| University of the Fraser Valley | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1974[1] |
| Type | Public University |
| Chancellor | Dr. Brian Minter [2] |
| President | Dr. Mark D. Evered [3] |
| Academic staff | 661[4] (c. 2005) |
| Students | 15,446 (c. 2009) |
| Location | Abbotsford, Agassiz, Chilliwack, Hope & Mission, British Columbia, Canada |
| Campus | Urban, 26 ha (64 acres) (Abbotsford) |
| Colours | Green |
| Nickname | Cascades |
| Mascot | Sasq 'ets |
| Affiliations | CIS AUCC CWUAA CBIE CUP CASA. |
| Website | UFV Homepage |
The University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), (formerly known as University College of the Fraser Valley and Fraser Valley College) is a Canadian public university with campuses in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission and Hope, British Columbia. Founded in 1974 as Fraser Valley College, it was a response to the need for expanded vocational training in the communities of the Fraser Valley. In 1988, it became a university college, with degree-granting status.[5] As the University College of the Fraser Valley, it grew rapidly, becoming one of the largest university colleges in Canada.
In recognition of the growing needs for higher education within the region and in the province, the provincial government granted full university status on 21 April 2008.[6] Student enrollment is now over 15,000 students annually.
In the 2010 Globe and Mail Canadian University Report, UFV earned the most "A Range" grades of any post-secondary institution in British Columbia, receiving A grades in quality of education, student-faculty interaction, and ease of registration. [7] [8]
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In the 1960s, citizens of the Fraser Valley demanded a post-secondary educational facility within the Fraser Valley. In 1966, a proposal was rejected by the provincial government to found a junior college. Not to be swayed by this early defeat, supporters who wanted post-secondary representation lobbied to have a vocational school built. The proposed site for this vocational school was to be near the geographical centre of the Fraser Valley, on Lickman Road in Chilliwack. This proposal passed, and plans for the school were put into motion. However, with the election of a new provincial government in 1972, the school's development was put on hold. Communities again lobbied for continuation of this project, and so a special task force was appointed by the government to study the feasibility of a college in the Fraser Valley.
The task force recommended a comprehensive regional college, providing university transfer, career and vocational programs. A plebiscite was proposed to ask for taxpayer support on this endeavour, and passed with 89% in favour. In reaction to this strong show of support, the provincial government announced the establishment of Fraser Valley College on April 4, 1974.
Only a few months of planning went into the new college before it opened its doors in September 1974. Since no new facilities had yet been built, classes were held in church basements, public schools, commercially rented spaces, and the Coqualeetza Education Centre. Offices were set up in store fronts, community centres, and designated sections of public schools and school board offices. During its first year, Fraser Valley College enrolled 183 full-time and over 2,300 part-time students.
With student and community support, the provincial government approved university college status. Five community colleges were granted authority to offer baccalaureate degrees following a 1988 government initiative designed to increase access to degree programs in British Columbia. These five institutions: Fraser Valley, Kwantlen, Malaspina, Cariboo, Okanagan were renamed university colleges.
In September 1991, the administrative Board officially changed its name to the University College of the Fraser Valley. Initially, the university colleges offered degrees under the aegis of one or more of the three provincial universities (Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria). In 1994, the University College of the Fraser Valley established an undergraduate degree in adult education. In 1995 they were awarded the authority to grant degrees in their own right. [9]
On April 21, 2008, the Provincial Government announced its intention to amend the University Act at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia to upgrade UCFV into a full university, called University of the Fraser Valley (UFV).[10] The legislation renaming the University College to University received Royal Assent on May 29 2008.[11] The university officially began operation under the new name on September 1, 2008.
The administration of UFV, as mandated by the University Act, is composed of a chancellor, convocation, board, senate, and faculties of the university.[12] The Board of Governors is responsible for the management of property and revenue, while the Senate is vested with managing the academic operation of the university. Both are composed of faculty and students who are elected to the position. Degrees and diplomas are conferred by the convocation, which is composed of alumni, administrators, and faculty, with a quorum of twenty members. UFV also has a President, who is a chief executive officer of the university and a member of the Senate, Board of Governors, Convocation, and also serves as Vice Chancellor. The President of the University is responsible for managing the academic operation of the university, including recommending appointments, calling meetings of faculties, and establishing committees.
UFV's academic activity is organized into "faculties", and "schools".[13] Currently, the university has five faculties and three schools. The Faculty of Arts is the largest faculty with sixteen departments, closely followed by the Faculty of Trades and Technology while the Faculty of Science has eight departments.
In 2009/2010, the UFV individual student count (including Continuing Studies) was 15,446, including approximately 13,000 mainly undergraduate students. UFV's region has a rapidly expanding population that totaled 257,031 in 2006.[14] Enrollment continues to grow. UFV exceeded the Ministry of Higher Education and Labour Market Development's funded target for 2009/10 of 6,859 student spaces by 104%. [15]
Operating funding for UFV has increased by $19.8 million, from $33.5 million in 2001/02 to $53.3 million in 2010/11 – a 59.1 per cent increase. [16]
UFV offers bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations across a wide range of programs in fine arts, humanities, science, social sciences, applied communication, business, nursing, as well as technical and trade programs.
UFV offers many transferable courses to other educational institutions, which often lead to direct transfers into second-year or third-year studies at other post secondary institutions. To aid in this, UFV is a part of the BC Transfer Guide Website, an online resource for planning and understanding transfer in the BC post-secondary education system.
The Abbotsford campus was UFV's first permanent campus, which opened its doors in 1983. A new building, containing the main institution library, First Heritage Computer Access Centre, and other instructional and support areas, was opened in the fall of 1996. In 1997, a building with classrooms, laboratories and offices was opened, and in 2002, the student activity centre and gymnasium were opened. 2007 brought the opening of UFV's first student residence - Baker House, as well as an expanded gymnasium facility, with the ability to seat 1500 people.
In 1978, trades programs started with a carpentry program. Initially, this program was run from Portage Avenue in Chilliwack. At the time, the land belonged to the Chilliwack School District, and the Ministry of Advanced Education funded the building of the carpentry shop. Originally, this shop was supposed to be handed over to the Chilliwack School District after 5 years, but it took nearly 12 years to secure the funding to build a replacement shop in Abbotsford. In 1991, UCFV moved all trades programs to the Abbotsford campus. In 2007, UFV Trades and Technology programs moved in to newly renovated facilities on the former Chilliwack Canadian Forces Base - future home of the entire Chilliwack campus.
Although Agassiz is not actually a campus of UFV, it has an informational centre, run in cooperation with the Fraser-Cascade School District.
Originally designed to last 5 years, a temporary campus was constructed in Chilliwack in 1975. This building is still in use today, having gone under a series of renovations over the years. In 1986, an agriculture technology centre was constructed. In 1992, a new health sciences building was opened. In the fall of 1996, a multipurpose complex and theatre was opened. Plans and funds to construct yet another major addition to the Chilliwack campus have since been put on hold, as UFV is in the midst of relocating this campus to the former Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack. This addition would have replaced the library, and added more science labs, classrooms and faculty offices.
The Chilliwack campus typically offers courses on theatre, agriculture, and nursing. For example, the Agriculture Technology Diploma is offered on the Chilliwack campus. Some courses in philosophy, computer information systems, early childhood development, and business are also offered.[17]
The theatre department, located on the Chilliwack campus, produces three mainstage productions every season with a tradition of producing one Shakespeare and one Canadian play every year.[18] The department is also host to a Directors' Festival featuring shows from universities all over British Columbia.[19] Since 1980, the FVC/UCFV/UFV Theatre Department has put on 90+ productions with over 2,000 performances attended by 190,000+.[20] The current season is Arabian Nights by Mary Zimmerman (November), Dead Man's Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl (January), and As You Like It by William Shakespeare (March).
Construction of the new Chilliwack campus on the former CFB Chilliwack finished in September 2007. Trades and Technology programs were moved to this location that year, with the first Chilliwack campus expected to move in 2009.
The Hope centre is a regional centre, run in partnership with the Fraser-Cascade school district.
In 1975, a temporary campus was established in Mission, offering continuing education and adult basic education programs. In 1996, UFV and the Mission School District partnered to open the Heritage Park Centre. This centre acts as a UFV campus, high school, community theatre and fitness centre, all contained within a single facility.
UFV partners with Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College Chandigarh (SDCC), an affiliate of Punjab University, for the delivery of a Canadian Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree program on a small campus in Chandigarh, India to Indian students.[21]
Students at UFV are represented by the Student Union Society (SUS).[22] It exists to improve the quality of the educational, social, and personal lives of UFV students. The SUS Board of Directors is made up of six executive officers and up to fourteen representatives. The executive is composed of the President, Vice President Internal, Vice President Finance, Vice President Academic, Vice President East, and Vice President Social. There are six community representatives, directors who are tied to a specific portfolio-- Accessibility Representative, Trades Representative, International Students Representative, Residence Representative, Aboriginal Representative, and the Clubs & Associations (Student Groups) Representative. There are an additional eight spaces filled by Representative-at-Large Directors. Collectively, the SUS Board of Directors is responsible for providing a liaison between the SUS and the UFV Administration, providing services, such as the SUS Health and Dental Plan and U-Pass Program, supporting and administering student groups, and planning and implementation of events and activities for the enjoyment of UFV students.
Most major departments are also represented by one student association (The Criminal Justice, Business Administration, Computer Information Systems, Political Science, Visual Arts, Nursing, Geography and English groups being the most active). These student associations are composed of members from that particular major.
UFV is represented in Canadian Interuniversity Sport by the UFV Cascades. The Envision Athletic Centre houses two gymnasiums, a fitness centre, change rooms, and Casey’s on Campus (student lounge).[23]
In more than 25 years of varsity athletics, UFV has boasted a track record as one of the most decorated post-secondary athletic programs in the nation.[24] The Cascades have amassed a total of three national championships, 15 provincial championships, and have seen 129 student-athletes named provincial all-stars.
The UFV men’s basketball team captured the school’s first-ever national title in 2000 and went on to take the title again in 2002 and 2004, giving them three national championships in a five-year span. The women’s basketball team won five straight provincial championships, bringing their all-time total to ten.
Opened in 2007, UFV has one student residence, Baker House, on the Abbotsford campus. It houses 102 suites with 204 bedrooms.[25] Every suite contains a microwave and minifridge, however meal plans can be purchased for $2,000, $1,500, or $1,000. [26]
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