The University of the Fraser Valley and the Chilliwack Chiefs Hockey Club have announced the creation of a new, mutually beneficial partnership that will see the two organizations work together on a series of initiatives.

The partnership was formalized with an on-ice signing of a memorandum of agreement by UFV president Mark Evered and Chiefs president Glen Ringdal prior to the Chiefs’ game at Prospera Centre on Fri, Jan 3.

“It is a pleasure to be working with the Chiefs, an organization that has demonstrated in a number of ways its commitment to education and community development,” said Evered.  “Our partnership will support not only the further education of young hockey players, but also the development of some unique hands-on training and research opportunities for UFV students and faculty.”  He noted that the Chiefs and UFV will share an anniversary next year: 25 years for the Chiefs and 40 years for UFV.  “I have no doubt,” he said, “that we’ll be cheering each other on.”

“This is an important development in the long-term strategy of the Chiefs to be fully integrated into the education experience in Chilliwack,” said Ringdal. “We already have our highly successful Adopt-A-School and Reading with The Chiefs programs aimed at elementary to high schools, which see our players in many Chilliwack area schools and their students at our hockey games. Now we will see that same kind of interaction and two-way support extended to the UFV campus and people.”

Ringdal noted that the agreement will see programs that involve not just the students of UFV and the hockey players, but also the staff, faculty, and alumni of the university and the coaches, staff, and fans of the hockey club.  One element of the agreement will see a special ticket offer to students, faculty, staff and alumni of UFV that offers exceptional value and returns a portion of the proceeds to a new UFV-Chiefs Education Scholarship Fund.  “But also,” he said, “we will see UFV students working with our various departments — trainers, coaches, video and marketing — as part of their curriculum.  We see many areas of potential cooperation and mutual benefit.”

Chief players that have graduated high school will now have expanded opportunity to attend classes and programs at UFV.

Jody Gordon, Vice-President, Students, at UFV and a member of the team that worked on the MOA with the Chiefs, said, “I can hardly wait to get started with implementing the many ideas we have that will benefit our two organizations. Our UFV students will benefit greatly from the many work-integrated and co-curricular learning opportunities this agreement brings.”