VIU Campus

November 2024

Message from the Provost

Dear VIU Community, 

Last week at the regular meeting of Senate, I shared a vision for our academic programs. Subsequently, we created a video outlining some of the exciting changes and opportunities ahead for Vancouver Island University. I’d like to summarize and expand on those themes, highlighting how we are building a stronger, more resilient university.

Our mission at VIU has always been to serve our students, our region, and our communities. As we move into this new chapter, we are committed to doing so in bold, relevant, and future-focused ways. Our goal is to create a ripple effect of positive outcomes through trust and collaboration with our students, partners, and the broader community.

To achieve this, we’re making targeted changes to our academic programs to ensure we meet current demands and are prepared for future opportunities. Innovation requires trying new approaches, learning from them, and letting go of what doesn’t work. This thoughtful evolution is driven by a challenging fiscal environment and, more importantly, by our students’ needs.

These efforts align closely with VIU’s Strategic Plan, People Place Potential, and the broader goals championed by President Deborah Saucier. At the heart of our work are four guiding themes:

  1. Indigenous Commitments: VIU is deeply committed to supporting Indigenous education and building meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities. Recognizing the impacts of intergenerational trauma, we are creating wraparound supports and fostering an inclusive environment for Indigenous students and first-generation learners.
  2. Career-Ready Education: Preparing students for meaningful roles in their communities and beyond remains a priority. Our programs are designed to equip students with the skills, confidence, and experience they need to excel in the workforce. Our commitment to Trades is a core part of this theme, but it also extends across all our programs.
  3. Access to Opportunity: As an access institution, our mission is to create pathways for all learners. We are proud of the countless success stories of students who have thrived at VIU, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to making education accessible and inclusive.
  4. Place-Based and Community Focused: Our coastal and island setting is one of our greatest strengths. We aim to ensure our programs reflect and connect deeply with the unique characteristics of this extraordinary place.

These themes guide our priorities in several key areas:

  • Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship: With our coastal and island context, VIU is uniquely positioned to lead in environmental studies and address pressing global challenges for coastal communities. This area is anchored in the physical sciences, but also extends across the disciplines.
  • Health and Well-being: Responding to the growing societal focus on physical, mental, and community health, we are enhancing our programs to meet these emerging needs.
  • Tourism, Parks, Recreation, and Hospitality: These vital sectors of our regional economy require skilled graduates, and VIU is committed to providing them.
  • Education and Lifelong Learning: We aim to provide flexible and accessible learning opportunities, supporting students’ growth throughout their lives.

To align with these priorities, we are implementing several academic structural changes:

  • Bringing the Faculty of Academic and Career Preparation and the Faculty of Education under a single Dean to foster collaboration.
  • Moving Early Childhood Education and Education Assistant and Community Support Worker programs into the Faculty of Education.
  • Integrating the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning into the Faculty of Education, streamlining support for faculty and student learning.
  • Aligning Kinesiology with the Faculty of Health Sciences and Human Services to strengthen our health and wellness programs.
  • Establishing a centralized Continuing Studies unit to broaden opportunities for lifelong learning.
  • Transitioning the Department of Geography to the Faculty of Science and Technology, creating a sustainability-focused cluster that underscores our environmental leadership.

These changes are just the beginning. By 2025-26, we aim to have these initial structures in place, setting the stage for continued growth and transformation.

At the core of these changes is our unwavering commitment to our students. We are redesigning our structures to prioritize their needs, breaking down traditional silos to create something dynamic and responsive. Our approach respects VIU’s history, meets the demands of today, and prepares our students for tomorrow.

A central aim of these changes is to provide greater flexibility to meet student interests and societal demands. The analogy I like to use is a shift from treating our offerings as ladders, where students move upward within narrow bounds, to a climbing wall that allows for upward and lateral movement. This will require us to change the way we organize ourselves, deliver our programs and communicate learning opportunities to prospective and current students. I believe we are nimble and flexible enough to meet this approach.

Change is challenging, but it is necessary. Together, we can build a future-ready VIU that continues to thrive as a cornerstone of our region.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Indigenous Updates

VIU’s Shq’apthut (A Gathering Place) was recently expanded to include a ceremonial space, Elder-in-Residence offices, upgrades to the existing kitchen, and universally accessible washrooms. The upgrades will help support and address the need for cultural spaces on campus as the number of Indigenous students continues to grow. A beautiful celebratory event was held on September 19th to officially open the facility and welcome the VIU community.

Shq'apthut Reopening
 
Shq'apthut Reopening2

tiwšɛmawtxʷ 50th Anniversary

tiwsemawtx Celebration

VIU tiwšɛmawtxʷ celebrated its 50th year of operation on October 5, 2024. VIU began offering programs in the qathet region in 1974 in a small office building on Marine Avenue. The campus has since grown to offer trades programs, Adult Basic Education, Indigenous Studies, and more. VIU is investing in new infrastructure, including a new state-of-the-art nursing lab, and strengthening partnerships with Tla’amin Nation and other key partners. Read more about the tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus’ goals and celebrations.

Fulbright Chair

In January, we will be welcoming VIU’s 2025 Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Studies, Dr. Kimberly Coleman. Dr. Coleman’s research will be on the social impacts of mountain biking in Indigenous communities. During her research term, Dr. Coleman will be conducting a case study on the Ucluelet Mountain Bike Association and comparing her findings with a case study from Carrabassett Valley in Maine, United States.

The Office of the Provost will be hosting a Meet & Greet event on January 23, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm at Shq'apthut - A Gathering Place, which will give the VIU community a chance to learn more about Dr. Coleman and her research. An invitation will be sent in January.

Events and Awards

Connect with Mike

The spring 2024 semester was the start of the “Provost’s Circle,” an interactive opportunity for VIU community members to share their most valuable experiences at VIU and how those experiences help shape the future of the institution in its current period of transition. Sessions for the fall have started and will continue into the spring. Visit the Provost Circle webpage to register for an upcoming session.

2024 Provost and President’s Awards

Congratulations to this year’s Provost’s Awards winners!

The President’s and Provost’s awards ceremony will be celebrated in spring 2025. The date is TBD.

How to Submit

Nominations for the Teaching Awards must be submitted electronically to teachingawards@viu.ca. Please ensure nomination packages are complete, as outlined on the Teaching Awards webpage.

Nominations for the SRCA awards must be submitted through the SRCA award nomination form.

Faculty Resources

The CIEL blog holds a variety of resources for employees to familiarize themselves with using artificial intelligence (AI) and Microsoft Teams in the classroom and in meetings:

Good New Stories and Accomplishments

Do you have a good news story about a colleague, team, or yourself that you would like to share in an upcoming Provost Newsletter? Fill out the Good News Stories form. The form link can also be found on the right side of the Provost Newsletter homepage.