News Stories
VIU celebrates local and global community during WorldVIU Days
October 30, 2023
The theme of the week-long event, which runs November 6 to 10, is Community Through Movement. An annual, week-long event that celebrates cultural diversity on campus is returning to Vancouver Island University (VIU). Taking place from November 6 to 10, WorldVIU Days brings people together to find common ground and build community. “This year’s theme is Community through Movement and we’re playing... Read more
Creating the next generation of treatments for substance abuse disorders
January 23, 2023
VIU Psychology alum Dr. Travis Baker receives $2.5-million grant for research Little did Dr. Travis Baker know when he first came to Vancouver Island University more than 20 years ago that it would be the start of a successful career in researching new treatments for addiction. Now an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University-Newark’s Centre for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, he recently... Read more
Alum of the Month: Kholoud Madi
May 21, 2022
A desire to contribute to the community in a meaningful way and make a difference in the lives of local children motivated Kholoud Madi, a VIU Early Childhood Education and Care program graduate, to open her own preschool in Nanaimo. Elm Preschool is a full-day preschool program for children aged two and a half to five. We caught up with Madi to learn more about her new venture, and how VIU... Read more
National Championship Basketball Tournament a Fond Farewell for VIU Student
March 18, 2022
Fifth-year student Amber Lease will suit up as a Mariner for the final time during the CCAA national tournament at VIU. There will be no shortage of top talent to watch during the 2022 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s National Basketball Championship taking place at Vancouver Island University (VIU) this month. And for VIU Mariners women’s basketball team member Amber Lease... Read more
5 Questions with Xueling (Julie) Luo
February 8, 2022
Dr. Xueling (Julie) Luo knew engineering was her pathway in life after she participated in a technical competition during her sophomore year at the School of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China. Inspired by the movie Iron Man, Luo and her teammates constructed a gesture sensing system for a robot hand. The team received third place in the... Read more
Alum of the Month: Sandipan Debnath
October 25, 2021
Completing school and job hunting during a global pandemic didn’t slow Sandipan Debnath (Master of Business Administration ’21) down one bit. He’s now a Business Development Representative at Wrapbook, a US-based tech startup that is digitizing the entertainment payroll industry. Originally from Bangladesh, Debnath is now based out of Toronto at his current position. He shares more about his... Read more
WorldVIU Days Returns with Official Unveiling of Campus Community Mural
October 25, 2021
More than 300 people participated in creating the mural. A campus community mural project first envisioned in 2019 will officially be unveiled at Vancouver Island University (VIU) as part of the kickoff to this year’s annual, multi-day event known as WorldVIU Days. Taking place from from November 1 to 5, WorldVIU Days explores how culture influences the way people make sense of the world. It is... Read more
Alum of the Month: Dom Dawson
August 12, 2021
Improving his English, getting a dual master’s degree and gaining valuable work experiences in North America attracted Dom Dawson, originally from Germany, to Vancouver Island University’s Master of Business Administration program. Right after graduation in 2013, Dawson, who played water polo professionally for several years before seeking more education, landed a job with Nike Canada, combining... Read more
Queen Elizabeth Scholars from Tanzania Learn Lessons in Resilience
July 7, 2021
VIU Master of Sustainable Leisure Management graduates conducted their research remotely this year due to the pandemic. The three final international participants of Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Queen Elizabeth Scholarship (QES) program will graduate this summer – marking the beginning of the final year of the program. After graduating from the College of African Wildlife Management in... Read more
Starting Over and Making a Difference in Canada
July 3, 2021
Alumnus Charlton Mapayi's story Coming to Canada in his mid-40s from Harare, Zimbabwe, where he worked in sales and marketing, Charlton Mapayi found himself looking for a new career after failing to find work in this field. Applying for position after position to no avail, he decided to take temporary work as a janitor, in retail sales and as a package handler. Mapayi found out about Vancouver... Read more