By Grace Romund (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: January 25, 2012
After nine years as dean of faculty of trades and technology and over 16 years before that as director of the faculty before the creation of the dean’s position, Harv McCullough will be retiring from his current position.
The Provost’s office hosted a farwell and retirement open house for McCullough at U-House last Tuesday. Many faculty and staff were in attendance to show their appreciation for McCullough. UFV’s President Mark Evered attended the event and had only fond words to share about McCullough.
“Harv McCullough has provided outstanding leadership to this university,” he said. “Not only has he been an excellent champion for trades and technology programs, but he has also served as mentor and advisor to many academic and administrative leaders on this campus, including a few presidents.”
On a more personal note, Evered said, “I have benefited immensely from his wise counsel and his support.”
McCullough has been at UFV for over 33 years, always relating to trades and technology. He recalled the faculty in its infancy.
“When I started, I was a carpentry instructor,” he said. “There were three vocational programs: carpentry, auto mechanics, and welding. We all started at the same time. I started that program. That was the beginning of trades training.”
Over the years McCullough has watched and has been involved in the expansion and development of trades training at UFV. He explained, “There were three trades programs, and now we have close to 30. Originally we had about 16 students in per program, so 48 students. Now we have hundreds. Originally it was what we call hard trades (carpentry, automotive, welding, etc.). Now it includes areas like electronics, hospitality, events planning, architectural planning, and others.”
After being an integral member of the trades and technology team at UFV for many years McCullough is moving on to the next chapter which isn’t full retirement just yet. McCullough will be staying on at UFV as an advisor for a time.
“I will now be a president’s advisor in community development partnerships. That is to ensure that we continue as a university to stay connected to the community and to industries. Since I have been involved since the beginning as trades training, I’ve always been involved in industry. A lot of people see me as a first point of contact. It doesn’t necessarily have to be trades training.”
McCullough is very connected to the community; he sits as a director on the Chamber of Commerce board of directors in Chilliwack and has also been invited to also sit on board of the Chamber of Commerce in Mission more recently.
Evered looks forward to having McCullough as an advisor. “I am very grateful for Harv’s willingness to give me a bit more of his time over the next year to serve as an advisor on community development and partnerships, an area where he excelled as Dean,” said Evered.
