An Important Update on Our Fall 2021 Semester

A message from VIU President Dr. Deborah Saucier

We have an important and exciting update to share with you about our fall semester. With the support of BC’s Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, VIU is now planning for a safe return to on-campus instruction for Fall 2021.

In a letter sent to university presidents yesterday, Dr. Henry stated that she was confident that the combination of health and safety measures, along with an accelerated vaccination schedule, will allow VIU to safely increase our in-person instruction activities. This direction was also supported by BC’s Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, the Honourable Anne Kang.

We know that many of you are eager to return to campus, and that some of you may also be feeling a bit anxious. I want to reassure you that our first priority is a healthy and safe learning environment. As we begin our planning for a safe return to campus, ongoing consultations with the BC Public Health Office, BC Centre for Disease Control, WorkSafeBC and the Ministry of Advanced Education Skills and Training will allow us to develop safety plans that will allow a successful return to campus.

Next steps:

We are now hard at work making plans for programs and courses for Fall 2021 and the Fall timetable will be released on April 26. Our focus in developing our plans for the fall is to support your educational experience along with your physical and mental well-being.

I know you have many questions and we ask for your patience as we work through the details over the next few weeks. As soon as we have more information we will connect with you. Stay tuned to your email and to the VIU Student Pulse enewsletter for the latest information about our Fall programming.

We will also be hosting a live Q&A event for students a few days after the fall timetable has been released on April 26 to answer your questions – details about this will also be shared in the Student Pulse. You can also connect with us though students@viu.ca.

I look forward to seeing you on campus in September 2021.