"Many folks on campus see us as an order desk and don't realize we're so much more," explains UVic purchasing officer Annabelle Victoria. "They don't have the full picture of our services and what kinds of things we can help them with."
Sociologist Neena Chappell and legendary Vikes basketball coach Kathy Shields were two of 113 appointees named to the Order of Canada over the long Canada Day weekend for their contributions to (and on) their respective fields and courts.
Dallas Tomniuk, a valued staff member in the University Centre Farquhar Auditorium, passed away May 22 following a motorcycle accident in Tofino. He was a gentle, kind, good-humoured and giving member of the UVic team, and will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked with him.
Stella Chan is relieved to know that UVic's ceremonial mace isn't quite as heavy as it looks. The petite recent-retiree's eyes sparkle as she considers the task ahead of her—serving as mace-bearer at convocation on the morning of June 14.
Rob Johns has seen first-hand the destruction and chaos that large-scale disasters can cause. In his previous role with the City of Victoria, UVic’s new manager of emergency planning visited Louisiana and Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina, and Christchurch, New Zealand after its major earthquakes. “Seeing such massive damage really drives home the importance of emergency planning,” Johns says. “Especially in Christchurch, with its similarities to Victoria in terms of earthquake risks and impacts, I was forcefully reminded that, while we can’t prevent these disasters from happening, we can and must prepare for them.”
Few members of the UVic community, past or present, could claim the level of dedication to—and impact on—the university as Bob McQueen, who passed away March 18 at the age of 81. McQueen arrived before we were UVic, joining Victoria College as its chief accountant on March 1, 1962, then becoming the newly-minted University of Victoria’s first Bursar in 1963. In the early 1980s, he was appointed UVic’s vice-president of finance and chief financial officer (CFO), where he remained until his retirement at the end of 1992—after over 30 years at UVic’s financial helm.
The celebration of this year's President's Distinguished Service Award recipients, hosted by President Jamie Cassels, took place on March 31 at the University Club. Before the recipients were named, Valerie Kuehne, UVic's vice-president academic and provost, recognized and congratulated all those who had been nominated.
Becky Cory’s office is surrounded by organized chaos, as people pop their heads in to say hi or ask a couple of questions about current class events. When someone knocks on the door of her office, Becky doesn’t hesitate to respond. Cory started working with University 101 two months before the first course began, back in 2006. The program offers free, non-credit university courses to people who face significant barriers to post-secondary education.
The moment she walks into her office, Juanita Shorkey can “feel the love.” The room is full of Hello Kitty memorabilia, from money banks to plush toys to candy dishes, and nearly all of the items have been gifts from friends, family members or colleagues—including the tour guides Shorkey coordinates. It doesn’t take long to understand why; Shorkey’s positive energy and enthusiasm for her work is practically contagious.
Surrounded as we are by the Pacific Rim’s temperate rain forest, it’s only natural that the field of forest biology would flourish at UVic. At the program’s roots is Brad Binges, a problem solver with a green thumb, who has helped to nurture and grow forest biology at UVic over the past two and a half decades. Binges manages the Bev Glover Greenhouse Facility and field research compound for the UVic Centre for Forest Biology.
The university’s heart is its students—and Shauna Underwood finds both meaning and joy contributing to their success as an Indigenous student advisor in the Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD). Underwood sees herself as a traditional person; valuing her Coast Salish culture, she is from the Tsawout Band in W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich), is a member of the Samish Tribe in Washington, and has traced her roots to the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho. At HSD’s Indigenous Student Support Centre (ISSC), Underwood works within the only faculty-based centre of its kind on campus with a large Indigenous student cohort, faculty and relevant programs. A day in her life is a mix of the routine and the unexpected. “I never know what’s going to come up,” she says—and that’s okay with her.
Paula Ceroni probably knows how to say “hello” and “welcome” in more languages than just about anyone else on campus. That’s one of the perks of her job in the English Language Centre, managing UVic’s homestay program. Each year the program places over 1,600 students from as many as 30 countries into 600 host families (and they are always looking for more hosts).
Get ready to do some skill-sharpening: UVic staff and faculty now have free access to vast and ever-growing sets of online video tutorials from lynda.com.
Carmel Chamberlain, of UVic’s School of Public Health and Social Policy, knows full well the healing potential and importance of having a network of different types of support during times of struggle. This is especially true when the safety and happiness of one’s family is on the line. Carmel has been on both sides of the United Way’s efforts, both accessing United Way funded programs and services, and recently working with United Way as a Loaned Representative during the 2014 Greater Victoria fundraising campaign.
UVic is inviting applications from across campus to select a staff member who is interested in assisting with the Greater Victoria United Way fundraising campaign this fall as UVic’s “loaned representative” to the 2015 campaign.
With more than 190,000 square feet of space, there’s so much waiting for you to discover in CARSA. Faculty and staff tours: May 1 On May 1 from 2-4 p.m., faculty and staff are invited to an exclusive sneak peak of CARSA. Athletics and Recreation will be offering drop-in tours at the following times:
