In the Community

VIU and faculty reach agreement

May 26, 2011

(Released jointly by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Advanced Education) Vancouver Island University and the Vancouver Island University Faculty Association have accepted the recommendations of a Special Mediator and reached a two-year agreement, announced Finance Minister Kevin Falcon. The agreement covers approximately 300 faculty members at VIU. Stephanie Cadieux, the... Read more


VIU students earn Skills Canada medals

May 24, 2011

The first week of June will be a busy one for Ladysmith student Stryder Cooke. Cooke, who is nearing completion of a 10-month Career Technical Centre program at Vancouver Island University, recently won gold in the automotive service category at the B.C. Skills Canada competition. The 17-year-old is headed to Quebec City along with top students from across the country for the Skills Canada... Read more


VIU student wins national award

May 19, 2011

Mike Dillman, a fourth-year accounting student at Vancouver Island University, is a national award winner. He won first place and $500 in the 2011 Estey Undergraduate Student Paper Competition run by the Centre for Accounting Ethics at the University of Waterloo. The competition focuses on business ethics. Judging is a blind review process and the competition attracts submissions from across... Read more


Students provide winning suggestions to conserve energy at VIU

May 18, 2011

Travis Martin didn’t have to look far for a bright idea when Vancouver Island University held a contest to find inspiration for a way to save energy. The third-year student from Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, had an Earth Science class in VIU’s Faculty of Management building which is often bathed in sunlight. Martin suggests a “natural-lighting” campaign for the university with students,... Read more


Math students shine at VIU

May 16, 2011

Vancouver Island University recently hosted some of the brightest young minds on Central Vancouver Island at the final round of the 2011 BC Secondary School Math Contest (mid-island region). The event took place at VIU on May 6. The B.C. Secondary School Math Contest is an annual event organized by several colleges and universities across the province. This is the seventeenth year that VIU has... Read more


Message from VIU President Ralph Nilson on special mediation

May 13, 2011

Dear Colleagues, On May 11, 2011 the Government-appointed special mediator, Mr. Mark Brown, tabled his non-binding recommendations with respect to the two outstanding matters in the Vancouver Island University – Vancouver Island University Faculty Association labour dispute. (To view the mediator's report, visit this link posted by the B.C. Labour Ministry: ) The parties now have until May 21... Read more


VIU hosting public forum in advance of HST referendum

May 12, 2011

VIU hosting public forum in advance of HST referendum Vancouver Island University is hosting one of 11 public forums before the provincial referendum on the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). The public is invited to attend the forum June 9 in the Malaspina Theatre at VIU’s Nanaimo campus, 900 Fifth Street, 7:30 pm to 9 pm. The HST Public Forums will take place in BC public universities, colleges and... Read more


Extreme Science means brighter future for African students

May 10, 2011

Exciting science demonstrations involving explosions, implosions, flying arrows, fire, levitation, and lightning will be featured at the third annual Extreme Science show at Vancouver Island University. The show gets underway Thursday, May 19 in the Malaspina Theatre at VIU’s Nanaimo campus at 7 pm. “It’s a fun, entertaining show that appeals to all ages and features demonstrations from VIU’s... Read more


VIU students raise $22,500 for relief efforts in Japan

May 9, 2011

Imagine being a student thousands of kilometres from home and hearing on the six o’clock news that a devastating earthquake and tsunami has decimated your country. Words can barely describe the shock and horror experienced by Japanese students like Sachiko Ishibashi when she learned an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the richter scale wreaked havoc in northeast Japan. “It was unbelievable,” said... Read more


Climate change symposium and workshop May 9 at VIU

May 4, 2011

Members of the public, high school and university students, and teachers are invited to attend a free symposium and workshop on climate change at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, Monday, May 9. Entitled “Climate change – Communicating Across the Divides”, the free symposium and workshop is hosted by the Awareness of Climate Change through Education and Research (ACER) project. “This... Read more