Newsroom Archive
Golf: Stinson tops star-studded field to win UFV Cascades Pro-Am
Kevin Stinson overcame a star-studded field featuring PGA Tour pros Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor to take first place at the UFV Cascades Pro-Am on Monday afternoon. Stinson, a Mission product, lit it up at Chilliwack Golf Club, carding an eagle and eight birdies en route to a seven-under 65. That left him two shots clear of Hadwin and…Thousands celebrate UFV Convocation 2015
Families and friends from the Fraser Valley and beyond gathered to cheer as more than 2,100 students graduated from the University of the Fraser Valley on June 11 and 12. It’s always a festive atmosphere at the Abbotsford Centre for UFV Convocation. There were four ceremonies spread over two days this year, and more than…Governor General’s Gold Medal: Shelley Cole is top of the
Students in the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice program at the University of the Fraser Valley are seasoned working professionals who bring their real-world back to the classroom to share with their fellow students. They are a motivated and accomplished group. So it’s no small achievement to receive the Governor General’s gold medal, awarded…Governor General’s Silver Medal: His prof was right: UFV was
When Sukhvinder Singh Mangat started his Criminal Justice degree program at UFV four years ago, his professor told him studying for his degree would be a transformational experience. Mangat was skeptical. “I was reluctant to believe this. How can simply completing a series of courses result in such a transformative change?” Mangat recalls. “Well, four…Social justice champion Shirzad Ahmed receives honorary degree from UFV
Effectively fighting for the rights of refugees and immigrants from 144 countries takes 12-hours a day, seven days a week. And Shirzad Ahmed wouldn’t have it any other way. For his dedication to human rights, Shirzad will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of the Fraser Valley at 10 a.m. on…Aboriginal performance artist Margo Kane receives honorary degree from UFV
Movement and expression have defined Margo Kane for more than 40 years during an accomplished professional performance career. You can’t categorize her, and you can’t keep her still. A seemingly endless well of perpetual energy helps this dynamo tell her own story, express herself as an artist, and facilitate the sharing of many stories reflective…Volcanologist Catherine Hickson receives honorary degree from UFV
From a child gazing full of wonder at Yellowstone National Park’s gushing geysers to a young woman surviving blasted rock and ash near Mount St. Helens, volcanologist Catherine Hickson has had her adventures. Now she’s ready to embark on her latest after being awarded an honorary degree from the University of the Fraser Valley. She…Mental health advocate Ginny Dennehy receives honorary degree from UFV
Ginny Dennehy didn’t plan to be a crusader for mental health. Or to be heading into her golden years watching her friends attend their children’s weddings and becoming grandparents, with no prospect of doing so herself. But after losing her two children in separate tragedies, that is the course her life has taken. Ginny and…Crystal Gala organizers earn UFV Betty Urquhart Community Service award
Call it kitchen-table philanthropy. Fundraising without the frills. Every year, the women of the Crystal Gala Foundation put on a breathtakingly fancy and painstakingly planned gala fundraiser. Their goal? Raising money to support women undergoing breast cancer treatment in the Fraser Valley. Since inception in 1999 the group has raised $1.8 million in support of…Hardworking Heather Bakker earns UFV’s Lieutenant Governor’s Medal
Kind, caring, and incredibly capable, Certified Dental Assistant graduate Heather Bakker is UFV’s 2015 Lieutenant Governor’s Medal recipient. Bakker received her medal at the June 11 UFV Convocation ceremony. The Lt. Governor’s Medal is awarded to students graduating vocational or career programs less than two years long who excel in their studies and contribute to…Natalie Ng receives UFV’s 2015 Governor General’s Bronze Medal
Natalie Ng had every right to be nervous. Twenty years had passed since her last university experience, but volunteering at her children’s school library renewed a passion for learning. The Lower Mainland resident called around, finding what she wanted through an advisor at the University of the Fraser Valley. Ng’s family encouraged her return to…Remembering Barry Bompas — celebration of life June 10 on
Employees and retirees are invited to celebrate the life of our longtime colleague and friend, Barry Bompas, on Wed, June 10 at 10:30 am in Abby B121. Light refreshments will be served while we share stories and reminisce about Barry and the many lives he’s touched at UFV. Please bring your pictures and stories to…UFV Top 40: Alex McAulay — Young executive with entrepreneurial
Alex McAulay is no stranger to well-deserved praise. His hardworking, multi-tasking qualities were recognized when UFV presented the then-28-year-old with its inaugural Young Distinguished Alumni award in 2012. Alex was so honoured that he delayed his honeymoon with new wife Kaila just to receive the award. Presented to a UFV graduate under the age of…UFV Top 40: Patti MacAhonic — A leader in many
Patti MacAhonic’s life has taken some unexpected turns. Married young and widowed young in 1988, she was inspired into activism by injustices she encountered after her husband’s death following a severe workplace injury. Currently executive director at Ann Davis Transition Society in Chilliwack. Patti has applied her skills and talents in many volunteer and paid…New Advising Centre location emphasizes focus on students
A new focus for student advising is coinciding with the opening of the new Student Union Building (SUB) on the Abbotsford campus. UFV has used part of its portion of the new SUB to bring Arts, Science, and Student Services academic advisors together into one area on the Abbotsford campus. This move to a shared…Sto:lo Place Names tour brings indigenous history and landscape to
How many times have you buzzed down Highway One from the interior to the lower mainland, focused only on getting home as soon as possible? You pass by the historic town of Yale in an instant, and in Hope you might stop for a snack, but not to linger. The mountains and rivers are a…Dhawan’s latest play explores experience of terrorism from a female
Four women: all victims of terrorism, all potential terrorists, and all sharing an apartment in multicultural Vancouver. UFV English professor Rajnish Dhawan’s latest play, A Full House, is the story of their coming to terms with their sense of loss, grief, and desire for revenge. Dhawan didn’t set out to write a play with all…UFV embraces Giving Tuesday as a way of encouraging philanthropy
We hear a lot about consumerism this time of year. On the heels of the American Thanksgiving holiday come Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, all days that are focused on supporting the economy by buying material goods. But Giving Tuesday, which comes immediately after these days devoted to consumerism, is all about…Ch’nook Scholar Keenan Beavis excels at business and leadership
Keenan Beavis is irrepressible. From the age of four, he was going door to door, trying to sell bugs he had trapped in a pop bottle, and succeeding on pure charm. As a teen, he tried — and succeeded at — several online entrepreneurial endeavours. He had his own channel on YouTube in the early…“Bright Ideas” of student directors featured in UFV Theatre’s dynamic
The second production of UFV Theatre’s “Bright Ideas” season is Morris Panych’s absurd comedy 7 Stories, a directing collaboration of fourth-year students Natasha Beaumont and Courtney Kelley. The play tells the story of a man deliberating suicide on the ledge of a high-rise building who is drawn into the bizarre personal lives of the building’s…Help is help — Afghanistan war vet turns to nursing
He met Prince Harry. A bomb exploded under the tank he was driving. Stephen Clews isn’t your average UFV nursing student. Clews was the same age as many classmates, 18, when he joined the Canadian Forces in 2003. Deployed to Afghanistan in 2007, he was three weeks into his first tour when an improvised explosive…UFV’s second Town and Gown event raises $132,000+ for students
Town met Gown at the University of the Fraser Valley’s second annual fundraising dinner on November 9. More than 250 people gathered in the Student Union Building on UFV’s Abbotsford campus to celebrate student success and hear about how the support of donors helps UFV students. Proceeds from the Town & Gown event go to…UFV welcoming community to Town & Gown event Nov 9
UFV is once again welcoming the community to campus with the second annual Town & Gown fundraising dinner. The event on Nov 9 is sold out. Community supporters snapped up more than 250 tickets to this inspiring evening, where they will hear first-hand how UFV is having a positive impact on our community and in the lives of…UFV launches Centre for Creative Development to help hone digital
Communication has never been more visual than it is in the digital age. The University of the Fraser Valley recognizes this and wants to help you improve your visual communication skills through its new Centre for Creative Development. “Photographs, logos, GIFs, and other visual elements are used everywhere to communicate, from ads to brochures to…Long Night Against Procrastination aims to kick-start good study habits
As the nights get longer, daylight hours fade, and deadlines loom, November can be a stressful month for university students. A number of UFV departments are joining together to combat the gloom and inspire academic action with the first Long Night Against Procrastination on Tues, Nov 8. Students are invited to come to Building G…YDAA winner Shannon Thiesen curating a new generation of critical
Inspired by her 30 kids and sometimes smeared by squeegee or fork, the paintings created by UFV’s 2016 Young Distinguished Alumni Award winner Shannon Thiesen make their mark in more ways than one. She was the very last student to join her UFV Teacher Education cohort – accepted only two days before classes began. Now…Distinguished Alumni winner Gary Bass embraces midlife learning
He might not match your vision of a university student, unless your default is a high-level, mid-career RCMP leader in his 50s. That’s the stage of life Gary Bass was at when he first attended the University of the Fraser Valley. Bass, the 2016 winner of the UFV Distinguished Alumni award, was part of the…