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…

Dr. Lenore Newman cares deeply about food security, and she believes new technologies are key to ensuring Canada’s food production remains strong even as climate change intensifies. Global food production is suffering in the face of droughts, flooding, geopolitical instability, and other threats, and solutions are needed.  “Actively growing our innovation portfolio in agri-food is…

UFV’s commitment to sustainability runs deep, grounded in the belief that the university can provide for the needs of today without sacrificing the future. The hard-working people in UFV’s Office of Sustainability live and breathe this philosophy every day with everything they do, working with endless enthusiasm to support UFV in meeting its commitments to…

Congratulations to the UFV retirees of 2024, who gathered to celebrate decades of service at UFV’s retiree dinner on November 26 at the Clarion Hotel in Abbotsford. 2024 Retirees Tammy Upton Leona MacDonald Geoffrey Spurling Hilary Turner Jill Bain Renee Hamilton-Clark Grace Tsurumaru Cyrus Chaichian Anthony Stea Steven Marsh Christine Slavik Cindy Rammage Leonne Beebe…

For Evan Wiens, dentistry goes beyond perfecting smiles — it’s about giving back through mentorship and community service. A 2006 graduate of UFV’s Bachelor of Science program and recipient of the 2013 Young Distinguished Alumni Award, Evan balances his dentistry practice, leadership roles in dental organizations, and his family of four. As president of the…

'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)…

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…