UVic Community Relations

Fall 2014

As Grant Hughes has retired, I’m delighted to take on the Community Relations portfolio on an interim basis until March of 2015. I’ve worked at UVic for over thirty years. Many of these were with Continuing Studies were I developed and managed UVic’s Cultural Heritage, Intercultural Education and Aboriginal Language Revitalization programs in cooperation with colleagues across the University. More recently, I have played interim roles with the Office of the Registrar, University Art Collections and Ceremonies and Events. Working with Community Relations is a great pleasure as I am able to interact with so many of our community partners.

Our Fall term is well underway, with over 5,000 new students attending the University and a total student body of 20,183.  We’re proud of our the wide range of people who come together to study at UVic, either on-campus or in online formats. Here are some details on our student population, based on enrollment in 2013/14:

·        Students from the Victoria area                  24%
·        Students from other parts of BC                 40%
·        Students from other parts of Canada        20%
·        International students                                   17%

The sight of so many students making their way between classes, settling into the library, participating in myriad events, and enjoying these final days of a beautiful summer reminds us all of the core purpose of UVic. In many ways, September is our new year!

The University is busy on many fronts, both on campus and in the community. Here are updates on a number of initiatives:

New Transit Exchange: The Victoria Regional Transit Commission (VRTC) along with the Government of British Columbia, BC Transit and the University of Victoria officially opened a 10-bay expansion of the UVic transit exchange, adjacent to the Student Union Building, on September 4, 2014. The expanded exchange will alleviate bus capacity issues at peak times and support future service expansion.  The cost of the $1.52 million expansion was shared among the VRTC, the Government of British Columbia through BC Transit and the university. 17,000 passengers are served daily at UVic by 1,100 transit trips on 14 routes. There are now a total of 21 transit bays at the university.

United Way:  We launch our annual UVic United Way campaign on October 6, with a goal of contributing $250,000 to the Greater Victoria United Way campaign. Over the past twenty years, this annual event has  raised millions of dollars in support of United Way’s important work in this community. While a considerable portion of our annual goal is achieved through faculty and staff donations, a range of fun events including a Plasma Car Race, a Bug Push and a craft market engage members of the campus and local communities. The annual Book Sale is widely anticipated. It takes place from November 18-20 in the MacPherson Library … further details will be posted on UVic’s United Way Campaign webpages at http://www.uvic.ca/unitedway/   

Sponsorships: Community Relations is delighted to sponsor a range of community initiatives including the Symphony Splash, The Victoria Sexual Assault Centre’s ‘Walk a Mile in her Shoes’, the City of Victoria’s Canada Day celebrations, and the upcoming talk on Community Social Innovation by the Community Social Planning Council. For information on our sponsorship program, please visit our webpage at http://www.uvic.ca/external/community/index.php

 

CARSA: UVic’s Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities (CARSA) has come a long way in the past year! Construction should be completed in the spring of 2015 and it will be open for student, faculty and community use in time for the 2015 Fall Term. This world-class training and learning facility at the corner of McKenzie Avenue and Garbriola Road will house Vikes athletic and recreational programs and CanAssist offices and labs that support the development of customized technologies, programs and services for people living with disabilities. You can take an online tour of this landmark building at http://www.uvic.ca/carsa/project-info/photos/index.php 

Advance Polling: The University of Victoria Student Society (UVSS) is organizing advance polling stations for the first time on campus on Thursday, November 6 in the Michel Pujol Room of the Student Union Building from noon to 4 pm. By working with Oak Bay, Saanich and the City of Victoria to establish these polling stations in an accessible location, the UVSS is encouraging student participation in the democratic process.

Public Events and Activities: A new term brings a wealth of engaging activities on campus. We welcome your participation in a wide range of events and activities offered by the following UVic units:

• University Centre Farquhar Auditorium http://www.uvic.ca/auditorium/
• Phoenix Theatre
• School of Music events
• Cinecenta Movie Theatre
• CFUV 101.9FM - UVic campus community radio
• University of Victoria Art Collections
• Legacy Maltwood at the McPherson Library
• The Legacy Art Gallery
• Vikes Athletics
• Vikes Recreation
• Finnerty Gardens http://www.uvic.ca/finnerty/

Scheduling for many events, along with public lectures offered by faculties and research centres, can be found on UVic Events Calendar.

I look forward to hearing from you as the Fall goes by if you have questions about the University and its community initiatives.

 

Joy

 

Joy Davis, PhD Interim Director, Community Relations University of Victoria t. 250-472-5047 | f. 250-853-3942 | c. 250-216-8716 office: ASB A113 | web: uvic.ca/external/community

"Creating Vibrant Communities Together"