In a move described as “literally unheard of in Canada ,” the University College of the Fraser Valley Student Union Society has pledged $50,000 toward the establishment of a new Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies and Research at the university.  

“This kind of leadership sets an example which is unprecedented at UCFV and, I believe, demonstrates that this is the right project at the right time for students at UCFV and for our communities,” says UCFV president Dr. Skip Bassford. “This is literally unheard of in Canada , that students are so supportive of an idea that they pledge their own money.”  

Student union president Gurpreet Mahil made the donation at the UCFV Community Leaders Breakfast on Thurs., Nov. 27, in Abbotsford. The highlight of the annual event to honour supporters of the university was the launch of a $3-million campaign to establish a centre at UCFV dedicated to Indo-Canadian studies and research.  

The Honourable Iona Campagnolo, Lieutenant Governor of B.C., spoke at the breakfast, which was prepared by UCFV’s senior cooking students and elegantly served to more than 100 guests inside the university’s newly opened aerospace training hangar at the Abbotsford Airport .  

“It is symbolically appropriate that we are in a hangar,”she said, “because as a community are taking off together.” Ms. Campagnolo spoke of the significant contribution of the Indo-Canadian community in the Fraser Valley , and expressed her support for the new research centre.  

“Today, increasing numbers accept that our strength lies in coming together across our differences,” she said. “I know that this new academic [centre] will go a long way toward achieving that.”

The idea of establishing the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies and Research was discussed publicly for the first time at a forum last May. “Leaders from the Indo-Canadian community requested that UCFV work with their community to offer more courses and research to reflect their community,” says Dr. Bassford.  “They offered both time and money to help make this possible, and UCFV was excited to be able to respond.  

“We organized a campaign office this summer, and already we have been able to secure some very crucial support,” he says. Founding donors honoured include Metro Valley News with a pledge of $100,000 in advertising support, and Minto and Rana Vig of Mehfil Magazine for their pledge for $50,000 in media support. Also honoured for their contributions of more than $25,000 were Parm and Satwinder Bains, and Paul and Pree Wadhawan.  

Campaign director Madeleine Hardin, of UCFV, is working with a community-based committee of more than 40 people who volunteered to assist. “They have been the main engine behind this whole initiative,” she says. “As well, we have a very committed fundraising committee of community volunteers, chaired by Mr. Parm Bains, a community leader and successful businessman from Abbotsford.”  

She says it will be a big challenge to raise the $3 million needed to establish the Centre, “but we think that the community will see what a great investment it is, not only for the future of UCFV, but for everyone in the region, province, and country.”  

The Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies and Research will play a number of important roles. It will provide a catalyst for the development of courses related to Indo-Canadian themes. These will add to and complement the courses UCFV currently offers in history, literature and social work, and include Punjabi language courses, and others such as courses in sociology, criminal justice, philosophy, and business. The Centre will work to develop a full program of Indo-Canadian studies.  

One major aspect of the Centre’s work will be to cultivate a greater understanding of and capitalize on the economic opportunities related to our Indo-Canadian community.  UCFV’s Dr. Bassford says the general population may not yet fully appreciate the importance of the Indo-Canadian contribution to the social, political, and economic life of our region and our province.  

“Whether we recognize it or not, we all need to learn more about the role of Indo-Canadian communities in strengthening international ties and commercial trade with Asia ,” he says. “On the economic side alone, we need to recognize the importance of India as a huge and fast-growing market. Our Indo-Canadian community is certainly showing us the way in opening up this market. The business and trade potential is enormous, and all of us can benefit from these increased economic activities. The Centre and the research chair can help remove some of the obstacles that may prevent us from benefitting from these new opportunities.”  

Another vital function of the Centre will be to begin the enormous amount of research that needs to be done on the Indo-Canadian Community. Not only is time running out to gather histories from the province’s surviving Indo-Canadian pioneers, there is research that should be done related to the current social and economic issues.  

At Thursday’s breakfast, Satwinder Bains, a UCFV Board member and a founding donor of the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies and Research, asked potential supporters to think of the past and the future.  

“We have a 100-year history in the Fraser Valley , carved out with bare hands and hard work,” said Bains. “The onus is on us to uphold this hard work ethic for future generations.”  

The establishment of a Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies and Research at UCFV will give students access to a broader range of courses with Indo-Canadian relevance and content. They will have greater opportunity to participate in research and other projects involving the Indo-Canadian community, and there will be opportunities to meet with visiting Indian scholars. Students may also be able to conduct some of their own studies in India , perhaps as exchange students.  

While students will be the first beneficiaries of this initiative, the Centre may also cooperate with commercial associations and other groups to offer services to the business community and the community at large.  

The Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies and Research will also benefit the Indo-Canadian community as a whole. It will strengthen the relationships between communities in South Asia and Canadian communities, and thus strengthen the already powerful contribution of B.C.’s Indo-Canadian communities to the economy. Dr. Bassford asks, “At present, where else can the Indo-Canadian community go to find research and the information that it needs?”  

Dr. Bassford says that the campaign to establish such a Centre at UCFV is one of his top priorities. In fact, early in November the UCFV president was part of a provincial trade delegation that Premier Gordon Campbell led in India .  

“I had a chance to meet with the Vice-Chancellors of several Indian universities, four of them, in the Punjab region. All of them expressed an immediate interest in working with us in the near future. They recognized, as much as we do, that collaboration between Indian and Canadian universities is one of the many ways in which they can both provide the best education for their children,” he says.  

Dr. Bassford says he received many offers of collaboration from Indian universities. “The field of higher education in India is growing at a fantastic pace,” he says. “There is a lot of interest on the part of Indian institutions in partnering with Canadian institutions.” He says UCFV will likely send another delegation to India in February 2004 to follow up on these preliminary agreements.  

“We are forging ahead, and so are our colleagues from India . Don’t be surprised if you soon learn that UCFV will be welcoming a distinguished visiting scholar from India as early as next September. We made a commitment to the Indo-Canadian community, and we intend to honour it by all means at our disposal,” he says.  

For more information or to make a donation, contact campaign director Madeleine Hardin at 604-854-4566 or email madeleine.hardin@ucfv.ca and visit www.ucfv.ca/icrc/