January: UVic approved the new Strategic Plan: A Vision for the Future: Building on Excellence with input from over 70 stakeholders throughout campus and the community. The plan can be found at http://www.uvic.ca/strategicplan/.
February: The Welcome Centre opened as your “one stop shop” and first point of contact for information, referrals or way finding assistance at the university. It is located on the main floor of the University Centre. See http://www.uvic.ca/services/welcome/.
March: UVic's first ever IdeaFest was held. Free presentations were open to the community including exploring the future of oceans, food security in BC, health care and our aging population. Stay tuned for IdeaFest2013 too (March 4-15, 2013). See http://www.uvic.ca/research/learnabout/news/ideafest/.
April: UVic was the host location for the Victoria Autism Awareness Walk on April 14th. Sandra Crowe of UVic Community Relations led the planning on behalf of the university. See https://www.victoriaautismwalk.com/ for details of this special event.
May: The report of community input on the planned Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities was released and a second series of open houses was held to gather additional community comments. The development variance application for the project was approved by Saanich Council in September. See http://www.uvic.ca/carsa/.
June: UVic became home to the most powerful microscope ever built. It’s a seven-tonne, 4.5-metre tall Scanning Transmission Electron Holography Microscope to better understand subatomic structures relevant to areas such as medical and environmental diagnostics, communications, computers, alternative energy and manufacturing. Details about this incredible microscope are available at http://www.stehm.uvic.ca/facility/instruments/.
July: UVic Gustavson School of Business scholars added another mark of excellence to their research record as the Canadian research group Higher Education Strategy Associates ranked them Number 1 among all Canadian universities for their research productivity in marketing. http://www.uvic.ca/gustavson/
August: UVic issued a Request For Proposals seeking the services of a consultant team to provide comprehensive architectural and engineering consulting services related to the planning, design and implementation of a UVic High Performance Rugby Academy Centre on Wallace Field.
September: The UVic 50th Anniversary Festival welcomed community members to campus for a jam-packed events schedule in celebration of 50 years of UVic excellence. As part of the Festival, UVic also welcomed back Alumni worldwide to our Homecoming. The Festival events included highlights such as Vikes athletic games, the Island Savings Family Zone, live music, campus open house events, bbq, themed tours, and more. The UVic 50th Anniversary continues to June 2013. For more details see the web page at http://www.uvic.ca/anniversary/.
October: The University of Victoria’s Community Mapping Initiative, Department of Geography and Office of Community-Based Research added the newest community green map—Oak Bay’s—to our local series. Oak Bay’s “Home Is All Around Us” green map visually captures the region’s natural, Indigenous and cultural heritage as well as ecological reserves, bike lanes, local gathering places, community values, future visions and more. The Community Association of Oak Bay coordinated the project with assistance from other supporters and sponsors, including the Victoria Real Estate Board. The map can be found as part of the inventory at http://www.greenmap.org/.
November: UVic supported the Victoria Leadership Awards nominations for “community heroes” for its annual recognition of people who have made a difference in the region. The awards will be presented in February 2013. More details available at http://www.leadershipvictoria.ca/.
December: A Special Convocation and President’s Distinguished Lecture highlighted the experiences that have shaped George Dyson’s influential reflections on the history and philosophy of science and technology. An Honorary Doctor of Laws was conferred on George Dyson followed by his President’s Distinguished Lecture: Two Years Before the Mast. See http://www.uvic.ca/anniversary/presidentslectures/dyson/index.php.
Looking ahead to 2013- free events for the community:
February 18, 2013: Anne Michaels - President's Distinguished Lecture and Special Convocation. Anne Michaels is a celebrated Canadian author whose poetry collections include The Weight of Oranges, (Commonwealth Prize for the Americas) and Miner’s Pond (Canadian Authors Association Award; shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award and the Trillium Award). Her bestselling first novel, Fugitive Pieces earned 10 awards including the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the U.K. Free registration for this event. Details can be found at http://www.uvic.ca/anniversary/presidentslectures/michaels%20/index.php
March 27, 2013: Dr. Vandana Shiva - President's Distinguished Lecture and Special Convocation. Trained as a physicist and philosopher, Dr. Vandana Shiva is one of the world’s most important ecofeminists and social justice activists. She founded Navdanya (“nine seeds”) – a women-centred movement to protect biological and cultural diversity – in India in 1987. She has since become a leading proponent of community food security, organic farming, seed-saving, and women’s involvement in agriculture. Navdanya has conserved more than 5,000 varieties of rice, wheat and other produce. http://www.uvic.ca/anniversary/presidentslectures/shiva/index.php
For a calendar of more free community events see http://events.uvic.ca/
