One of UFV’s strategic goals is to Build Community by collaborating and partnering on projects that enrich the lives of all people on our campuses, in our local communities, and beyond. A key performance indicator that we will be using to track our progress towards achieving this goal is the number of research and scholarly activity projects within the communities that UFV serves.
In 2020-21, UFV faculty, staff, and students collaborated with local partners on 62 projects that addressed several important issues.
For example, UFV partnered with the Cities of Abbotsford and Chilliwack on an initiative called CityStudio. Each year, a “challenge” that is relevant to the local community is identified. Recent topics explored include community needs pre- and post-COVID, cross-generational workplaces, sustainable water future, identifying and breaking down local barriers to support diversity and inclusion, and inclusive and equitable digital marketing of community cultural events. Students work with faculty members and staff from local organizations and municipalities to come up with innovative and creative ways to address the challenges in their communities.
Read more about this City-University collaboration and check out the recent Cities of Abbotsford and Chilliwack challenges on our virtual CityStudio Hubbub.
UFV’s faculty, staff, and students have expertise in many areas that can be utilized to support research or other community-based projects. If you or your organization have ideas for a future collaboration, we’d love to hear from you!