The UBC campus opens in Kelowna with an initial academic plan based on four themes: indigenous studies, sustainability, health and wellness, and creativity. The opening ceremony is preceded by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Educational Cooperation and Programming between the Okanagan Nation Alliance and UBC Okanagan. The MOU acknowledges the importance of a strong relationship between the Okanagan campus and the indigenous people of the southern interior of BC.