Dr. Joanne MacLean, UFV President & Vice Chancellor
UFV held a term-opening virtual town hall last week My thanks go out to those of you who participated in the live session and submitted questions. For those of you who couldn’t participate in the live event, here’s a recording. If you have any feedback or questions, please reach out: Email the President’s Office Email … Read more
International Literacy Day is commemorated on September 8th of each year and draws attention to the importance of literacy and its direct relationship to human rights. While every person has the right to learn to read and write, UNESCO reports 773 million adults and young people globally are still lacking basic literacy. A combination of … Read more
Thinking about global humanitarian interests in the midst of a global pandemic — Today marks the 11th anniversary of the institutionalization of the World Humanitarian Day. This day was formalized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009 in memory of the August 19, 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, which … Read more
Books have the power to connect us in socially distanced times — Writing about the importance of books and reading for a university audience is akin to preaching to the choir, but I think the pandemic has provided an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the role that literature can play in our … Read more
Give up privilege — In her recent guest post on this blog, Dr. Satwinder Kaur Bains provides us (people of European descent) with a clear and powerful call to action: To move past rhetorical statements denouncing racism and to instead take tangible steps to change ourselves — and in the process to dismantle the structures … Read more
A call to action – have you heard this before? Not so long ago, a small brown girl attending a school in Abbotsford in a mostly white, privileged neighbourhood found herself being paraded around classrooms by her white teacher one morning. The teacher showed her off with great flourish to the other white teachers, saying … Read more
UFV held its first virtual town hall last week. My thanks go out to those of you who participated in the live session and submitted questions. For those of you who couldn’t participate in the live event, here’s a recording. If you have any feedback or questions, please reach out: Email the President’s Office … Read more
Not even a sack of potatoes — Indigenous history in Canada is long but many of us do not think of it that way. I recall being on a bus tour with my son; we were with his classmates in Europe. My son was in awe of the history. He commented, “This is awesome. We … Read more
Pride month in a time of solidarity — As I begin to write this blog post, I am slowly being consumed by a feeling I haven’t felt for a long time. My palms are sweaty; my heart is beginning to pick up its pace; and my body is becoming fidgety, searching for the closest door … Read more
UFV graduates: Today would have been convocation day, and as you know, we’re not able to gather together right now the way we have in the past. Instead, I’m reaching out via a video to encourage you, congratulate you, and express my profound admiration for how you’ve responded to the challenge of the past few … Read more