News Stories
New Student Awards Honour Legacy of VIU Alum Micah Messent
December 5, 2019
Two awards in memory of a VIU graduate who passed away in a plane crash in March 2019 will be given out to Indigenous students in need in 2020. Friends and family of Micah Messent remember the Vancouver Island University (VIU) graduate as a caring, community-oriented individual who focused on helping those around him. To honour this legacy of supporting and encouraging others, Messent’s family... Read more
VIU Reduces Barriers to Education on Global Day of Giving
November 27, 2019
VIU’s sixth annual Giving Tuesday campaign, running until December 3, highlights the need for additional scholarships and bursaries for students. Rebekah Aplin is grateful for the generosity of a stranger, which allowed her to continue into the second year of her Bachelor of Science degree at Vancouver Island University (VIU) with a significantly lower financial burden. “Receiving an award has... Read more
Hope, Inclusion and Access to Education: VIU President Shares Vision at Installation Event
November 26, 2019
Dr. Deb Saucier, VIU President and Vice-Chancellor since July 2019, was formally endowed with the powers and responsibilities of office in a ceremony at the Snuneymuxw First Nation Longhouse in Cedar on November 15. A regional institution such as Vancouver Island University (VIU) can change what it means to be a university, challenge longstanding perceptions on who goes and what can be taught... Read more
Teachers-in-Training Help Communities
November 19, 2019
VIU Education program students who are about to become certified teachers, spend their final weeks at University creating or participating in projects that fill a need in local communities. Preserving a child’s dignity by giving them a suitcase, collecting feminine hygiene products for women in need and creating the curriculum for a local nature centre all have substantial impacts on people,... Read more
In Search of the Promised Land: Freedom, Prosperity and #Landback for Indigenous Peoples
November 6, 2019
Max FineDay, Executive Director of the Canadian Roots Exchange, will share his perspective on what reconciliation looks like during VIU’s fifth annual Indigenous Speakers Series on Monday, November 25. When Max FineDay graduated from university in 2015, his grandmother sat him down and told him he had a duty to explain Indigenous peoples to the rest of Canada by telling the kinds of stories... Read more
Community Remembers Fallen Soldiers in Remembrance Day Project
October 31, 2019
VIU video memorial that honours Nanaimo soldiers’ contributions to the First and Second World Wars to be displayed across the city. A unique video memorial project aims to tell a piece of the story of the lives of the Nanaimo soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the First and Second World War. For 11 days leading up to Remembrance Day, the Nanaimo Remembers project will display the... Read more
VIU Chosen to Offer National Land Management Training for First Nations
October 22, 2019
University will begin offering the Professional Indigenous Lands Management Certificate program in summer 2020. Behind every sustainable, thriving community is the guiding hand of a land manager tasked with balancing the needs of the people who live there with what needs to be done to ensure resources are protected for future generations. Thanks to the expertise of Vancouver Island University’... Read more
New Talent/Challenge Matching Program Aims to Solve Real-World Problems
September 30, 2019
VI Solutions, a partnership between VIU and Innovation Island, is a chance for students to solve problems and generate new ideas for Island employers. A unique new program that aims to connect students directly with employers to solve problems and generate new ideas for growth is seeking organizations to partner with. VI Solutions, a partnership between Vancouver Island University (VIU) and... Read more
VIU Launches New Speaker Series with Renowned Expert on Democracy and Civil Society
September 9, 2019
How and why is citizenship critical to democracy and civil society? Does corporate citizenship exist? What rights and responsibilities should citizens have? Dr. Philip Oxhorn, Dean of International Education at Vancouver Island University (VIU) will explore these questions and more in the inaugural Engaged Citizens Speaker Series talk on Wednesday, September 11. “Democracy is what we make of it... Read more
VIU Grad Pursues Planning Dreams with City of Nanaimo
May 31, 2019
After conducting research that took her around the world, Master of Community Planning alum Lainy Nowak is working as a Planning Assistant in the City of Nanaimo’s Community Development Department. As a Planning Assistant with the City of Nanaimo, there is no such thing as a typical day for Lainy Nowak. The Vancouver Island University (VIU) Master of Community Planning alumna, who started work... Read more