Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Fraser Valley University Society
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1991 - 1998
History
The Fraser Valley University Society was established on February 5, 1991. Founding members of the Society included members of several Canadian Federation of University Women's clubs, particularly Karen Yong and Sharon Shilliday of the Delta University Women's Club; members of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board; as well as individuals and representatives of organizations from communities throughout the Fraser Valley. Many of these individuals had been involved in a predecessor group, the Fraser South University Society, which had been established by Yong and Shilliday in November 1990.
The Society's mandate was to "ensure the development of appropriate legislation creating a new university in the Fraser Valley." The main purposes of the Society were: to further the development of university education in the Fraser Valley by encouraging the Provincial Government to legislate the establishment of an independent, degree-granting institution; to foster public education initiatives promoting the social, economic and cultural value of a university; to actively pursue excellence in university education for all communities in the Fraser Valley; and to improve access to university education.
The Society was headed by an elected Board of Directors. The Board of Directors appointed the following officer positions: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Committees, headed by a Chair, were created to carry out the objectives of the Society. The original five committees of the society were the Public Relations Committee, Community Relations Committee, Fundraising Committee, Membership Committee, and the Government Committee. The first President of the Society was Karen Yong. She was succeeded in 1993 by Robert (Bob) Lowe, who remained President until the Society's dissolution. At its height, membership in the Society was over 1,100 members.
The Society enlisted the assistance of local government and community organizations in its efforts. From its inception, the Society received financial and other support, including office space in Surrey, from the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. Other funds were obtained through government grant applications, membership fees, donations, and fundraising events. The Society also concentrated on promotional and community relations activities. Members collected over 7,000 petition signatures, set up information kiosks in malls and at public events, made presentations to local groups, solicited media coverage of Society events and activities, and distributed promotional material. The Society created and collaborated on several reports concerning the need for post-secondary education in the Fraser Valley, and established relationships with members of local and provincial governments.
In 1994 the Society began to place increased pressure on the Provincial Government and, after many meetings and much correspondence, Premier Mike Harcourt announced in February 1995 his government's support for the creation of a Technical University in the Fraser Valley (the Technical University of British Columbia). In May 1995 Society Board member Sharon Shilliday was appointed to the Interim Planning Council for the University; the Council became part of the Technical University Society of British Columbia when it was registered on August 10, 1995.
As a result of the Government's commitment to the creation of a new university, the Society evolved into a public foundation responsible for raising funds for the Technical University of British Columbia and its students. The Society's constitution was amended in August 1996 to reflect this change in mandate. In February 1998, a unanimous decision was made to dissolve the Society and transfer its fundraising responsibilities, as well as accumulated funds, assets, and records to the Technical University of British Columbia. Fundraising responsibilities were assumed by the University's new Vice-President External Affairs and Research. At an extraordinary meeting of the Society on April 28, 1998, the Society was dissolved.