researchers to go out to community, to understand local issues, local problems, and to bring high-class research solutions to them, just fantastic.”

Another example Owen provided was the Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North.

“One of the contributions that they’ve done is that they’ve worked with Northern Health and Vanderhoof to do a couple of things, he explained.

“One is to improve the quality of life for residents in their dementia suite by thinking about things like a living wall, where residents can plant and see herbs grow for example and utilize those herbs for food. The other component that they’re involved in is putting in technology that helps the residents with their daily functions, their daily life, and also keeps them safe and secure.”

In terms of federal caps on international students, Owen said it did decrease the number of international students coming to UNBC.

“We are looking at ways in which we can enhance the number of international students coming here,” he explained.

“It’s really important in the classroom, for research, etcetera, to be a global partner in the research enterprise for example, and international students play a phenomenal part of that. They also play a part in terms of diversity of thought. So that’s really important here.”

Owen added the University was able to recruit more domestic students.

“That’s been a benefit here, it’s going to be a benefit here to our region, because these will be highly trained students and graduates that contribute back to community,” he said.

Owen added another highlight for the University in 2025 was a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Lheidli T’enneh to help improve access to education for the First Nation’s members.

“This is really seen as a true partnership between the Lheidli T’enneh and UNBC, in supporting future students,” Owen said.

Owen added they’re open to having similar conversations with more First Nations in the region.

“One of the things we’re open to is not using a stock template,” he explained.

“Each nation has their own needs and desires and aspirations, and they have different resources and levels of resources, so we want to come in and truly be a partner with various First Nations across the region. There’s also going to be a lot of opportunity as we look at this region, the federal government investing in this particular region, and how can we support First Nations to be there at the table with the federal government, and the provincial government as some of these deals get negotiated.”

For 2026, Owen said the university will look to continue to evolve and build.

“I’ll go back to my word, dynamic. We’ve got the foundation now of an academic plan and a research plan, now it’s the opportunity to work with faculty members and staff and students to action those plans,” he said.

“Really looking forward to the creativity that our faculty students and staff bring to making those plans come alive, strategic plans that sit on a shelf and collect dust are no good, so one of the things that we’re doing right now is, out of the academic plan, we’re going to be focusing on building a bold and inclusive regional strategy, one that looks at, not only our current offerings that we provide in the region, but what else can we do to support communities, and what types of research do communities want from us.”

Owen said Dr. Michel S. Beaulieu, who was named the University’s new Provost and Vice-President Academic in August, will be actioning that in the new year.