Tuesday, September 4, 2012 was our first official day of celebrations.  This day was the beginning of our Winter Academic Session, and we marked the beginning of the anniversary with the 50th Anniversary Kickoff. The Kickoff invited the UVic community to experience the energy of the 50th class at the opening Convocation ceremony for new students.

Technically, our 50th anniversary date is July 1, 2013, 50 years to the day when UVic was granted university status by the Province of British Columbia.

2012 to 2013 is UVic’s 50th anniversary period. We have chosen the period of September 2012 to June 2013 to celebrate the 50th anniversary as this permits as many of our students, staff, faculty, alumni and local community members as possible to participate in the many events planned to commemorate our first 50 years.

UVic had a long and distinguished educational record as Victoria College. Our origins go back to 1903 when Victoria College offered first and second year arts and sciences courses from Montreal’s McGill University. In 1920, Victoria College became affiliated with the University of British Columbia. Now we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of our university status, which took effect on July 1, 1963. 

For a complete up-to-date overview of the history of UVic, pick up UVic's 50th Anniversary Book - Reaching Outward and Upward by Professor Emeritus Ian McPherson available now at the UVic Bookstore.

This website includes a brief overview of our history. For a more detailed perspective,  visit our archives.

We encourage all faculties and departments to participate by planning your own event that highlights your contribution to UVic. For example, you may want to host an open house, organise a historical retrospective, or creatively engage our local community in your work. Alternatively, regular events can be positioned as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations. 

Contact the 50th Anniversary Organizational Team if you would like us to make a presentation to your department/unit on how to join in the celebrations. 

It’s important that you let us know your ideas early on in the planning process so we can integrate your celebration into the overall 50th anniversary planning. For example, we might already know about another confirmed event that conflicts with your chosen date or be able to put you in touch with another campus unit whose event has a collaborative synergy with your ideas.

Consider volunteering! Volunteers have much to contribute to our 50th anniversary celebrations. Visit our volunteers page for how you can get involved.

As a student, we hope that you also plan to get involved with our 50th anniversary. We encourage you to consider planning your own 50th anniversary event. Apply for your event to be part of the official celebrations. 

List your name in our volunteer database. Facebook fan? Like us here. Twitter addict? Follow us.

You can also contact us by email.  

All graduates of UVic are encouraged to return to campus throughout the 50th anniversary. As part of the 50th Anniversary Festival, UVic hosted the first alumni Homecoming where alumni reunions, pub nights, Alumni Talks and the Vikes Retro Party engaged returning alumni.

From February 3 to 9, 2013 alumni are invited to Alumni Week 2013, an annual celebration of 'Leaders in our community'. A schedule of events and registration will be available on the Alumni Relations website as the annual week of celebration approaches.

Events throughout the anniversary will appeal to alumni; browse our online events calendar.

Marketing has created 50th anniversary stationery to help celebrate and recognize the milestone. This stationery is available via the UVic Print Shop website.

Our role is to promote and inform students, faculty, staff, alumni and our local community about the many exciting opportunities that will become part of UVic’s 50th anniversary.

We will take the lead in planning, organizing and implementing the university’s 50th anniversary signature events. We are here to support you and your colleagues by providing advice, consultation, resources, and tools as you plan your own salute to our 50th anniversary. The 50th Anniversary Organizational Team is part of Ceremonies and Events and we report to the 50th Anniversary Planning Committee and Joy Davis, Interim Director of Ceremonies and Events.

The 50th Anniversary Planning Committee’s mandate is to guide the overall strategic planning and direction of the 50th anniversary program of events. The committee is chaired by Dr. Carmen Charette, Vice-President of External Relations. Members from across the university community have been invited to join the committee, which meets regularly throughout the 50th anniversary period. The work of the 50th Anniversary Planning Committee is supported by the 50th Anniversary Organizational Team.

Visit events to find out about the celebrations planned for the 50th Anniversary.

All events taking place during the anniversary will be added to the 50th anniversary events calendar once dates are confirmed. Our calendar runs from September 2012 to June 2013 and you can browse through our events by month or day by day.

Additionally, view Anniversary Highlights to find out about the big, signature events planned for the 50th anniversary.