In the Community

HR Corner

November 27, 2018

All things HR! Learn more about your benefits; access wellness programs; learn about our providers, in their own words; learn about pension plans; find out who in HR you can talk to about certain issues; and find news about HR initiatives and reports about how certain activities went. Jumpstart Your Wellness Thanks for stopping by the HR table at this year’s Mind, Body & Spirit Health and... Read more


VIU Volunteer Tutor Program Supports Students' Specific Learning Needs

June 28, 2018

In Grade 9, Matt decided to drop out of school with the belief he would never excel at learning. A few years later, he decided to upgrade his courses at Vancouver Island University (VIU), and a University counsellor connected him with Literacy Central Vancouver Island (LCVI). Since 1991, VIU and LCVI have partnered to provide a tutor program to assist adult learners on their education journey. “I... Read more


VIU Plants for the Future with Local Partners

June 19, 2018

1,000 Trees Planted in the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region In an effort to limit the environmental impact of the G7 Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, in June 2018, the Government of Canada entered into an agreement with the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve to make the summit an environmentally responsible event by reducing its carbon footprint. One of the highlights of this agreement was the planting... Read more


Sergio Cocchia and Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia

VIU Awards Honorary Doctorate to Sergio Cocchia and Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia

June 5, 2018

The Cocchias to be recognized at VIU’s June 6, 10 am Convocation Ceremony  As well as their work overseeing a varied business venture through the Crew Group of Companies, focused on hotel, spa and property management, Sergio Cocchia and Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia are dedicated to 'building a village' for families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For their work in the field of children’s... Read more


VIU Student Researchers and Faculty Organize Annual BioBlitz Event

April 13, 2018

Community volunteers sought to survey flora and fauna  Community members have the opportunity to contribute to biodiversity research during the third annual Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) BioBlitz. The event is organized and run by student researchers from Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI) and student and faculty... Read more


Onsite the VIU Geothermal project

Abandoned Nanaimo coal mine finds second life as heat source for university buildings

February 20, 2018

By Deborah Wilson, CBC News Posted: Jan 21, 2018 11:00 AM PT Last Updated: Jan 21, 2018 11:00 AM PT University officials and Falcon Engineering geo-exchange engineer Jeff Quibell, right, view progress on the project, which has attracted interest from as far as Scotland. (VIU) In Nanaimo, B.C. — a city built on coal — a long-abandoned mine will soon become the heat source for a new ... Read more


Global Citizens Week Weaves Local and International Issues Together

January 29, 2018

Annual week of events celebrates change-makers and allies in struggles for social justice Every year, Vancouver Island University (VIU) hosts Global Citizens Week – a week filled with visiting speakers, films and campus events, including live music and classroom dialogues that explore issues of global development at home and abroad.     This year VIU is inviting students, staff and Nanaimo-area... Read more


Fighting for Justice Exhibit Brings to Light Lesser Told Stories

January 26, 2018

Travelling display a collaborative effort between VIU, UVic and community partners Wing Hay Young, a popular Port Alberni-born boxer, decided to enlist in the Canadian Army in 1940 during the Second World War. He was denied entry based on his ethnicity, prompting his white boxing friends to descend on the enlistment office, refusing to sign up until their friend was accepted. Young, who became... Read more


Syrian Refugees Find Welcoming Community at VIU Cowichan

January 19, 2018

Baraa Mohammed and Fanar Sheikh Zein are taking adult upgrading courses at the campus A Syrian couple who spent four years living at a residential complex for refugees in northern Iraq are finding a welcoming new community at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Cowichan Campus. Baraa Mohammed and Fanar Sheikh Zein, Kurdish Syrians from Qamishli, in the northern part of the country, came to... Read more


VIU Community Members Gather To Make Placards for Women's March

January 19, 2018

VIU is honoured to be a sponsor of Nanaimo Women March On  Members of the Vancouver Island University (VIU) community gathered Thursday, January 18 to make placards for the approaching Nanaimo Women March On event. The March is Saturday, January 20 from 10 am to noon. Participants are asked to meet at Diana Krall Plaza at 10 am and then march to Maffeo Sutton Park. People are also welcome to head... Read more