Fast Facts: FDU-Vancouver 1. Opened in fall 2007 in the Yaletown area of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 2. Opened with population of 18 students from seven countries on five continents. 3. FDU-Vancouver has doubled the number of degrees offered since it opened. 4. The campus is doubling its space by renting the second floor of its building.
got the librarian position on campus. … it was the beginning of my active involvement with the University.” Sanadizadeh, as president of the FDU-Vancouver Alumni Chapter, hopes to provide the campus’s graduates with “a platform to remain connected with their school, social and professional networking events and social networking through Facebook and LinkedIn.” Mac is honing his leadership skills as vice president of the Students Association, co-founder of the FDU HOBN Student Chapter and a Global Scholar. He and Shayan Pouramahdi, a junior in business administration, founded HOBN with the help of Mort and George Moen, the president of Blenz Coffee (the second largest coffee chain in Canada).“HOBN stands for High Output Business Network. It is a large British Columbian networking organization where real business gets done through real, trusted and relevant relationships,” he says. Some of the student activities are based on local hobbies and activities in this Northwest region. Students go kayaking and skiing and paddle a longboat. True to FDU’s global mission, students celebrate holidays and festivals from their fellow students’ homelands.
T
Degree Programs Doubled Within Five Years o encourage growth, the University quickly added to the offerings up North, bringing the bachelor of arts in individualized studies (BAIS) and master of administrative science (MAS) programs to the campus. An additional 78 students have enrolled in the BAIS since it began in spring 2011. The MAS has attracted 246 students since it was first offered in summer 2011.
26
FDU MAGAZINE
“The curriculum taught at FDU is much more comprehensive than similar schools, as it goes beyond the world of business, commerce or technology,” says Sanadizadeh. “The Core course series encompasses a wide range of topics in social studies, critical and cultural studies as well as world literature. I think that particular combination of material prepared me for real-world situations in a much more efficient and practical way than a purely business-oriented curriculum would have.” The addition of the BAIS and MAS has helped to boost enrollment to more than 400 students today. Spring 2012 enrollment numbers shot to 224 undergraduate students from 33 countries and 181 graduate students from 17 countries. “Progress is noticeable in all areas of our growing campus,” says Abrahams. The variety of cultures represented makes FDU-Vancouver attractive to students. Mac says his favorite thing about FDU-Vancouver is its multiculturalism. “Here at FDU you can meet tons of interesting people from tons of interesting countries. It is like a buffet of cultures but you never get full of it.” Beat Ryf, a sophomore from Switzerland who came to Vancouver with his wife and child, says what attracted him to FDU-Vancouver was that he “wanted to do a study in English” and “the smaller class sizes and downtown location” appealed to him.“The city is very friendly and has a lot to offer for all kinds of people.”
W
Local Roots/Global Mission hen FDU-Vancouver first opened, extra effort was taken to integrate the campus into the city