On March 5, the British Columbia Institute of Technology Alumni Association (BCITAA) launched the BCIT Fraser Valley Alumni Chapter, appointing alumnus Jack Davidson of Mission as its Fraser Valley Alumni Ambassador. The chapter aims to connect alumni and enhance BCIT’s activities in the region, located just east of Metro Vancouver.
“We selected the Fraser Valley to launch our first official alumni chapter in Canada,” says BCITAA President Emil Bosnjak. “With thousands of our alumni living and working in this beautiful and booming region, we look forward to increasing our activity here. Our alumni greatly contribute to every sector of the Fraser Valley economy.”
More than 6,500 BCIT alumni live and work in the Fraser Valley and surrounding area, which is among the fastest-growing regions in British Columbia.
“As the third most populous region of the province, the Fraser Valley is an important market for BCIT and the BCIT Alumni Association,” says BCIT Vice President, Advancement, Paul McCullough. “We are pleased to establish this new presence in the valley, to foster opportunities as well as advance partnerships and wider institutional activities here.”
“Congratulations to the BCIT Alumni Association on the launch of its Fraser Valley chapter,” says BCIT alumna Sandy Blue, Councillor, City of Abbotsford. “As a proud graduate of BCIT, I applaud this chapter and look forward to the opportunities it will bring for BCIT alumni and businesses here in Abbotsford and our neighbouring communities. BCIT is a renowned leader in the post-secondary landscape, and we welcome this new initiative in the valley.”
BCIT Fraser Valley Alumni Ambassador Jack Davidson will lead the chapter. A 1969 graduate of BCIT’s Operations Management program, Jack is a past president and CEO of the BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association, and past chair of the BCIT Board of Governors.
“This is a very exciting time of growth for the Fraser Valley and for BCIT,” says Jack. “I look forward to building the chapter, and leveraging the expertise I have in business development and strategy to provide opportunities. And to our graduates, you belong to a global community of successful alumni who are passionate about BCIT. Take advantage of that.”
The Fraser Valley alumni chapter is the BCITAA’s first Canadian chapter, following the launch of its inaugural international chapter in Hong Kong in 2019. The BCIT Alumni Association was incorporated in 1979, and engages its 185,000 members worldwide to foster alumni success.
BCIT has 50,000 students enrolled annually at its five campuses across Metro Vancouver. With 300 applied education programs spanning health sciences, transportation, energy, business, media, computing, construction and the environment, 98 percent of BCIT’s degree graduates are employed.
The ribbon cutting was held at Airside Events, on the grounds of the Abbotsford International Airport, with alumni representatives from Abbotsford, Aldergrove, Langley, Mission, and Pitt Meadows.
For more information about the BCIT Alumni Association’s Fraser Valley alumni chapter, visit bcit.ca/fraservalley.
See more photos from the launch.
