News Stories
VIU Supported Business Program Inspires Indigenous Youth
August 15, 2018
As the only Indigenous student in his university undergraduate and graduate classes, Bernard Gilbert struggled to find connection to campus life. “There were times where I felt I did not belong in university,” says Gilbert, whose traditional Nlaka’pamux name translates to “Running Elk.” He is Shuswap from the Secwépemc territory. In high-school, he developed a crippling fear of failure, and... Read more
VIU English Professor Explores Inter-cultural Dialogue with Play Collaboration
August 3, 2018
Dr. Nelson Gray and renowned Métis playwright Marie Clements tackle one storyline from two different perspectives How we perceive the world through our cultural beliefs can vary so much that if two people are asked to recount the same event, the result can be two radically different stories. That is certainly true in Vancouver Island University (VIU) English Professor Dr. Nelson Gray’s latest... Read more
VIU Program Trains First Nations in Resource Management
July 4, 2018
The community-based First Nations Stewardship Technicians Training Program developed to meet needs identified by different Nations A unique program at Vancouver Island University (VIU) is helping First Nations communities monitor their lands and waters. The First Nations Stewardship Technicians Training Program provides specialized training to work in the field of resource management. Designed... Read more
VIU Hosts Three Summer Camps for Indigenous High School Students
July 3, 2018
Free camps held at the University’s Cowichan, Powell River and Nanaimo Campuses Making the transition to university can be scary if you don’t know anybody there and you’ve never stepped foot on a university campus before. Three free summer camps for Indigenous high school students being organized by students in Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) ‘su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins Aboriginal... Read more
VIU Awards Honorary Degree to National Reconciliation Leader
June 1, 2018
Chief Dr. Robert Joseph recognized at the June 4 Convocation ceremony “Let us find a way to belong to this time and place together. Our future, and the well-being of all our children, rests with the kind of relationships we build today.” -Chief Dr. Robert Joseph For world-renowned speaker for peace, forgiveness and reconciliation Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, changing the way people perceive and... Read more
Snuneymuxw First Nation Member Returns Home to Teach at VIU
April 24, 2018
Collette Jones, now part of VIU’s Department of Studies in Women and Gender, happy to be teaching in her own territory For Snuneymuxw First Nation member Collette Jones, teaching at Vancouver Island University (VIU) represents a homecoming. Jones, who grew up on her Nation’s reserve in south Nanaimo, started as a sessional instructor in VIU’s Department of Studies in Women and Gender last August... Read more
5 Questions with Emmy Manson
March 8, 2018
Emmy Manson, who became a Snuneymuxw First Nation Councillor on February 2, is proud to be living, working and raising her family in her territory. After receiving her Human Services Worker Diploma from VIU in 2002, Emmy went on to complete her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria (UVic). After working in the mental health field for seven years, she returned to UVic to do a... Read more
The Walrus Talks Leadership in Nanaimo on March 13
February 14, 2018
The Walrus Foundation and Vancouver Island University (VIU) are pleased to announce a special event exploring how our ideas and choices can shape the future of culture, reconciliation, economic development, and more. Tickets are now on sale for Vancouver Island University Presents The Walrus Talks Leadership. The event takes place on Tuesday, March 13 starting at 7 pm in VIU’s Malaspina Theatre (... Read more
VIU Learning Series Aims to Help People Understand Indigenous Perspectives
December 21, 2017
Organized by the Office of Aboriginal Education and Engagement, the free sessions are open to community A unique learning series designed by Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Office of Aboriginal Education and Engagement invites community to join the conversation about reconciliation. The Na’tsa’ maht Shqwaluwun: One Heart, One Mind learning series includes a range of half-day, full-day and... Read more