'Tis the season to be... generous.   There’s something about December, a time of year when many cultures celebrate significant holidays and take time to think of others, that inspires us to want to help.  That giving spirit takes many forms at UFV this time of year, and the latest opportunity is to support the…

Dr. Bonnie Reilly Schmidt has been a pioneer, not once, but twice.  As part of the first generation of women to serve as members of the RCMP and later as a scholar documenting their experiences through her doctoral research, Bonnie first discovered her passions as a mature student at what was then the University College…

UFV refers to itself as a House of Transformation in its integrated strategic plan, and that’s not just a label. People from all over the university are living up to that promise, reimagining the future through the framework of changemaking. Changemakers Dr. James Mandigo, Dr. Anna Griffith, and Dr. Martha Dow are championing UFV’s institutional…

There’s a common misconception that people with liberal arts degrees end up serving coffee, because the knowledge gained has no practical use. But a project led by Dr. Linda Pardy in partnership with UFV’s Community Health and Social Innovation (CHASI) Hub is serving up something different.   “Everyone says that, and it’s absolutely not true,” says…

Tracey Vanderaegen-Jones credits UFV with giving her the foundational skills for a successful 30-year nursing career. Now, she has taken the expertise she gained through her education and experience and uses it to save lives in organ recovery.  After graduation in 1994, Tracey worked as an on-call, casual nurse at a local hospital, and then…

“I’m one of those forever students,” says UFV alumna Shana Smith (BA ’16). “I just love learning.”  So much so that she didn’t want to leave — after graduating with a major in English and a minor in Media and Communication, she continued on as an employee. Shana now brings her creativity to UFV’s Information…

  As climate change increasingly affects traditional agriculture, new methods are being explored to make sure our food security stays intact. UFV’s Food and Agriculture Institute (FAI) is viewed as one of the leading research groups in this space, and the FAI team has been tapped to manage an exciting new research project.   A four-year…

It’s a long journey from refugee to Federal Court judge, and UFV was an important step along the way for Justice Shirzad Ahmed.   At the age of 18 Shirzad was a political exile from Kurdistan. He gained temporary refuge in Italy and a permanent home in Canada.  Launching his post-secondary studies at UFV (then UCFV)…

For the fourth year running, students from the University of the Fraser Valley Culinary Arts and Carpentry programs have partnered for the mouth-watering Bar-q-terie tasting showcase. This event provides a hands-on collaboration opportunity for students from both programs who work together to create an array of cured meats to be presented on one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted serving…

Luisa Giles always feels unsettled when wildfire smoke starts drifting into the Fraser Valley. She knows that the sun will be turning red, the blue sky will turn grey and soon she’ll be spending a lot more time indoors.  “When I’m stuck inside my motivation for anything, especially physical activity plummets,” Luisa says. “And during…

As the daughter of Romanian immigrants who arrived in Canada during her childhood, Julie Czeck saw her family navigate the complexities of adapting to a new country. Despite the challenges they faced, the unwavering support from the community, including social-support organizations, was essential to their journey. This experience instilled in Julie a profound respect for…

With over 40 years in the financial sector, Gus Hartl has seen significant changes in the industry, but his core principles of leadership and community involvement have remained constant.  Graduating from UFV’s business administration program in the early 1980s, Gus was part of only the second class to complete the diploma program. “At the time,…