It's official: Vancouver Island University

I am pleased to advise our students, employees, partners, supporters and community, that BC’s Premier Gordon Campbell has announced that the BC Government plans to introduce legislation that will establish Vancouver Island University as a special purpose, teaching university.

Our Premier also announced that the new university will be named Vancouver Island University.

We anticipate legislation to establish the new mandate for our institution will come into effect by May 2008.

This announcement is good news and will provide new opportunities for our students and communities.

This designation will increase access to university degree programs in the Central Vancouver Island and in Powell River without impacting the breadth of training currently available at Malaspina. Malaspina is one of only a few universities in Canada that offers such breadth of training available at our institution.

As a new university, we will continue to focus on serving the diverse educational and training needs of the region.

We will continue to offer and expand vocational, trades, and developmental programs, increase opportunities for Aboriginal students, and enhance both undergraduate and graduate programming.

This designation will also provide us with the opportunity to assess and respond to the changing social and economic agenda on Vancouver Island and in Powell River.

As Vancouver Island University we will continue to provide the highest quality of training and support available anywhere in the province.

While we celebrate our future, I am also aware of the importance of celebrating our past. In particular, I want to ensure that the Malaspina name will be forever rooted in our history.

A great deal has been accomplished by this institution while carrying the Malaspina moniker. To recognize and honour the Malaspina name, I will be recommending that our Nanaimo Campus be named the “Malaspina” campus.

I would like to thank all of our past and current students, employees, and community partners for the work that has been done to get us to this important point in our evolution.

This full university designation recognizes the valuable role we play as educators shaping lives and communities -- a role that we will continue to serve as Vancouver Island University.

Thank you
Ralph Nilson
President