Community on Campus: SFU Surrey's 20th Anniversary Recap

Just like that, the fall semester has come and gone. As I reflect on these past few months, I’d like to thank you all for your continued hard work and contributions towards making SFU Surrey’s 20^th anniversary celebrations a huge success.

This semester was packed full of fun events, and I am grateful for the many opportunities we had to invite our community to the Surrey campus to join in our celebrations. Here are some highlights from the fall semester:

We kicked off the semester with a special celebration to mark the September 9th anniversary date, including cake for students, staff and faculty to enjoy. The day also saw our First Friday Carnival and Games Lounge in full swing, and live music from SFU student Bukola and guitarist Anthony Anderson. Check out all the fun on our Instagram recap! It was especially great to see our campus community reconnecting at the start of the semester and participating in the many activities around campus all month.

A great example of this was our Mural Mosaic initiative. The SFU community was invited to stop by the Mezzanine and paint a tile to be added to two brand new mural mosaics that will live at the Surrey campus. Stay tuned for more details about the unveiling of the finished murals.

To wrap up the month, we hosted a special Terry Fox Talk and Walk event with Bill Vigars, a close friend of Terry Fox and the public relations coordinator for the Marathon of Hope. Thank you to Bill for joining us and sharing your stories with our community! 

In October, we hosted our largest event of the semester: SFU Surrey’s Community Open House. With over 800 registrations and 1200 guests, I was thrilled to see and connect with so many members of our community. The ‘Surrey campus vibe’ was on full display all evening, and I want to thank all our faculty, staff, and students once again for creating such a welcoming, informative, and fun environment for all the guests who attended.

In November, our 20^th anniversary celebrations continued with the renaming of the SFU Surrey Grand Hall. SFU President Emeritus, Dr. Michael Stevenson, was instrumental in the growth and development of SFU Surrey in its early years, and his contributions will continue to be recognized through the newly named Michael Stevenson Grand Hall. Following the unveiling, we hosted the first-ever SFU Surrey Community Builders’ Dinner to recognize the key business, government, and community leaders who have helped shape and build SFU Surrey into what it is today.

To wrap up the month, we hosted our annual book sale in support of the United Way of the Lower Mainland and brought back our samosa sale for the first time since pre-pandemic times. It was wonderful to see so many students, faculty, staff and community members showing up to support the children, families and seniors living in poverty in our communities.

And that wraps up the semester – what a busy couple of months! As we wind down in the last few weeks of December, I hope you will find the time to rest, recharge, and spend quality time with your friends and family – you deserve it. I wish you and your loved ones the very best this holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you all again in the new year.