This past year will forever be remembered as a truly special one in UFV history. Major construction projects began that will bring exciting changes to the Abbotsford campus. Students and faculty engaged in meaningful teaching and learning, and research that will have far-reaching impacts on our community and beyond. UFV welcomed its largest group of students this past fall, with enrolment hitting an all-time high.  

While 2024 was a year of remarkable growth, it was also a time to pause and reflect on the journey we’ve taken.

Students, employees, alumni, community leaders, and partners gathered in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and Hope on April 4 to launch 50th anniversary celebrations, exactly a half century after Fraser Valley College was announced by provincial education minister Eileen Dailly in 1974.   

The night before, hundreds of students, faculty and staff gathered at UFV Night with the Abbotsford Canucks to celebrate UFV’s deep ties to its communities.

The university created the UFV 50 Program Fund to support vibrant and diverse anniversary projects, some of which have launched already and others that will continue to take place in the lead up to UFV Day and Alumni Weekend in April 2025.  

“The last five decades have given us so much to be proud of,” said Dr. Joanne MacLean, UFV President and Vice Chancellor. “It has been truly enjoyable celebrating the history of our institution this year and remembering the many outstanding people who’ve helped make the university what is it today.” 

It is community that has made UFV the exceptional place it is, and the university hosted St’elt’elawtexw: a Celebration of Community at the Chilliwack campus in September. More than 250 friends and partners gathered for an evening of food and fun. The program showcased some of UFV’s most treasured community-engaged initiatives, many of which were chronicled in this year’s St’elt’elawtexw Community Report. Students, faculty, staff, and community partners hosted a range of immersive showcases, offering attendees a window into the impactful work that’s being done at the university – with community.   

<< Click here to see photos from the year that was at UFV >>

Students choose UFV in part because of the exciting research opportunities that are available to them at the undergraduate level, opportunities they wouldn’t get elsewhere. This year the university opened the BERRI  (Berry Environmental Resilience Research & Innovation) Lab on the Chilliwack campus. Assisting Dr. Lauren Erland, students conduct research that improves the sustainability and resilience of berry horticultural and ecosystems.  

Launched as a pilot project in 2021, the BMO Collaboratorium became a fully funded research organization in 2024 thanks to a generous contribution from BMO. The BMO Collaboratorium provides community organizations access to sophisticated research and provides UFV students with research training and practical experience in a way that benefits the communities around them. 

UFV’s many research centres continued their impactful work in 2024, including the South Asian Studies Institute, Community Health and Social Innovation Hub, Esposito Family Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Centre for Education & Research on Aging, Food and Agriculture Institute, Luminescence Dating Lab, Peace and Reconciliation Centre, Centre for High Pressure Research, Centre for Justice Equity and Sustainable Action, Centre for Philosophy and Children, and Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research. Across the university, faculty and students explored ways to make our community and our world a better place. 

Their work wouldn’t be possible without the support of generous community partners. 

This year saw Auguston Town Developments Inc. pledging $80,000 to fund agriculture research, and student and community engagement opportunities through UFV’s Food and Agriculture Institute.

Coast Capital provided $125,000 to support an inclusion and equity strategy that addresses the needs of non-traditional students in the trades, and Prospera Credit Union and the Prospera Foundation invested $500,000 into student wellness programming over the next three years, ensuring that peer assistance is more available than ever. 

A partnership between UFV and FortisBC saw the installation of cutting-edge gas absorption heat pump technology at UFV Chilliwack’s Trades and Technology Centre that provides a complex, real-world system for students to explore.

UFV also recognized many Ripple Makers who’ve made generous donations to the university: Don McKay, Dale Seguin, Charles (Chuck) Webb, Dr. Alisa Webb, Dr. Garry Fehr and Sandra Fehr, Jill Bain, Kim Isaac, Quantum Properties Ltd, the Credit Union Foundation of BC, Baker Newby LLP, the Chartered Professional Accountants Education Foundation of BC, and the Canadian Federation of University Women, Abbotsford chapter. 

With generous support from Ripple Makers and community partners, UFV is proud to send thousands of graduates into the world each year, armed with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. The university graduated 2,349 students last June, who will go out into our local communities and elsewhere and become leaders and changemakers wherever they go.  

UFV now has more than 50,000 alumni, a truly fitting number for our 50th anniversary year. 

Q’um Q’um Xiiem Dr. Jo-ann Archibald spoke at each of the six convocation ceremonies, after being installed as UFV’s new University Chancellor in a ceremony on May 9. Her deep roots with UFV trace back to its inception, and she received an honorary degree from the university in 2022. Dr. Archibald is well known as a leading Indigenous scholar who played a key role in weaving Indigenous content and ways of knowing into the curriculum at the K-12 and university levels. 

With a commitment to providing the best-possible learning environment for students, there was ground-breaking on two major construction projects on the Abbotsford campus this year. New student housing ($105 million) is being built across the street from Lá:lem te Baker that will provide 398 beds, making it easier for students to find safe, affordable housing. At the same time, the dining hall ($20 million) is being renovated and expanded to increase seating capacity from 121 to 350 seats. 

Both projects are due for completion in 2025. 

UFV also reopened a newly renovated campus in Mission in early September. The campus is home to UFV’s School of Education and was co-created with input and assistance from Indigenous partners.  Indigenous artists designed the architecture, and it was built with materials that are culturally important to the Stó:lō People, including cedar, a preserved moss wall, and rounded corners. Carvings and symbols appear throughout, with Indigenous artwork on the walls. 

More than a place of learning, it is a space for our entire community. 

“The Mission campus is symbolic of our deep connections to the communities in which we live, work, and play, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who helped make our vision a reality,” Joanne said. “We look forward to many, many years in this building engaging learners, transforming lives, and building community.” 

The year to come brings with it the promise of more growth and innovation at UFV. The university is currently in the process of becoming a “Changemaker campus” through the Ashoka organization, a global community that identifies and supports social entrepreneurs to address global issues.  After beginning its application back in 2022, UFV receives its final evaluation this month. 

There are four guiding principles that guide changemaking at UFV: empowerment, decolonization/Indigenization, sustainability, and reciprocity. By weaving these principles throughout UFV courses, content, instruction, and learning environments, UFV is on track to receive a Changemaker campus designation. This honour would offer international growth opportunities for both students and faculty and set an inspiring precedent for the next 50 Years Forward.   

This and other exciting initiatives give students, faculty, and staff a lot to look forward to in 2025. 

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Each year, UFV recognizes the exceptional contributions of students, faculty, staff, and community members with special awards. Click on the links below to read the stories of our 2024 recipients. 

Honorary doctorates: Michelle Frances Good, T’ít’elem Spáth Eddie Gardner, Marion Keys, and Nick Taylor 

Lieutenant Governor’s Medal: Frankie Fowle 

Governor General’s Gold Medal: Marlae Vermeer 

Governor General’s Silver Medal: Amrit Singh 

Governor General’s Bronze Medal: Pandora Siganakis 

Distinguished Alumni Award: Adam Currie 

Young Distinguished Alumni Award: Keenan Beavis 

Outstanding Student Leader Award: Jada McIntyre 

Betty Urquhart Community Service Award: Free Store Chilliwack