Every renovation project at UFV is meticulously planned with hundreds of line items and considerations. Just as much as the UFV Project team has to track and budget for raw materials, labour costs, and new furniture, they also have to responsibly remove construction waste and outdated furniture. The goal: eliminate landfill waste. “In the past,…

Dr. Allyson Jule, a leader in education and champion for social justice, joins UFV as the inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Education, Community, and Human Development (FECHD). The vision of the new faculty, announced in late 2021, is to create an inclusive and collaborative learning environment dedicated to educating others, and assisting families and…

Reinventing yourself with your career is a daunting idea for anyone. But try doing it at 51-years old like Rose-Mary Siemens. In 2019, after a decade-long career in tourism followed by a 20-year run managing wine stores, Siemens hit a crossroads professionally. Opportunities in the wine industry had dried up. She also felt unfulfilled. And,…

Trying to catch Heather Kelly can be a bit tricky. It seems the UFV Biology standout student and soon-to-be graduate is always on the go, spreading her knowledge and passion for scientific research with the world. Immediately after she was able to squeeze in an interview in early June, she was off to the UFV…

Diane Delves says she wants to slow down, but she can’t. Or at least she has no desire to. Even though she is of retirement age, the prominent Abbotsford-based real estate developer and philanthropist still operates at a similar speed to what she did decades ago. Every morning, Delves wakes up and checks email as…

In April, when UFV presented Shirley Turcotte the opportunity to be a UFV honorary degree award recipient, she accepted. But she did so somewhat reluctantly. It is not that the renowned Métis knowledge-carrier and registered clinical counsellor is not honoured. Or that she has anything against UFV. Simply put, Turcotte hates attention. “When I first…

Sustainability matters on university campuses. But not in a check-a-box, contrived kind of way. Progressive academic institutions globally have prioritized implementing strategic sustainable initiatives into their current and future plans.  In a 2021 study conducted by the Princeton Review, 66 percent of prospective students said a college's commitment to environmental issues would contribute to their…

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…

Pivoting to a full-scale, remote online learning environment within a few days does not just happen. Software and licensing have to be purchased and approved by university leaders. There has to be IT capacity to roll out and maintain the technologies. But possibly most important of all, there has to be a knowledgeable and passionate…

To direct a documentary by age 23 was never the goal for Camille Candia. Not that she wasn’t capable. A life-long creative with artistic pedigree, Candia has always been a gifted photographer, freelancing since high school. But it was a series of chance encounters that shifted her career and educational trajectory and ultimately led her…

The beautiful thing about academics is that it is never too late to learn and it doesn't have to come in a perfectly straight path. Dr. Michael Gaetz, an associate professor in Kinesiology at UFV, took the long road from working in a gas station in his early adulthood to becoming one of the country's…

Dr. Awneet Sivia has received a West Coast Teaching Excellence Award as one of the province's top teaching professors. Dr. Sivia is an associate professor in the Teacher Education department at UFV and program chair of the Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Mentorship degree. The British Columbia Teaching and Learning Council (BCTLC) selected…

The heartbeat of the Fraser Valley can be found in the farmlands that encircle the region and through the farmers who grow some of the world’s best vegetables, berries, dairy products, and meats. While the art of producing food has been perfected by many of these farmers, there are admitted knowledge gaps in the way…

We are living in a new environment when it comes to our careers. The chain reaction from the COVID-19 pandemic has altered where we work (remote versus in-person), sparked a Great Resignation, and given a lot of the leverage back to the employee. Dr. Candy Ho, the first-ever assistant professor of Integrative Career & Capstone…

Practise what you preach. That’s the approach UFV has continuously taken after making sustainability a top priority by aligning with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and forming partnerships and initiatives with students and different departments. Whether it is dropping plastic bags or implementing solar panels, UFV is actively seeking and implementing new ways of…