News Stories
The Class of 2019
September 17, 2019
The future is full of infinite possibilities for the more than 1,200 Vancouver Island University graduates who crossed the stage this year. Fuelled by their passions and equipped to excel in their fields thanks to hands-on learning opportunities and the support they received during their time at VIU, grads are ready to take on new challenges and opportunities in their chosen career paths. Three... Read more
A Career in the Clouds
September 17, 2019
For most people, the prospect of spending days immersed in virtual reality worlds is a pipe dream made possible only by winning the lottery or some other turn of good fortune. For the folks at Qualicum-based Cloudhead Games, five of whom are VIU alumni, this is their everyday. Up against heavy competition from AAA studios for games like Fallout 4 and Skyrim, the virtual reality game development... Read more
Alumni News: VIU Magazine 2019 Edition
September 17, 2019
#VIUAlumni tell their stories of where they are now. 1980s VIU is a special place for Tom Osborne (Recreation Administration Diploma ’88), General Manager of Recreation and Parks for the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN). It’s where he met his wife Darcie, and both his son and daughter are now students here. Highlights of his career with the RDN include the construction of Oceanside Place... Read more
Starting Your Journey at VIU
April 9, 2019
When people think of becoming a doctor or lawyer, Vancouver Island University (VIU) may not be the obvious choice of study, but as a Nanaimo law firm proves, the institute is a great transition to higher post-secondary education. Out of the six lawyers at Johnston, Franklin, Bishop, five of them started their post-secondary journey at VIU. “VIU offered a broad range of course selection and due... Read more
VIU Welcomes New Elders-in-Residence at Nanaimo Campus
March 28, 2019
Maxine Hayman Matilpi (Lakwa) and Barney Williams (Klith-wii-taa) join four other Elders-in-Residence offering support, traditional knowledge and spiritual guidance to students at the Nanaimo Campus. Vancouver Island University (VIU) has two new Elders-in-Residence at the Nanaimo Campus. Since the program started in the 1990s, VIU Elders-in-Residence have played an important role at the... Read more
Program that Brings Inmates and University Students Together Expanding
March 21, 2019
Thanks to a generous grant from the Vancouver Foundation, VIU’s Inside-Out program will not only continue, but triple in size. There’s nothing anybody else could say about Joe Cramer that would be worse than the things he’s said about himself over the years. A former child actor who got caught up in a cycle of addiction, rehab and jail in his 30s, Cramer ended up serving a nearly two-year... Read more
Indigenous Health Care Assistant Program Changing Lives
February 22, 2019
The Kw’am Kw’um Shhwuli (Strong Health, Well-being) Health Care Assistant program at VIU Cowichan combines technical training with wraparound supports and Hul’qumi’num language lessons to help move students into high-demand careers. A unique new program at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Cowichan Campus that combines Health Care Assistant training and Indigenous language and culture... Read more
Alum of the month: Annie Hepp
February 19, 2019
It may take Vancouver Island University (VIU) Biology graduate Annie Hepp a little while to get used to living and working in one of the largest southern United States, where she has landed a position with Texas Parks & Wildlife. “Living in Texas has definitely changed the way I view long distances and road trips! “We have six regions in Texas State Parks and I cover Central Texas to the... Read more
Alum of the Month: Shane Strom
February 5, 2019
Shane Strom’s entrepreneurial journey began when he enrolled in the Bachelor of Hospitality and Management program at Vancouver Island University (VIU). Shortly after graduating in 2015, Strom created his first start-up, GoCampers, with business partner, Scott Mitchell. GoCampers has converted basic cargo vans and transformed them into stylish and functional mobile hotels for travelers to tour... Read more
VIU Honours Lawyer for Helping Shape Canada's Legal History
January 23, 2019
Marvin Storrow believes that even though something is law doesn’t always mean it is just or right. An accomplished lawyer with 55 years’ experience, Storrow has challenged the law numerous times, and due to his determination and courage he has steered the course of legal history in Canada. Storrow’s legal contribution towards getting formal recognition of Indigenous rights and title through the... Read more