Skip to main content
A Publication of UBC

Sections

Arts
Athletics
Business
Campus
Careers
Community
Environment
Give UBC
Health
Humanities
Life
Science
Technology

Departments

afterwords
Changemakers
Class Acts
Collective Wisdom
In Memoriam
My Town
Opinion
Quiz
Rewind
The Big Picture
The Last Word
  •  
  •  
  •  

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webcasts
Spotlight
Gen Z at University

Most of today's university undergraduates were born in the 2000s. Like every generation before them, their formative years are being influenced by a distinct set of social conditions, significant events, opportunities, and challenges. What's it like to be a student today? What do Gen Z want from university? And how are universities helping them prepare for their (and our) futures?

AMS president Esmé Decker (front, centre) and other students in the students building, affectionately known as the Nest.
The Gen Z effect
Today's students are leaving their mark on campus.
Spotlight Archive
Arts
Picture of a UBC Opera Production
Opera on the brain
How does operatic training affect memory, cognitive functioning, and learning?
Athletics
Scott Ramsay, with arms folded standing in front of windows
UBC grad channels NHL dreams into research on youth concussion care
This former professional athlete has faced a battle with post-concussion syndrome.
Business
Three UBC students standing and smiling
Young entrepreneurs
Raised in the digital age, independently minded, and faced with an uncertain financial future, many Gen Zers aspire to...
Campus
AMS president Esmé Decker (front, centre) and other students in the students building, affectionately known as the Nest.
The Gen Z effect
Today's students are leaving their mark on campus.
Careers
Laura Dowling, BA’09, MSc, ECPC, PCC (she/hers) — Principal Consultant and Leadership Coach, LD Performance Consulting  Nikola Girke, BHK’99, PCC, CEC, OLY (she/her/hers) — Professional Performance and Executive Coach, Own Your Podium
Empower your career with Emotional Intelligence
Learn how developing EQ can increase your potential and success in work and life.
Community
Graphic illustration depicting a person speaking at a lectern
Democratizing the lectern
Today’s students are active participants in their own education.
Environment
Words written on two hands held in the air at protest
How language can lower the temperature of heated climate change discourse
One underappreciated impact of global heating is its influence on language itself.
Give UBC
Shot of Cody and two other individuals at Agora cafe
How UBC student Cody Rector is tackling food insecurity
Once food insecure himself, Cody is modelling solutions at a UBC café thanks to donors.
Health
Bird's eye view of people walking up stairwell
Step up physical activity with “exercise snacks” at work
Stairclimbing between meetings can help improve physical health.
Humanities
AI image of woman wearing VR goggles with images swirling around head
People dislike AI art because it threatens their humanity: UBC study
A first-of-its-kind study that links aversion to AI art with speciesism and anthropocentrism.
Life
A man in a field
Championing climate-resilient BC winemaking
Learn how innovation and research can ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for BC wine.
Science
Diver underwater
Unlocking the secrets of survival at the edge of environmental extremes
Dr. Phil Ainslie and his team dive into research related to human performance and survival.
Technology
A colourful graphic illustration representing a learning renaissance in modern education
A learning renaissance
Potent new technologies are redefining education.
afterwords

alumni UBC’s afterwords is a digital conversation series that shares the stories of some of UBC Okanagan’s extraordinary alumni.

Headshot of Cole Mash smiling
Cole Mash
Learning to say no, setting boundaries, and other career and life advice from a UBCO alum.
Changemakers

UBC grads defining the future

Téa Braun
From Victorian to victorious
Téa Braun is fighting antiquated colonial laws that perpetuate the abuse of human rights.
Class Acts

News from your old classmates

Collective Wisdom

One pressing question. Multiple expert perspectives.

UBC professors
Should we be excited or worried about the rise of AI?
One pressing question, multiple expert perspectives.
In Memoriam

Lives and legacies

My Town

Insider travel tips from alumni in the know

Dave standing in front of street art that says on one side: "This has brought out the best in us." And on the other: "This has brought out the worst in us."
Melbourne, Australia
Get to know this hip city down under with UBC alum Dave Lim (BA'92).
Opinion
Silhouette of a mother and child on a beach at sunset
This year, let’s get up close and personal with nature

We need more contact with the natural world if we really hope to preserve it.

Quiz

A non-credit test of your UBC smarts

Fall on Vancouver campus
Quaffles, quacks, and quirks
1. Which student club was popular in the 1940’s? a. Stamp Collectors Club b. Scrabble Club c...
Rewind

A glance into UBC’s past

The Empire Pool in its early years
The Empire Pool: A lengthy reign
For much of its 60 years, this beloved campus landmark dominated recreational life at UBC.
The Big Picture

More show, less tell

Photo of Robby the robot.
Robby the robot
The newest member of UBC’s Athletics & Recreation team is a line-painting robot.
The Last Word

Q&As featuring well-known individuals with a UBC connection

Andini
Andini
Inventive mind, romantically inclined.

Collective Wisdom

One pressing question. Multiple expert perspectives.

Collective Wisdom

One pressing question. Multiple expert perspectives.
UBC professors
Should we be excited or worried about the rise of AI?
6 Min
Photos of all six interviewees
Should Canada dispense with its tipping culture?
6 Min
a photo collage of different headshots
Can (and should) we remove animals from our food system?
7 Min
Headshots of Carey Doberstein, Dallas Hunt, Oludolapo Makinde, Rick Hansen, Oral Robinson and Heather Campbell.
How do we make our cities more equitable and inclusive?
6 Min
Wide angle view of mountains, with a person standing on a grassy knoll in the foreground
How to get to net zero
6 Min
A portion of the Canada and China flags, overlapping each other.
The future of Canada-China relations
6 Min

Site Map

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Past Print Issues
  • SPOTLIGHT Archive
  • Submissions

Follow Us

  •  
  •  
  •  

© 2022

Footer bottom

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
A Publication of UBC University of British Colombia