UFV’s Claire Hay has won a prestigious award from the Western Division, Canadian Association of Geographers (WDCAG). A former geography professor who is now Specialist, Teaching and Learning in UFV’s Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC), she is being recognized with the J. Lewis Robinson Award for Meritorious Service.

“I was really surprised, but I was also very appreciative of the nomination in and of itself,” Hay says. “Awneet (associate vice president, Teaching and Learning) likes to remind us that the nomination is the win.”

According to the WDCAG website, the award recognizes a member for exceptional professional service over several years, significantly advancing the profession, practice, or reputation of geography, especially in B.C. or Alberta.

Hay checks all the boxes.

She has served in every single executive position for the WDCAG over the last 17 years, including time as president. During that time, she also sat on the executive of the Canadian Association of Geographers. Hay has also been past president, vice president, member at large, and she edited the WDCAG twice-yearly newsletter for a decade.

With Hay leading the way, UFV has hosted three WGCAG annual meetings.

“That’s where this nomination comes from,” Hay says. “It’s an acknowledgement of all the time I’ve spent supporting this group.”

Hay came to UFV in 2002 and spent 18 years teaching geography before moving into her current role in the TLC. She is forever interested in growing interest in geography and drawing more students into programs. Hay is a physical geographer who looks at how land is formed, how it might change over time, and how people intersect with the land.

Her passion shines through when she talks about the discipline.

“I love helping students to understand the land that they live on, what it means to them and how they can influence it,” she says. “It’s great when a student I’m working with starts to question what they’re seeing. Those are the big ah ha-moments when they start to look critically at the land, when it’s not just a thing, but something that matters.”

Hay was nominated for the award by Dr. Craig Coburn, fellow geographer and professor at the University of Lethbridge. In his nomination letter, Coburn describes her as a brilliant professor who’s been extraordinarily generous with helping geographical education in B.C. and beyond.

“I’ve known Claire for a long time, and she is a very humble person – the best often are,” he writes. “In my estimation, the WDCAG simply would not exist without Claire. Service excellence comes from caring deeply and nobody cares more than Claire.”