Faculty Excellence awards Archive
Inspirational Leadership 2023: Christine Slavik creates an environment of acceptance,
As she reflects on 27 years of teaching at the University of the Fraser Valley, Dr. Christine Slavik sees more than just a number: she sees a body of work that aligns with her core values. Whether it is leading her team through a pandemic with mindfulness, creating safe digital spaces to discuss concerns,…Research Excellence 2023: Dr. Edward Akuffo finds joy in balancing
Dr. Edward Akuffo first encountered Canadian foreign policy in the late 1990s when he was completing his undergraduate education in Ghana. After seeing the work that the now defunct Canadian International Development Agency was doing under the leadership of John R. Schram (the retired diplomat and former Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana), his curiosity was…Teaching Excellence 2023: Steven Marsh’s love of climate studies has
A passion for studying the elements led Steven Marsh to his life’s work as a geography professor. Now, generations of students have benefited from the knowledge and skills he shared and are on the frontlines of resource management and academic research in climate-related disciplines. For his dedication to his profession and influence on students, Marsh…2022 long-service employees celebrated
Employees who have been around for a decade or more had the chance to be celebrated in person on May 16 at a dinner event at the Clarion Inn. President Joanne MacLean was delighted to greet the long-service employees and retiring faculty members who are receiving professor emeritus status in person after…Teaching Excellence 2022: Judy Larsen places communication at the heart
Dr. Judy Larsen of UFV’s Upgrading and University Preparation department has always taken the atypical route when it came to teaching mathematics and mathematics education courses. Guided by principles of the ‘Building Thinking Classrooms’ framework, her classes are known to be a little loud, messy, and full of students out of their seats and at…Inspirational Leadership 2022: Goudsblom leads from student-centred approach
A lifetime of forward-thinking leadership and commitment to improving the lives of those around him has led Mark Goudsblom to receive UFV’s 2022 Inspirational Leadership Award. Now Associate Vice President, Campus Planning and Facilities Management, Goudsblom was originally a nurse by profession, coming to Canada from his native Holland on a honeymoon with wife Mirjam.…Research Excellence 2022: UFV the perfect fit for professor seeking
For Dr. James Bedard, the 2022 winner of the Research Excellence award at UFV, a faculty posting in the biology department turned out to be the perfect fit. His mentor during his undergraduate and graduate years studying microbiology in Manitoba had told him that he’d make a good teaching-focused professor with a minor focus on…Faculty Service Excellence 2022: Karin Jager fuses design education with
From building UFV’s Graphic and Digital Design program from the ground up, to instilling a deep understanding of community and the power of design to generations of students, Karin Jager’s contribution to creative work in the Fraser Valley and beyond is immeasurable. For this and much more, Jager has been named UFV’s 2022 Faculty Service…Faculty Service Excellence 2021: Satwinder Bains’ impact is mighty at
A visionary leader with an unshakable commitment to equality and cultural justice, Dr. Satwinder Bains is the 2021 recipient of UFV’s Faculty Service Excellence Award. “As a woman of colour, not only is she smashing glass ceilings of patriarchy within academia, but also in conservative cultural spaces,” says Anita Lal, co-founder and director of the…Teaching Excellence 2021 — Awneet Sivia: education must be centred
There were two key experiences early in the teaching career of 2021 UFV Teaching Excellence award recipient Awneet Sivia that defined her approach to her profession. One was accepting a job in Merritt, BC, in 1988, for her first teaching post. The student body was a diverse representation of Indigenous, White, and South Asian backgrounds.…Research Excellence award 2021: Scott Sheffield recognized for his contribution
Dr. Scott Sheffield was at a payphone in France in the mid-1990s when he made a spur-of-the-moment decision that would not only change the course of his career over the next quarter century, but would bring much needed global awareness to the historical contributions of Indigenous communities to the Second World War in Canada and…Olav Lian to speak March 2 in Science Talks series
A UFV professor who has devoted his career to looking at long-term change through examining soil samples will be presenting in the Science Talks community lecture series on March 2. Catch Dr. Olav Lian speaking on the topic From the Last Ice Age to 2021 and Beyond -- how our physical environment has adapted to…Nominate someone great!
Nominate someone great! At UFV, we believe in honouring excellence and recognizing outstanding achievement and service. To do so, we need your help in the form of nominations. Let us know who deserves to be recognized! UFV is currently seeking nominations for the following awards and honours in the categories of Faculty Excellence. Faculty Excellence…Research Excellence Award 2020: Robert Harding is recognized for his
Three decades ago, in a different life, professional actor Robert Harding sat with a friend — one of New Zealand's top Maori actors — watching a news report showing Indigenous peoples protesting Columbus Day on New York City streets. "Pete turned to me, and said, 'What're the Indians so upset about, mate?'" Harding recalls. "When…Teaching Excellence: student-centred, community-focused approach brings results for Joanna Sheppard
The world is a classroom for Joanna Sheppard. From September to April, she teaches kinesiology at UFV, utilizing classrooms, gyms, fields, and hallways as sites for instruction. It’s not unusual to see her students setting up PE style games on the greenspace on campus, or walking to the nearby gym carrying hula hoops. Then every…Inspirational Leadership 2023: Christine Slavik creates an environment of acceptance,
As she reflects on 27 years of teaching at the University of the Fraser Valley, Dr. Christine Slavik sees more than just a number: she sees a body of work that aligns with her core values. Whether it is leading her team through a pandemic with mindfulness, creating safe digital spaces to discuss concerns,…Research Excellence 2023: Dr. Edward Akuffo finds joy in balancing
Dr. Edward Akuffo first encountered Canadian foreign policy in the late 1990s when he was completing his undergraduate education in Ghana. After seeing the work that the now defunct Canadian International Development Agency was doing under the leadership of John R. Schram (the retired diplomat and former Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana), his curiosity was…Teaching Excellence 2023: Steven Marsh’s love of climate studies has
A passion for studying the elements led Steven Marsh to his life’s work as a geography professor. Now, generations of students have benefited from the knowledge and skills he shared and are on the frontlines of resource management and academic research in climate-related disciplines. For his dedication to his profession and influence on students, Marsh…2022 long-service employees celebrated
Employees who have been around for a decade or more had the chance to be celebrated in person on May 16 at a dinner event at the Clarion Inn. President Joanne MacLean was delighted to greet the long-service employees and retiring faculty members who are receiving professor emeritus status in person after…Teaching Excellence 2022: Judy Larsen places communication at the heart
Dr. Judy Larsen of UFV’s Upgrading and University Preparation department has always taken the atypical route when it came to teaching mathematics and mathematics education courses. Guided by principles of the ‘Building Thinking Classrooms’ framework, her classes are known to be a little loud, messy, and full of students out of their seats and at…Inspirational Leadership 2022: Goudsblom leads from student-centred approach
A lifetime of forward-thinking leadership and commitment to improving the lives of those around him has led Mark Goudsblom to receive UFV’s 2022 Inspirational Leadership Award. Now Associate Vice President, Campus Planning and Facilities Management, Goudsblom was originally a nurse by profession, coming to Canada from his native Holland on a honeymoon with wife Mirjam.…Research Excellence 2022: UFV the perfect fit for professor seeking
For Dr. James Bedard, the 2022 winner of the Research Excellence award at UFV, a faculty posting in the biology department turned out to be the perfect fit. His mentor during his undergraduate and graduate years studying microbiology in Manitoba had told him that he’d make a good teaching-focused professor with a minor focus on…Faculty Service Excellence 2022: Karin Jager fuses design education with
From building UFV’s Graphic and Digital Design program from the ground up, to instilling a deep understanding of community and the power of design to generations of students, Karin Jager’s contribution to creative work in the Fraser Valley and beyond is immeasurable. For this and much more, Jager has been named UFV’s 2022 Faculty Service…Faculty Service Excellence 2021: Satwinder Bains’ impact is mighty at
A visionary leader with an unshakable commitment to equality and cultural justice, Dr. Satwinder Bains is the 2021 recipient of UFV’s Faculty Service Excellence Award. “As a woman of colour, not only is she smashing glass ceilings of patriarchy within academia, but also in conservative cultural spaces,” says Anita Lal, co-founder and director of the…Teaching Excellence 2021 — Awneet Sivia: education must be centred
There were two key experiences early in the teaching career of 2021 UFV Teaching Excellence award recipient Awneet Sivia that defined her approach to her profession. One was accepting a job in Merritt, BC, in 1988, for her first teaching post. The student body was a diverse representation of Indigenous, White, and South Asian backgrounds.…Research Excellence award 2021: Scott Sheffield recognized for his contribution
Dr. Scott Sheffield was at a payphone in France in the mid-1990s when he made a spur-of-the-moment decision that would not only change the course of his career over the next quarter century, but would bring much needed global awareness to the historical contributions of Indigenous communities to the Second World War in Canada and…Olav Lian to speak March 2 in Science Talks series
A UFV professor who has devoted his career to looking at long-term change through examining soil samples will be presenting in the Science Talks community lecture series on March 2. Catch Dr. Olav Lian speaking on the topic From the Last Ice Age to 2021 and Beyond -- how our physical environment has adapted to…