The President of the University of Northern British Columbia is joining with the entire UNBC community in expressing shock and sadness following a shooting at the Blacksburg campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Dr. Don Cozzetto is a former student of Virginia Tech, graduating from its PhD program in Public Policy and Public Administration. Although he grew up in the BC Kootenays, Dr. Cozzetto attended Virginia Tech from 1987 - 1990.

“I’ll never forget my time there; it changed my life,” says Dr. Cozzetto, who became UNBC President in July, 2006. “The program had a reputation for being first-rate and it was. The campus community, the great relationship with the community of Blacksburg, and the energy on that campus are all things I’ll never forget. In fact, it was my experience there that really led me to consider a future as a university administrator and eventually to UNBC and Prince George. It’s outside of the really big universities and the really big cities where the students, faculty, and staff can make a difference in the lives of ordinary people and their communities. That’s also what makes the tragedy in Virginia so hard to understand. Those things just aren’t supposed to happen in rural areas.”

The UNBC flags are currently flying at half-mast in memory of the people killed in Virginia.

UNBC’s core campus is located in Prince George, a community of about 83,000 people. The University opened with full operations in 1994 and currently attracts 4200 students per year.

Contact:
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622 

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Click on a thumbnail of Dr. Cozzetto below to access the high-resolution file.

The flags are half-mast at UNBC in honour of the people killed at Virginia Tech on Monday. UNBC President Don Cozzetto completed his PhD at Virginia Tech in the late 1980s.