In the Community

Halloween 3 2024

Halloween at VIU 2024

November 6, 2024

VIU employees got into the spirit of Halloween this year. Check out the costumes and decorations below.  Read more


A group of soldiers poses for a photo

VIU and community partners remember local fallen soldiers through video memorial

November 1, 2024

VIU video project acknowledges Nanaimo soldiers’ contributions to the First and Second World Wars. A Vancouver Island University (VIU) video memorial project that tells the story of Nanaimo soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the First and Second World Wars will be displayed across the city.  For the 11 days leading up to Remembrance Day, the Nanaimo Remembers project will display the... Read more


A branch of purple rhododendrons

Flower Power: Milner Gardens & Woodland receives national recognition

October 31, 2024

The Rhododendron Species Garden highlighted as the only one of its kind in Canada. Vancouver Island University’s Milner Gardens & Woodland received 5 Blooms and a special mention for Natural Heritage Preservation for The Rhododendron Species Garden from Communities in Bloom (CiB).  “We are incredibly proud to receive this level of recognition from the Communities in Bloom judges and... Read more


Two actors face each other on stage while rehearsing a scene.

Our Town explores love, loss and life’s fragility

October 21, 2024

What: Our Town – VIU Theatre department’s fall play When: October 31 to November 9, 7:30 pm Where: Malaspina Theatre (Building 310), Nanaimo campus Our Town explores the universal human experience of growing up, falling in love and dying. It conveys powerful messages about the beauty and fleeting nature of life and the fact that people often take it for granted. The play tells the story of two... Read more


Headshot of Lisa Robertson

Celebrated Canadian poet Lisa Robertson to give VIU Gustafson lecture

October 18, 2024

Robertson’s lecture is October 24 from 7 to 8:30 pm on the Nanaimo campus. Renowned poet Lisa Robertson is Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Ralph Gustafson Distinguished Poet for 2024-25. “Lisa Robertson’s exhilarating and endlessly refreshing oeuvre has multiplied the possibilities of expression. Her poems inspire us to be attentive and daring for the sake of deeper connection,” said... Read more


VIU tiwšɛmawtxʷ officials smile for the camera

VIU tiwšɛmawtxʷ celebrates 50 years in the qathet Region

October 16, 2024

A birthday celebration this month helped kick off a year’s worth of festivities. When Vancouver Island University (VIU) – then Malaspina College – began offering programming in Powell River, the first classes were offered out of a small office building on Marine Avenue. The campus, which offers a wide variety of programing designed to meet the unique and specific needs of community, the region... Read more


Kyle Wickland and Oscar Thoms have two glass tanks in front of them with thermometers and temperature gauges.

Learn about climate solutions and explore wildfire health risks at free climate conference

October 16, 2024

What: A Citizen’s Guide to Climate Success: A Climate Change Symposium  When: Saturday, October 26, 9 am to 1 pm, doors open at 8:45 am Where: VIU Nanaimo campus, Building 355, Room 203 Explore how people can take personal and collective action to help prevent extreme climate impacts during A Citizen’s Guide to Climate Success: A Climate Change Symposium. The symposium, presented by Awareness of... Read more


A scarecrow with a pumpkin for a hand and flower bouquets for hands is nestled among trees.

Celebrate autumn during Milner Gardens & Woodland’s Scarecrow Spectacular

October 10, 2024

What: Scarecrow Spectacular  When: October 25 to 27, from 11 am to 3 pm Where: Milner Gardens & Woodland Experience the beauty of fall at Milner Gardens & Woodland during the second annual Scarecrow Spectacular – a fun-filled family event. “We were thrilled with the incredible response to last year’s inaugural Scarecrow Spectacular and with the level of creativity our participating... Read more


Headshot of Dr. Georgina Martin.

VIU Professor’s new book explores identity and reconnection through reclamation

October 9, 2024

Dr. Georgina Martin is hosting a book launch on October 22, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre at the Nanaimo campus.  Dr. Georgina Martin’s new book Drumming Our Way Home: Intergenerational Learning, Teaching, and Indigenous Ways of Knowing draws inspiration from her Secwépemc culture and the teachings of her grandparents. It is an autobiographical journey that blends Indigenous... Read more


Actors Makenna Paugh, Cameron Greer and Ellie Crawford rehearse a scene from Tough.

Life’s unexpected realities explored in VIU Theatre department’s studio play – Tough

September 24, 2024

What: Tough – VIU Theatre department’s studio play When: October 3 to 5 Where: VIU’s Mike Taugher Studio (Building 330, Room 109), Nanaimo campus Friends Tina, Jill and Bobby are navigating the challenges of life after high school when Tina, Bobby’s girlfriend, announces an unexpected pregnancy. After the bombshell, the three must face the realities of life. Their story unfolds in the one-act... Read more