Nicola Valley Institute of Technology President Ken Tourand Signs a 5-year Extension
The Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) is excited to announce a 5-year contract ex-tension for President Ken Tourand. The NVIT Board of Governors has confirmed the new con-tract will see Tourand continue as President and CEO of NVIT until October 2027. “There is great work and opportunity ahead and NVIT and President Tourand will continue to strive to meet the post-secondary needs of Indigenous learners and communities throughout British Colum-bia”, said Board Chair Sashia Leung.
NVIT is the only Indigenous Public Post-Secondary Institution in British Columbia. Tourand was hired as a faculty member at NVIT in 1995, was appointed President in 2010, and is now the longest-serving President in the BC Post-Secondary system. Under Tourand’s leadership, NVIT has experienced significant growth at the Nicola Valley campus throughout his tenure. NVIT opened the lecture theatre and daycare in 2010, the trades building in 2015, and the Cen-tre of Excellence in Sustainability in 2018, and is currently working in partnership with the Ur-ban Native Youth Association and the City of Vancouver to build a new Urban Indigenous Youth & Education building. This project, located at the corner of Hastings and Commercial in East Vancouver, will replace the current Burnaby campus for NVIT.
“Ken Tourand’s vision for NVIT aligns with the original vision of the five founding bands which is to improve the lives of Indigenous people through post-secondary education” confirmed Chief Stu Jackson of the Lower Nicola Indian Band.
The Nicola Valley kʷúkʷpiʔ/Chiefs are in full support of Tourand’s extension and are pleased with the direction that he provides. They credit much of the success of NVIT in recent years to Tourand’s leadership and the team he has assembled.
yilmíxʷm/Chief Harvey McLeod of the Upper Nicola Band stated “Our community citizens want-ing to advance into a world of opportunity require support locally where we can train and grow our leadership from within. NVIT provides these opportunities, and we are fortunate to have the dedication of a strong leader such as Ken Tourand to continue to move us forward”.
“I am excited to sign a five-year extension with NVIT” confirmed Tourand, “with support from NVIT’s Elder’s Council, NVIT’s Indigenous Board of Governors, the leadership of our five found-ing bands, and the employees of NVIT, we will continue to work everyday to meet the educa-tional needs of our learners.”
For more information, please contact Sue Sterling-Bur, Vice President Students at (250)378-3347or ssterling@nvit.ca.
