Founded 1907
The University Women’s Club of Vancouver, the second University Women’s Club in Canada, was founded on May 11, 1907 by a group of eight young women graduates of universities in Eastern Canada and the U.S.A.
Purchased Hycroft 1962
Membership having grown out of available meeting spaces, we purchased Hycroft to be our Clubhouse.
Our Members Now
Current membership of 450+ represents graduates from over 100 universities worldwide.
Affiliation with CFUW and GWI (formerly IFUW)
Our Club joined the Canadian Federation of University Women, established in 1919, to become an affiliate of the newly founded International Federation of University Women, now Graduate Women International, founded following WWI to allow women to speak with a common voice in support of peace. IFUW acts as a forum, a facilitator and an advocate for the rights and well-being of women around the world. in BC our Club is linked to twenty-three sister clubs across the province through the CFUW BC Council. Working together, we support education, public awareness and positive social action in our communities. See www.cfuw.org or www.gwi.org
Our purpose
To stimulate intellectual activity, To promote an interest in public affairs and to afford an opportunity for the expression of a united opinion, To promote an interest in educational issues and in the maintenance of high standards of public education, and to provide bursaries and scholarships, To facilitate fellowship and co-operation among university women, and To preserve and be responsible stewards of Hycroft, a City of Vancouver designated heritage building.
Our Crest
In 1985 we adopted a Coat of Arms to reflect the Club’s origins in education, our growth, and stewardship of Hycroft and the City of Vancouver. It is now our official club emblem and represents:
- Lamp of Learning: the official symbol of the CFUW, it signifies our connection to the national organization.
- The Open Book: represents the academic basis of our organization.
- The Oar and the Axe in Turret: the badge from the City of Vancouver’s coat of arms. Permission to use this symbol was granted to the UWCV by then-Mayor, Mike Harcourt.
- Green and white stripes symbolize the entrance gates at Hycroft and are the official colours of the Club.
- Our Motto Dux Femina Facti Loosely translated means “Woman Leads the Way.”
