President's welcome — Fall 2024

Dear VCC community, 

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! As president of Vancouver Community College (VCC), it is my honour to welcome back returning students, faculty, and staff, and to warmly greet new students joining us this fall.  

Both Broadway and Downtown are always a little quieter over the summer months, but the start of the fall term brings excitement and energy back to campus with new classes starting and a myriad of events that bring our college community together. 

Some of you may have noticed that our Broadway campus looks a little different. As the college embarks on our ambitious Campus Plan, its catalyst project—the Centre for Clean Energy and Automotive Innovation—has begun construction after an Indigenous Ground Blessing. This traditional ceremony was led by members of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations to start the project off in a good way. 

We understand that construction has impacts on our campus and surrounding community, but we ask for your patience and understanding as we work to build improved educational facilities so that we can continue to be a place of real learning for real change. 

To keep up-to-date with the latest activity on building the new centre, I encourage you to visit the Campus Plan on the website.  

In closing, please take a moment and watch this short video below which highlights some of the resources available to you. Be sure to check out our Welcome Back resources section and don’t forget to stop by during our Welcome Back week held at both campuses. 

I wish you the best as you embark on the fall semester. 

Sincerely, 

Ajay Patel 
President and CEO