The University College of the Fraser Valley is recognizing the importance of the Indo-Canadian community's contribution the social, economic, and cultural development of Canada by launching a drive to establish an Indo-Canadian Studies chair.

The research chair would be a full-time professorial appointment for five years, renewable every five years. The person appointed to the chair would be expected to develop and lead a prestigious program of research directly related to the Indo-Canadian community of B.C., and to publish as widely as possible.

"This initiative is of great importance to UCFV," says President Skip Bassford. "It would be a wonderful step forward in our desire to work more closely with the Indo-Canadian community. The chair would benefit the ongoing social and economic development of our valley. And it would also serve to recognize UCFV's coming of age as a regional university that pays close and thorough attention to applied research that benefits our communities. To succeed in raising the funds for this chair, we'll need the support of all of our communities."

"My colleagues and I welcome the opportunity to work closely with the leaders of the Indo-Canadian communities of the Valley to define a research agenda that is relevant to them," says Yvon Dandurand, UCFV Dean of Research and Industry Liaison. "The proposed work will be significant to them and will strengthen the future social and economic contribution of these communities to our collective future. I hope that we can also enter into a similar kind of dialogue with many of the other communities of the region. The concept behind the proposed new research chair fits directly within our vision for research. As UCFV continues to grow into a prestigious regional university, we will continue to focus much of our research activities on issues and questions of direct relevance to our communities."

UCFV Board of Governors member Satwinder Bains is helping to lead the campaign for the research chair. The campaign has the support of the entire UCFV Board and of the UCFV Foundation.

"I see this project as a coming of age for the Indo-Canadian community," says Bains, who in addition to her UCFV Board membership is executive director of the Abbotsford Association for Healthy Aging. "We have been in B.C. and the Fraser Valley for 100 years now, and now that we are well established, it's time to move forward and become an integral part of the greater community. Working with UCFV to establish this chair is the right avenue for marking this evolution.

"The body of knowledge and research generated by the person hired by the chair and the spinoff projects will enhance awareness of Indo-Canadian issues and culture and facilitate communication between the various communities in the Fraser Valley and in B.C. as a whole."

Benefits of the chair

· Developing a research agenda focused on issues that are relevant to the Indo-Canadian communities

· Strengthening the already powerful contribution of Indo-Canadian communities to the economy

· Producing research that will help inform community decision-making with respect to health and social services, education, social and economic development

· Strengthening cooperation between the Indo-Canadian communities and the other communities of the region

· Facilitating cooperation and partnerships between the Indo-Canadian organizations and businesses and other organizations and businesses

· Promoting an awareness of the richness of the Indo-Canadian contribution to the cultural, social and economic life of Canada

· Offering courses that will create greater awareness and understanding for all students of the rich contribution of the Indian culture.

UCFV is planning to utilize a new source of government funding for "leadership chairs" to help fund the chair. This specially funded and prestigious position would provide a focal point for teaching and research related to Indo-Canadian Studies at UCFV.

Under the new provincial Leading Edge Endowment Fund initiative, post-secondary institutions are allowed to apply for funding for one research chair position, provided they raise an equal amount from the community. UCFV has chosen to focus its application in the area of Indo-Canadian Studies as a reflection of the importance the Indo-Canadian community plays in the social and economic development of the Fraser Valley, the province of B.C., and Canada as a whole.

The university college plans to raise $2.25 million from the community, which will be matched by the provincial government. This will fund the chair in perpetuity. Potential donors include community groups, individuals, government agencies, and other organizations. UCFV has already received enthusiastic support from members of the Research Chair organizing committee, with more than $30,000 raised so far.

To help shape the vision for the Indo-Canadian Research Chair, UCFV and the planning committee for the chair are holding a special forum on Saturday, May 24. The forum will look at possible focuses of research, and other issues relating to the chair.

Indo-Canadian students are a significant part of the student body at UCFV, and the university college plans to further formalize its relationship with this cultural group by offering programming in Indo-Canadian Studies. History and Social Services courses addressing this theme will be offered starting this September, with more scheduled to come on stream after that.

This research chair is the first of several that UCFV plans to establish.

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"For me, the Indo-Canadian Leadership Chair will document our harmonious social, political and economic contributions in the community. The chair will be a catalyst in the development of new, exciting research and studies that will enhance knowledge, interaction, social development and cultural foundations. The chair will also be our lasting legacy to the community for the future generations.

"The prospect of having an Indo-Canadian Research Chair at UCFV is very exciting.

The benefits of an Indo-Canadian Research Chair will be greatly appreciated by all of BC, and especially the Lower Mainland.

"I believe it will help strengthen the social, political, and economic integration and participation of the Indo-Canadian community in the economy."
- Moe Gill, Councillor, City of Abbotsford

"The Leadership Chair project means acceptance and recognition of the presence and contribution of the people of Indian origin in Canada. It is also a significant step forward towards creating, through the potency of the language, harmony and understanding. It may help forge durable and long-lasting links with Indian educational institutions."
- Romesh Sood, Businessman

"Having a Indo-Canadian research chair at UCFV benefits the students and the community at large through providing access to expert research that reflects the multi-cultural composition of the Fraser Valley/British Columbia and promotes and enhances ethno-cultural relations between the Indo-Canadian community and the rest of the population."
- Pree Wadhawan, UCFV student

I am in favor of the Indo-Canadian research chair because it is important to have economic integration of the Indo-Canadian community with respect to education and sociality. The research chair will allow the preservation of our cultural history, and enhance our educational prospects and economic development
- Pinder Gill, UCFV student

"1. This chair will be helpful in building a bridging system between the Indo-Canadian community and the rest of the Canadian population including other ethnic communities.

"2. This chair will be helpful for young Indo-Canadians because it will give them a certain level of comfort and security in today's especially volatile political climate. Their self-identity and sense of belonging need not be compromised by the action of others.

"3. This chair will be helpful in destroying established stereotypes and generalizations about the Sikh people by instead presenting an accurate picture of the Indo-Canadian community.

"4. Because Indo-Canadians are such an integral and visible portion of the Fraser Valley it almost begs the question why a chair has not already been established.

"5. By creating this chair it will mean treating all people as potential partners. This will lead us to a common ground approach that will eventually reach a higher ground of understanding, goodwill, harmony, co-operation and peace. It will enrich everyone's life by widening their horizons and their world and this in turn will make the world a smaller, more viable place.

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