The Witness Blanket exhibition is accompanied by President's Leadership Lecture series presentations on personal and community journeys of reconciliation, with a focus on the action that we can all take.
Shelagh Rogers
October 4, 2017 | 6 pm, Evered Hall, Student Union Building, Abbotsford campus
Shelagh Rogers, OC, is a Canadian broadcast journalist based in British Columbia. She is the host and a producer of CBC Radio One’s The Next Chapter and Chancellor of the University of Victoria. In June 2011, she was inducted as an honorary witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Also in 2011 Ms. Rogers was named an Officer of the Order of Canada “for her contributions as a promoter of Canadian culture, and for her volunteer work in the fields of mental health and literacy.” Highly regarded for her advocacy work, she has spoken out to help destigmatize mental illness, and has raised awareness and funds for adult literacy initiatives. She now champions reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people as an honorary witness to the TRC.
October 11, 2017 | 6 pm, Evered Hall, Student Union Building, Abbotsford campus
Cecelia Reekie is a cultural presenter in the Aboriginal program in the Langley School District and was formerly a school board trustee in the District. She is a member of the Haisla First Nation. Cecelia believes in the power of sharing personal stories to bring awareness in regards to culture and the history of Aboriginal people in Canada. Cecelia always speaks from her heart and weaves many different life experiences through her cultural presentations.
October 25, 2017 | 6 pm, Evered Hall, Student Union Building, Abbotsford campus
Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, OBC, is a founding member of Reconciliation Canada (reconciliationcanada.ca) and is a true peace-builder whose life and work are examples of his personal commitment. A Hereditary Chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation, Chief Joseph has dedicated his life to bridging the differences brought about by intolerance, lack of understanding and racism at home and abroad. An eloquent and inspiring speaker, Chief Joseph shares his journey of reconciliation, including his childhood experience at St. Michael’s Residential School. He speaks about the important role of reconciliation in moving forward through trauma and will address the reconciliation work that is being done across Canada to build meaningful relationships among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians.
Special Presentation: Unveiling UFV's Coat of Arms with Manon Labelle, Miramichi Herald, Canadian Heraldic Authority
Mon, June 5 at 4:30 pm | Aboriginal Gathering Place, Chilliwack campus at Canada Education Park
Join UFV President Mark Evered and UFV Chancellor Dr. Gwen Point as they host Manon Labelle of the Canadian Heraldic Authority in the official unveiling of UFV’s newly minted coat of arms.
Ms. Labelle, who creates coats of arms, flags, and badges for Canadian citizens and institutions, will discuss the UFV Coat of Arms and use of heraldic symbols in Canada.
The natural symbols and their significance to the Stó:lō people and the Fraser Valley will be discussed by Dr. Gwen Point.
Dr. Derek Harnett
Tuesday, May 23 at 4:30 pm | Conference Centre (U-house, Building F), Abbotsford campus
UFV President Dr. Mark Evered is pleased to present faculty speaker, and UFV Research Excellence Award Winner, Dr. Derek Harnett.
Harnett has been changing the way UFV students view the world since 2003. His research explores things we can’t see and that might not even exist. He investigates our universe by examining how quarks stick together and bundle themselves into objects known as hadrons, the most familiar examples being protons and neutrons.
Working with graduate students on calculations that take months to complete, his commitment to the next generation of physicists is rivaled only by his passion for his work — the practical implementation of which might not be known for hundreds of years. His research is heralded by the scientific community and paved his way to receiving UFV’s Research Excellence Award in 2016.
This is a free lecture open to UFV faculty, staff, students and to the community.
UFV + Dr. Linda Frimer
March 13, 2017 at 4:30 pm Lecture Theatre (room B101), Abbotsford campus
UFV President Mark Evered is pleased to welcome guest speaker, and UFV honorary doctorate recipient, Dr. Linda Frimer.
Dr. Frimer will present “Evoking Creativity” a lecture and slide presentation featuring her art and her philosophy.
She will discuss the inspiration of our life’s journey, how it colours our unique experience and fuels creativity and the desire to help and to heal.
The Vancouver artist sees art as a form of reconciliation and creativity as a means of expressing the love residing in humanity. She has shared her art to help worthy causes and to reconcile nature and culture for more than 35 years.
In recognition of her artistic, humanitarian, and philanthropic contributions and accomplishments, Linda Frimer received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of the Fraser Valley on June 2, 2016.
This is a free lecture open to UFV faculty, staff, students and to the community.
UFV + Dr. Halldor Bjarnason
February 22, 2017
On Pink Shirt Day, UFV President Mark Evered proudly welcomed back guest speaker, and UFV honorary doctorate recipient, Dr. Halldor Bjarnason. Bjarnason has been a practicing lawyer for 25 years. The cerebral palsy he was born with affects his movement and his speech. As a lawyer, he is an advocate within the system for people with disabilities. He has a thriving practice with Access Law Group.
He is also an elite athlete, competing with the Canadian National Disabled Cycling Team, including at the 1998 and 1992 Paralympics in Seoul and Barcelona.
The UFV Student Union society and UFV President Mark Evered proudly welcomed guest speaker Margaret Trudeau on January 10th. The Canadian icon offers an inspirational and practical approach to choosing a healthy, happy, and secure future. She is celebrated both for her role in the public eye and as a respected mental-health issues advocate.
