Dr. Joanne MacLean, UFV President & Vice Chancellor
Dear Colleagues, This is a week of remembrance — a time to honour those who have made sacrifices in times of conflict, and to reflect on the lessons of history. We are all familiar with the symbolism of Remembrance Day, when we pause on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month … Read more
Dear Colleagues, I find myself reflecting often on what I continue to learn regarding the atrocities committed against Indigenous people and the horrific legacy of residential schools. The magnitude and prevalence of ongoing discoveries of unmarked graves at residential school sites in BC and across Canada has made me feel many things: shock, anger, and … Read more
Dear UFV colleague, As we head into the final week of September, I hope you’re enjoying being back on campus and seeing friends, students, and colleagues. It’s been wonderful and energizing to have the University come back to life with your return. I want to reassure you that UFV’s main focus and our continued priority … Read more
Welcome to the Fall term! This is a moment so many of us have been waiting for and I am thrilled to see you all back on campus. A university truly comes alive when it’s people – its heart and soul – are able to see one another face-to-face and have the chance meetings that … Read more
Dear members of the UFV Community, As the official start of the 2021 fall term approaches, UFV is committed to providing a safe return-to-campus environment as we scale up the level of on-campus activities and learning environments across all our campuses. While the pandemic has impacted all of us in a number of different ways, … Read more
Dear colleagues, As the winter 2021 semester officially ends, please accept my deep gratitude and appreciation for your dedication, ingenuity, and flexibility in completing your work under highly unusual circumstances over the past year. You have shown the true character of our university community through your commitment to our students and to each other, and … Read more
It’s springtime. A time of renewal. Quite fitting, I think, to begin my journey with the University of the Fraser Valley as the inaugural Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. My first week at UFV has been an interesting one. For one thing, I’m not “at” UFV yet. Like many of you I have been working … Read more
For the last few months, the President’s Office has been talking about race. Using Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race (2019) as our guide, we have been setting aside time to gather as a group, and to face the challenges of racism as well as the opportunities to dismantle it. Our conversations … Read more
Dear colleague, As we settle into the winter term, we’re reminded that one year ago we began hearing of a virus that has since shaken our world, changed the way we live, and the way we educate. And yet, thanks to you, the fundamentals of our mission: engaging learners, transforming lives, and building community have … Read more
Dear Colleagues, Here we are, deep into November, which is competing aggressively against April for the title of “cruelest month.” The curve that we flattened over summer is bending upward again, returning us to our household bubbles. I’m particularly missing daylight and sunshine – as I draft this message in the late afternoon of a grey, … Read more