Skookum Archive
George Hemeon honoured for career and artistic accomplishments
Typically, awards recognize a major strength of the individual receiving them. But George Hemeon (BA ’04) the latest Distinguished Alumni award winner, was lauded for multiple strengths. Hemeon was honoured for both his career achievements and his artistic talents. He has accomplished a lot in the past decade. The former landscaper earned his Bachelor of…Young man going places: inaugural UFV Young Distinguished Alumni award
From dreams of growing up and becoming a doctor, to evolving into the CFO of a public company, many things have changed for Chilliwack’s Alex McAulay. But the one thing that has remained the same is McAulay’s drive. He’s always been a hardworking, multi-tasking individual. Those qualities were recognized when UFV presented McAulay with the…Aluminations: Alumni News
Message from the Alumni Association Chair It’s been a busy time these past few months for your Alumni Association and the Alumni Engagement office on campus. We will be watching proudly as more than 1,200 students make the transition to alumni when they walk across the convocation stage this June. We hope you’ll take advantage…Institutional Learning Outcomes provide “value-added” education for every UFV grad
A university education should consist of more than the accumulation of a body of knowledge in a certain discipline. That’s the premise of a process that’s been ongoing at UFV since 2011. Many people have brainstormed, planned, deliberated, contributed, and worked together to create the university’s Institutional Learning Outcomes. The ILOs, as they are known,…Success is spelled C-A-S-C-A-D-E-S: UFV’s Athletics enjoys banner year
It’s no longer a question of “Where is Abbotsford?” It’s more like, “Oh no! We have to play the Cascades again?” This year’s version of the UFV Cascades really put the Fraser Valley on the map. UFV Athletics enjoyed a banner year that included the school’s first-ever women’s CCAA national championship (volleyball), the two basketball…Indigenizing the Academy: making universities more welcoming for Aboriginal peoples
For anyone new to academia, there’s a bit of confusion and trepidation. Why do the professors wear those gowns at Convocation? How do you know when and where to apply for a scholarship? What’s a graduate degree? For Aboriginal students, the gap between their worldview and mainstream academic culture can be even wider. Throw in decades…Making history: innovative history course puts local stories from WW
A history paper seems like a lot of work, even from an outside perspective. The research alone is enough to make the most stalwart student stagger; add a couple dozen hours of compiling citations and leafing through library books that smell like the stone age, and a history paper is no small undertaking. Even after…UFV + NASA. Looking for signs of life.
UFV researchers are helping NASA understand the environment of odd life forms. Investigating the universe from the bottom of an ancient lake, right here in BC. Working with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is a dream for most scientists. And it’s something a group of UFV students were able to experience during a summer…Herron roots go deep in Chilliwack: endowed scholarship will keep
You know your family has been in the community a long time when there is a road named after you. A few families in the Fraser Valley qualify for this distinction, including the Herron family, descendants of which still live in the area. And there is more than one road in the area bearing names…Major donation launches UFV Five Corners
UFV will be a major presence at Five Corners in downtown Chilliwack thanks to a major gift from the BMO Bank of Montreal. BMO Financial group donated its building at the historic Chilliwack location to UFV in early 2013. The university will renovate and refurbish the facility in order to create UFV Five Corners, a…Recognizing innovation and excellence: three employees honoured for going above
Three outstanding UFV employees were honoured recently in the inaugural Employee Excellence awards. The awards recognize and celebrate employees who have inspired others through their outstanding achievement within the university and/or their community. Hope centre coordinator Hilary Kennedy, senior advisor on indigenous affairs Shirley Hardman of Chilliwack, and political science professor Rita Dhamoon, based at…The Gatekeeper: who should decide if a student is truly
I am an educator. As such, I have a mandate to educate the students who come to my classes, using agreed upon educational outcomes and appropriately designed curriculum. I freely share my expertise and relevant experiences. I create innovative assignments, and in-class activities that reinforce student learning. I exhaustively research the most current data,…Swing Into Spring supports Health Sciences at UFV
The Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Fraser Valley will be able to equip its new dental labs in style, thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Chilliwack Fraser. The club recently hosted its annual Swing Into Spring fundraising event, raising nearly $45,000. The majority of funds raised will…Evelyn McKenzie – a life of generosity and love of
Evelyn McKenzie was known to her children as a ‘fun mom’ — warm, loving, kind and jovial — a good reflection of the family she herself was raised in. Evelyn and her husband Ken moved to Cloverdale from Saskatchewan, and Evelyn continued her teaching career that had been launched in a one- room prairie school.…Dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers = fundraising success
In this day and age, the dreams of a university don’t take flight without a solid foundation of community support. So when the Indo-Canadian community approached the University of the Fraser Valley (then UCFV) started to look into developing courses, programs, and community outreach initiatives in the area of Indo-Canadian studies in the early 2000s,…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Stacey Irwin — Lifetime of dedication
There are few UFV alumni whose lives are as intertwined with their alma mater as Stacey Irwin’s is. She became the first chair of the UFV Alumni Association when it was incorporated in 2001, and was involved for a year previously when it was an informal organization. She is currently first vice chair of the…Top 40 Alumni: Ken Hildebrandt — Kid who thought “theatre
Ken Hildebrandt enjoyed his theatre studies so much that he put them to good use before he even graduated. A protégé of Ian Fenwick and the rest of the UFV Theatre department, Hildebrandt thought it would be “cool to have my own theatre company.” While still attending UFV (then UCFV) he started Gallery 7 in…UFV Top 40 Alumni: George Hemeon — Carver honoured for
Weaving a life that integrated the worlds of art and business led to George Hemeon’s UFV Distinguished Alumni award in 2012. Now, his tapestry is tailor-made for UFV’s Top 40 Alumni list. George accomplished a considerable amount this millennium. The former landscaper earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from UFV in 2004, majoring in criminal…UFV Top 40 alumni: Gus Hartl — Credit union CEO
It’s a good thing the Mounties didn’t get their man. Aldergrove’s Gus Hartl grew up the youngest of six boys, and all but the eldest followed their dad into the RCMP. Hartl considered doing so too, and was accepted into the force, but when he found himself 500th on the waiting list he decided to…UFV Top 40 alumni: Debbie Greene — resilience personified
Much has been written about Captain Trevor Greene’s experience and his long journey back from his comatose state after an Afghani youth buried an ax in his head. He has made a remarkable recovery to a state where he is conscious and aware, lives at home with Debbie and their two children, and works daily…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Dr. Peter Eppinga — An author
Dr. Peter Eppinga has packed a lot of experience into his first three decades. Now a resident physician at Alberta Health Services, his fascination with health and the human body really took off when studying kinesiology and biology at UFV. He graduated with his BKin in 2006. “Kinesiology was great to study because it addresses…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Dave Dhat — Helping cure blindness
Dr. Dave Dhat didn’t take a very direct route to a career in medicine. Now an emergency room physician at Abbotsford Regional Hospital, he started his post-secondary studies with plans to become an engineer. After completing his Associate in Science two-year degree at what was then UCFV in 2000, he went on to complete an…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Julie Czeck — Young alumna credits
Julie Czeck is one of the younger UFV Top 40 Alumni, still enrolled in graduate studies in the Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution at the University of Victoria. But she has achieved a lot at her relatively young age after graduating from UFV with her Bachelor of Arts in 2011 with a near-perfect 4.2…Top 40 Alumni: Stu Chahal — Cisco kid excels in
From UFV to North Carolina, then back to BC, Stu Chahal isn’t afraid to share his talents, and his time, wherever he lands. Before becoming UFV’s 2013 Distinguished Alumni award winner, Stu hit the ground running after graduating with a Bachelor in Computer Systems degree with a minor in business administration back in 2005. Fueled…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Kelly Chahal — Abbotsford councillor earned
Kelly Chahal liked UFV so much, she stayed for three credentials with UFV's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. First she earned her Criminal Justice diploma in 1993, then joined one of the first cohorts of the Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree, graduating in 1994. When UFV added a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice,…UFV Top 40 alumni: Shelley Besse — from teller to
From part-time teller to president of Envision Financial, Shelley Besse’s success follows a simple recipe: work hard, believe in yourself, and invest in the people around you. A UFV Top 40 Alumni and highly respected leader with extensive knowledge in financial services, Shelley’s focus throughout her career has been facilitating excellent member experiences. That passion…UFV Top 40 Alumni: Luke Armstrong — Bringing security to
Luke Armstrong is one of those people who willingly travels to danger zones from which others flee. A security advisor by profession and one of UFV’s Top 40 Alumni, he recently returned from Liberia, where he managed the security needs of medical professionals responding to the Ebola outbreak. The work is challenging, to say the…