UFV Alumni Association celebrates 25 years of creating connections

It started small.

As in, selling Entertainment coupon books to keep afloat financially.

It started with heart.

As in, a small group of proud graduates from UFV (in its Fraser Valley College and University College of the Fraser Valley incarnations) assembled and worked together to achieve the goal of giving back and formalizing a relationship with their university.

First Alumni Association board in year 2000, before incorporation in 2001. Front row: Sandi Sasaki, Iris Todd Lewis, Stacey Irwin, Terry-Lynne Stone. Back row: Susan Taylor (later Francis), Michelle Ward (staff), Bob Warick (staff), Jill Smith, Brent Newman. Centre: Susan McAlevy (staff).

A strong alumni association turns graduates into lifelong partners, strengthening community, opening doors for students, and amplifying the university’s impact. The UFV Alumni Association marks 25 years since its incorporation as a society this year, and it has evolved into a true partner of the university.

Stacey Irwin was part of the small group of alumni who formed a volunteer board in 2000 to begin building UFV’s Alumni Association. She later became the first chair after its official incorporation in 2001. (Terry-Lynn Stone served as founding chair in the first informal year. Other members of the 2000 board included Sandy Sasaki, Iris Todd-Lewis, Susan Taylor, Michelle Abbas, Blanca Hluskova, Robin Litzenberger, Jillian Smith, Brent Newman, Susan McAlevy, and Bob Warick.)

Their first goal was simple: find alumni.

With the help of UCFV’s Community Relations and Development team, they ran a newspaper ad campaign highlighting well-known local alumni with taglines such as “Tim McAlpine is one. Are you?” and inviting alumni to identify themselves.

In 2000, they also partnered with UCFV to launch the Aluminations newsletter, featuring updates and stories about alumni.

The Alumni Association was incorporated as a society on April 11, 2001. More than 200 community members gathered at Minter Gardens in Chilliwack to celebrate that milestone, along with the creation of a UCFV Foundation.

The association also hosted the first alumni reunion, inviting alumni to the Abbotsford campus in May 2000 for a barbecue, beer garden, and campus tours. They hosted another homecoming in 2003 and took part, along with UCFV’s Foundation, in a raffle for a Volkswagen Beetle.

Those early achievements notwithstanding, building the association was a challenge, Stacey recalls.

“We started with nothing: no data, no direct funding, no identity,” she recalls. “It took blood, sweat, and tears to keep the association alive, create sustained engagement (both internally and externally) and build a strong foundation, all from the side of our desks, as we worked at our regular jobs too.”

Stacey stayed on as chair until 2008. By that time, the association had an office with staff, a budget from the university, Alumni Hall named in its honour, the start of endowment awards, benefit packages for alumni, a memorandum of understanding, and the beginnings of a governance model. Stacey moved on to a role on the UFV Board of Governors.

“I’m guessing that I shook more than 10,000 hands at convocation over the years and put in more than 10,000 volunteer hours through those two roles.”

Many more alumni have volunteered with the association over the years, including 11 chairs.

On the staffing side, UFV’s Alumni Engagement team has grown into a dedicated full-time operation, including UFV alumna Whitney Fordham, who joined as manager in 2015 and is now director of Alumni Engagement and executive director of the Alumni Association. She reflects on the association’s growth over 25 years.

Whitney Fordham, Director, Alumni Engagement Executive Director, UFV Alumni Association

“Over 25 years, the UFV Alumni Association has evolved from simply connecting graduates to building a community where alumni support one another and contribute to the success of the university and the region,” Whitney says.

UFV is known for its connection to community, and that is reflected in the spirit of its alumni association.

“UFV is deeply rooted in community, and that shows in how personal our alumni relationships feel.” Whitney says. “Even as we’ve grown, we’ve held onto that sense of connection and accessibility. So many alumni genuinely see this as their community. We’re not just running programs, we’re creating spaces where people can genuinely connect, support one another, and give back. And increasingly, we are creating opportunities for alumni to engage with and mentor current students.”

As for the future, Whitney and the UFV Alumni Association board aim to expand the association’s reach while maintaining that strong sense of connection.

“We want to create more meaningful ways for alumni to engage and continue strengthening our role as a connector across communities.”

UFV Alumni Association timeline

2000
First Alumni Association Board formed
Alumni Reunion held (May 6)
First edition of UCFV Aluminations newsletter published

2001
UCFV Alumni Association incorporated as a society (April 11)

2003
First Distinguished Alumni Award presented to Sherry Mumford
Alumni Homecoming event held (Sept 26/27)

2005
Alumni commemorative wine program established

2006
Alumni turn out for a large community rally in support of the university campaign

2008
UFV’s Great Hall renamed Alumni Hall
Alumni celebrate UFV’s new status as a regional university

2010
First edition of Skookum magazine published

2012
First Distinguished Young Alumni Award presented to Alex McAulay

2013
UFV Alumni Association Bursary Endowment established (now at $307,422)

2014
UFV honours Top 40 Alumni as part of 40th Anniversary celebrations
Chandigarh chapter of Alumni Association established

2015
UFV Alumni Open golf tournament launched; raised nearly $160,000 for students over its five-year run

2017
Alumni Leadership Endowment established (now at $184,638)

2019
Outstanding Alumni Endowment established (now at $49,286)

2022
First Outstanding Student Leader Award presented to Manjot Benning
UFVAA’s first Executive Director (Whitney Fordham) hired

2023
UFV hits 50,000 alumni milestone

2024
UFV honours 50 Remarkable Alumni as part of 50th Anniversary celebrations
UFVAA 50 Years Forward > Annual Bursary is established

2025
UFV hosts inaugural UFV 50 Alumni & Friends Weekend

2026
UFVAA turns 25

View photos from UFV Alumni Association’s history: