SFU is turning 50 years young this September, and the university is preparing to celebrate in style.
Fiftieth anniversary celebrations will kick off this fall on the university’s official birthday, September 9.
The day program will involve a free event starting in the morning in Freedom Square, with concurrent events taking place on the Surrey and Vancouver campuses. People are invited to hear some speakers, have a piece of Fair Trade chocolate birthday cake, write some inspirational chalk messages, and sign SFU’s giant birthday card.
Later in the evening, the AQ gardens will play host to the “Celebrate and Savour” portion of the festivities. This party will include an address from SFU President Andrew Petter, a food festival of featuring gourmet sponsors, fireworks, and a performance by the to-be-determined winner of the SFU Legacy Song Competition. Participants are encouraged to come in their SFU attire.
Gloria Chu, director for SFU Ceremonies and Events, is one of the driving forces behind the kickoff event. She explained that one of the primary goals for planning this event was to engage the community and bring people together in celebration.
Chu went on to say that they aimed not only to recognize donors, but to make it accessible to everyone by offering free daytime activities and making tickets reasonably priced.
“We want to really engage our community, not just a select few,” she said. “We really wanted to make it accessible and to be very inclusive.”
As of press time, SFU has raised $180 million of the $250 million fundraising goal. The donations will go towards funding scholarships, bursaries, and various programs at SFU. There will be a reception with the president to recognize and give thanks to the donors.
“Something that we haven’t really utilized is our iconic AQ. It’s really symbolic of the university,” she stated. “It’s a magnificent space outdoors, so that’s why we decided we wanted to have this big celebration here.”
Chu detailed some of the plans for transforming the gardens for the event, and alluded to a few surprises. “As it slowly gets darker,” Chu shared that “lights will be glistening around the AQ.”
The food festival aspect will be one of the main focuses of the event. Many of the participating food vendors are partners and friends of the university, with the addition of some other local restaurants, such as The Four Seasons Hotel, Fable, and Cafe Medina.
Voting for SFU Legacy Song Competition will close on August 1. People may vote once a day online for their favourite and the overall winner will perform their composition for everyone in the AQ gardens that night. The legacy song plays into the ultimate goal to “create some spirit on campus.”
There were 35 songs entered into the competition, but it has been narrowed down to the top six. “We were really impressed by the range of submissions,” said Chu. “Some of them were really professional.”
The Howard Trottier Observatory will put on a Starry Nights session, so attendees can check out the recent addition to the Burnaby Campus and participate in some stargazing.
SFU has invited its charter faculty and alumni to join in the celebration and to see the growth of the university since it first opened its doors to them 50 years ago.
“They’re very fascinating people,” said Chu. “Back in the day, everyone went to UBC, so it wasn’t common that people came here. These people were really taking a chance coming up to the university.”
Chu concluded, “I am really excited. This is something that we have never done before.”
Tickets for the evening event are available now at $50 each, which includes unlimited sampling from all the food vendors and one beverage per person before paying cash at the bar. Current students can get their own for $35 each, which only includes the food. There is also an option online to sponsor an SFU student to attend.
