Prince George, B.C. – The University of Northern British Columbia is in the midst of a cross-Canada alumni tour.

It started last fall with stops in Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Winnipeg and Ottawa and will continue this semester with visits to Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and possibly other locations.

President Dr. Daniel Weeks made one of his stops in Prince George this week during a Prince George Chamber of Commerce luncheon and provided an update.

“Our graduates are incredibly proud to be UNBC graduates. They are very vocal supporters of the institution and I think now we’re trying to build capacity where we can provide them more value in their degree, even long after they’ve graduated.”

He said each of the stops has been different. “Sometimes we have a guest speaker, other times it’s just an opportunity for our graduates to connect with each other and network.”

Weeks said the tour is something UNBC hopes to expand moving forward.

“We’re going to be looking in the coming years to other kinds of value added experiences for them. Getting to meet people whether they be leaders in Ottawa or other areas in Canada and really help them in their career.”

He noted many UNBC graduates have already become leaders in communities across the country and even the world.

“If you look at some of the statistics of our recent alumni survey, it’s so compelling. Almost 70% of our graduates continue to live and work in the North two years after graduation.

“Nearly 84% of our graduates find work within six months of graduation. And they’re good jobs, they’re not baristas, not working at coffee shops, unless they want to. In fact if they’re working at the coffee shop they probably own the coffee shop because nearly 70% of our graduates have found work in management or executive level jobs.”