Awards & Bursaries

Tom Abbuhl (winner) & Shannon Kelly (nominator)

As president of the BCIT Faculty & Staff Association (FSA) I am continually impressed by the depth of the talent amongst our membership. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has spent any time as a student, an employee, or a partner of BCIT. The walls of our Institute house some of the most skilled, passionate, and interesting people in British Columbia. At the FSA, we strive to find new and different ways to shine the spotlight on our members and the work they do supporting students, advancing their professions, and contributing to the strength of BCIT and the community.

This year for the first time, we are partnering with BCIT and the BCIT Alumni Association for the Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) by honouring a BCIT alumnus who returned to the Institute as an FSA member. In May we put a call out to our members for nominations and received submissions from a number of departments. The FSA board deliberated over the nominees and we are thrilled to officially announce our selection.

The inaugural recipient of the award is Thomas Abbuhl  from the School of Construction & the Environment. Tom has been a part of the Institute for almost four decades and has made his mark in many ways. His nominator, Shannon Kelly, had this to say about Tom:

“When I heard about the new Distinguished Alumni Award for the BCIT Faculty and Staff Association, I was excited to have the chance to celebrate one of our members who represents the spirit of collegiality, cooperation, and excellence of all Faculty and Staff here at BCIT. As Faculty and Staff, we thrive by creating an environment of support and quality, not only for our students but also for one another. Tom Abbuhl embodies this spirit of collaboration and quality. I have worked with Tom for many years, and have spoken to others who have known him many more years than I have; all who know Tom know that he is not only an amazing educator but an amazing colleague as well. Tom is always ready to help out a peer, is constantly thinking beyond the conventional boundaries of “departments” to be more inclusive and collegial, and brings a positive attitude to every day and every interaction at work. I am so happy that someone so deserving and emblematic of our values was selected to receive this award in its inaugural year.”

We couldn’t agree more and look forward to presenting the award to Tom in October at the gala event. We encourage members to watch for an opportunity to nominate their co-members next year for the 2nd annual BCIT FSA Distinguished Alumni Award.

“It’s both an honor and a humbling experience to be the recipient of this FSA Distinguished Alumni Award. As an alumnus and faculty member, BCIT has been an extremely significant part of my life – 39 years of it, to be exact! I’ve been privileged to have had the opportunity to work with a great many dedicated, student-focused faculty over my time here, and have been the beneficiary of their teaching and collaboration. As with most good things in life, it’s all about the relationships – students and colleagues alike continue to make me want to come to work each day, and are an ongoing inspiration. My sincere thanks to the nominators and the FSA.” Tom Abbuhl, FSA Member, BCIT School of Construction & the Environment, BCIT Alumni & inaugural winner of the FSA DAA