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The Stephens Family

Through the creation of the Stephens Family Research Awards in Organic and Sustainable Food Systems, the Stephens' are supporting innovative student research.

Read more about the Stephens' generosity and the positive impact they are making in their UVic .

The Smyths

Thanks to the vision and generosity of George and Christiane Smyth, "Activist Collectors" of Coast Salish art, the Cornett Building has become an established centre for this art form, featuring 26 artworks created by six Coast Salish artists.

Incorporating the works throughout the Cornett Building makes them highly accessible to UVic's community and creates a daily awareness of the land on which the UVic community works and studies. The installation honours the history, customs, and culture of the Coast Salish, while inspiring student, faculty, and the greater community.

George and Christiane also fund the Visiting Artist Program in Visual Anthropology, which brings three artists into the classroom over five years.

"Without the funding provided by the Smyths, we simply could not provide the one of a kind learning experience to our students that learning about art directly from the artist can provide our students," says Dr. Andrea Walsh from the Department of Anthropology.

The Tula Foundation

Coastal communities the world over are facing immense challenges in conserving their cultural knowledge and practices and the ecosystems on which they depend. UVic's partnership with the Hakai Institute, funded by the Tula Foundation, is addressing the complex nature of conserving, managing and restoring the central coasts unique marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

The Tula Foundation fund several substantial research programs at UVic:

• The Hakai Chair in Ethnoecology – Dr. Nancy Turner
• – Hakai Institute
•  – Dr. Brian Starzomski
•  – Dr. Duncan McLaren
• Inter-tribal bear monitoring – Dr. Chris Darimont

Coast Capital Savings

Since 2009, Coast Capital Savings has been sponsoring the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø's Department of Economics to host a speaker series for visiting professors. This series is an integral part of the department's curriculum and provides a forum for students, faculty and visiting experts to exchange ideas and current trends in the field of economics.

Contact with visiting scholars and exposure to a wide range of views is one of the most exciting and beneficial parts of our students' education. Outside speakers often provide brief but significant mentorship to students at both the graduate and undergraduate level.

"The Economics Speaker Series was one of the highlights of my experience at UVic," says Brad Hackinen, Economics BSc Honours, 2012. Every seminar provided a new window into the world of economic research…and helped shape my plans for grad school and future research. I hope that future UVic students will have similar opportunities."

Bob Peart

Bob Peart has been working to protect the environment for as long as he can remember so it's no surprise that he chose to create a legacy that would carry on that work through creating an endowed fund to support the 'Bob Peart Award in Parks and Protected Areas.' This scholarship will provide support and incentive to students conducting field research in Parks and Protected Areas, especially those who are engaging young people with nature.

Bob chose to set up an endowed fund where the principal remains invested, thereby ensuring this award is part of Bob's legacy and an investment in the future. He chose to create it today so he could enjoy meeting the student recipients and seeing the research that he is helping to create. 

"Although Canadians are proud of their country, love the out of doors and enjoy seeing wildlife, they usually fail to speak out and demonstrably support those values," says Bob. "Through this scholarship I am showing students that we value their work, their passion and their chosen career path."