University of Alberta

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University of Alberta

Motto	Quaecumque Vera (Whatsoever things are true)
Established	1908
Type	Public
Endowment	$645M[1]
Chancellor	Eric P Newell
President	Indira Samarasekera
Staff	3,353[2]
Undergraduates	28,158 full-time, 2,204 part-time[2]
Postgraduates	4,356 full-time, 1,717 part-time[2]
Location	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Campus	Urban, 50 square city blocks
Sports teams	Golden Bears (men) Pandas (women)
Colours	Green and Gold
Mascot	GUBA (men) Patches (women)
Affiliations	ACU, AUCC
Website	www.ualberta.ca

The University of Alberta (U of A) is a public coeducational research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Founded in 1908, the university's current enrolment is over 36,000, placing it among the five largest universities in Canada. The main campus covers 50 city blocks with over 90 buildings directly across the North Saskatchewan River from downtown Edmonton.

The University of Alberta has over 400 distinct research laboratories and the second largest university library in Canada.^[3] The university's strong medical and engineering programs include several world-class research facilities under construction or recently completed for medical research, nanotechnology, petroleum engineering, and communication technology such as the Heritage Medical Research Centre, National Institute for Nanotechnology, Allan P. Markin Natural Resources Engineering Facility, and TRLabs [1]. The University of Alberta is consistently ranked among the top research universities in Canada.^[4][5][6]

The university's major faculties include arts, science, engineering, medicine and dentistry, law, education, agriculture, pharmacy and pharmaceutical science, business, and physical education as well as special programs such as the Campus Saint-Jean and School of Native Studies.

The university has two main newspapers, Folio [2] and the Gateway [3]. Folio is the official newspaper published by the Office of Public Affairs every two weeks from September to June. The Gateway is a student university newspaper.

Contents 1 History 2 Academics 2.1 Profile 2.2 Faculties and colleges 2.3 Library 2.4 Reputation 3 Campuses 3.1 Main Campus 3.2 Campus Saint-Jean 3.3 Augustana Campus 3.4 Future campuses 3.5 Residences 3.6 Construction 4 Research 5 Student life 6 Athletics 7 Chancellors 8 Alumni 8.1 Academics 8.2 Authors 8.3 Politicians 8.4 Other notable alumni 8.5 Honorary degree recipients 9 References 10 See also 11 External links

[edit] History

The University of Alberta was chartered in 1906 and opened in 1908. The Act creating the university had been passed two years earlier in the first session of the new Legislative Assembly, with Premier Alexander C. Rutherford as its sponsor.

The location of the university was to be decided along the same lines as that of Saskatchewan. (The province of Saskatchewan shares the same founding date as Alberta, 1905.) Saskatchewan had to please two competing cities when deciding the location of its capital city and provincial university. Thus, Regina was designated the provincial capital and Saskatoon received the provincial university, the University of Saskatchewan. The same heated wrangling over the location of the provincial capital also took place in Alberta between the cities of Calgary and Edmonton. It was stated that the capital would be north of the North Saskatchewan River and that the university would be in a city south of it. In the end the city of Edmonton became capital and the city just south of the river, Strathcona was granted the university. In 1912 the two cities of Edmonton and Strathcona were amalgamated under the name of the former; Edmonton thus became the political and academic capital. To this day this event marked the first major step in the rivalry between the two largest communities of Alberta, the richest province of Canada and the only home to two cities ranked in the top five in Canada by population, size and economic power. (The others being Toronto, ON, Montreal, QC, and Vancouver, BC.)

By 1920, the university had six faculties (Arts and Sciences, Applied Science, Agriculture, Medicine, Dentistry, and Law) and two schools (Pharmacy and Accountancy). It awarded a range of degrees: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA), Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Bachelor of Pharmacy (PhmB), Bachelor of Divinity (BD), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), and Doctor of Laws (LLD). There were 851 male students and 251 female students, and 171 academic staff, including 14 women.^[7]

The College (Faculty) of Agriculture accepted students who had completed a two-year course at one of the six provincial Schools of Agriculture at Claresholm, Gleichen, Olds, Raymond, Vermilion and Youngstown. Then they followed a further three-year course to gain the degree of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA).

The asteroid 99906 Uofalberta is named in its honour, in part because the initials of its motto Quaecumque Vera ("Whatsoever things are true") appeared in the object's provisional designation 2002 QV₅₃.^[8]

[edit] Academics

[edit] Profile

The U of A has approximately 36,000 students, more than 6,000 of them in graduate studies,^[2] while about 2,000 are international students from 110 countries.^[9] The university has 3,353 academic staff along with about 6,000 support and trust staff.^[2] The university's professors have won more 3M Teaching Fellowships (Canada's top award for undergraduate teaching excellence) than any other Canadian university, 26 awards since 1986.^[10] The university offers post-secondary education in about 200 undergraduate and 170 graduate programs. Tuition and fees for both fall and winter semesters are slightly more than $5,000 for a typical undergraduate student, although they vary widely by program.^[2] The University of Alberta switched from a 9-point grading scale to the more common 4-point grading scale in September 2003.

The continued economic boom in Alberta, driven mainly by high energy prices, has resulted in multi-billion dollar government fiscal surpluses.^[11] This has led to the introduction of Bill 1 by the provincial government, which promises to create a $4.5 billion endowment for Alberta's post-secondary institutions.^[12] Given the rosy economic conditions in Alberta, it has been suggested that as the University of Alberta enters its second century it should aim to be one of the top twenty universities in the world by the year 2020.^[13][14]

[edit] Faculties and colleges

The university has eighteen faculties and two affiliated colleges.

• Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics [4] is focusing on natural, biological, and human resources.
• Faculty of Arts [5] is home to the whole spectrum of arts programs and departments, from Anthropology to Women's Studies.
• Augustana Faculty [6] is located in a satellite campus in Camrose, Alberta. It comprises the departments of Fine Arts, Humanities, Physical Education, Science, and Social Sciences.
• School of Business [7] offers MBA, BComm, PhD, ExecEd, and Exec MBA degrees.
• Faculty of Education [8] offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Elementary, Secondary Education, or combined.
• Faculty of Engineering [9]
• Faculty of Extension [10] is focusing on the life-long continuing education and professional development.
• Faculté Saint-Jean [11] is a francophone faculty.
• Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research [12]
• Faculty of Law [13]
• Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry [14]
• School of Native Studies [15]
• Faculty of Nursing [16]
• Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences [17]
• Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation [18]
• School of Public Health [19]
• Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine [20]
• Faculty of Science [21]

• St. Joseph's College [22]
• St. Stephen's College [23]

[edit] Library

The University of Alberta library system [24] is one of the largest research libraries in Canada. As of 2004, according to the Association of Research Libraries, the University of Alberta library is the second-largest by the number of volumes held among Canadian universities after the University of Toronto Library.^[15] In 2006, the university library was rated 20th in North America by the Association (up from 28th a year earlier).^{[citation needed]} Moreover, the U of A library ranks first in Canada in the number of volumes per student with over 5.7 million volumes, and has access to more than 410,000 full-text electronic journals and more than 600 electronic databases.^[16]

The library system is comprised of the following libraries:

• Augustana Faculty Library [25]
• Bibliothèque Saint-Jean [26]
• Book and Record Depository (BARD) [27]
• Cameron Library (Science & Technology) [28]
  • Knowledge Common [29]
• H.T. Coutts Library (Education & Physical Education) [30]
• J.A. Weir Memorial Law Library [31]
• J.W. Scott Health Sciences Library
• Dr. Josephine M. Mitchell Mathematics Library
• Rutherford Library (Humanities & Social Sciences) [32]
  • Bruce Peel Special Collections Library [33]
  • Data Library [34]
  • Music Listening and Reserve
• St. Joseph's College Library [35]
• Winspear Business Reference Library [36]

The university is also home to the School of Library and Information Studies [37]. It offers the Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) degree.^[17] This graduate program is accredited by the American Library Association.^[18] The school is located in Rutherford South, the original main campus library.

[edit] Reputation

The University of Alberta consistently ranks as one of the top five universities in Canada, along with the University of Toronto, McGill University, and the University of British Columbia.

The Times Higher Education Supplement rates the top 5 Canadian universities (world rankings in brackets):^{[19][citation needed]}

1. McGill University (21)
2. University of Toronto (27)
3. University of British Columbia (50)
4. University of Alberta (133)
5. McMaster University (155)

Academic Ranking of World Universities rates the top 5 Canadian universities (world rankings in brackets):^{[citation needed][20]}

1. University of Toronto (24)
2. University of British Columbia (37)
3. McGill University (67)
4. McMaster University (90)
5. University of Alberta (101-152)

Webometrics Ranking of World Universities rates the top 5 Canadian universities (world rankings in brackets):^[21]

1. University of Toronto (30)
2. University of British Columbia (48)
3. University of Alberta (52)
4. Université de Montréal (58)
5. University of Calgary (59)

Research Infosource rates the top 5 Canadian universities by research criteria:^[22]

1. University of Toronto
2. Université de Montréal
3. McGill University
4. University of Alberta
5. University of British Columbia

Newsweek (International Edition) rates the top 5 Canadian universities (world rankings in brackets):^[23]

1. University of Toronto (18)
2. University of British Columbia (31)
3. McGill University (42)
4. University of Alberta (55)
5. University of Waterloo (84)

In its 2006 survey, Maclean’s, a leading Canadian news magazine, rates the University of Alberta the best overall by National Reputational Ranking.^[24][25] The top five in this category were:^[26]

1. University of Alberta
2. University of Waterloo
3. McGill University
4. University of British Columbia
5. University of Toronto

It should be noted that the University of Alberta (along with 22 other universities) has declined to participate in the 2006 Maclean's annual university rankings issue, due to a concern that past rankings have been inaccurate.^[27]

The Globe and Mail's University Report Card reflects the opinions of 32,700 current undergraduates who responded to some 100 questions about their respective universities.^[28] The University of Alberta received high (A- and above) grades in the following categories:

• overall academic reputation of the university, reputation of university among employers, reputation for conducting leading-edge research, reputation for undergraduate studies, reputation for graduate studies
• overall quality of education, faculty members' knowledge of subjects
• overall university atmosphere, sense of personal safety/security, tolerance for diverse opinions/ideas, availability of quiet study space
• overall library, library services, online library resources, availability of journals/articles/periodicals, total number of library holdings
• computer accessibility on campus, availability of up-to-date computer equipment, on-campus network for Internet/email, overall quality/availability of technology on campus, access to course/teaching materials online

[edit] Campuses

The university has three distinct campuses: the Main Campus, the Campus Saint-Jean, and the Augustana Campus.

[edit] Main Campus

The Main Campus is the original location of the University of Alberta. It is located on the southern banks of the North Saskatchewan River. It has 145 buildings on 92 hectares of land.^[29]

A satellite view of the main campus can be seen on Google maps.

[edit] Campus Saint-Jean

The Campus Saint-Jean is a francophone campus located about 10 km to the east of the Main Campus in Bonnie Doon. It is the only French-language university faculty west of Manitoba. Due to increasing enrollment, the Campus Saint-Jean in currently undergoing expansion, acquiring new laboratory and classroom spaces. Students at the Campus Saint-Jean may pursue Bachelor Degrees in General Sciences or Arts, or may complete their first year of Engineering, after which they transfer to the University of Alberta's main campus.

[edit] Augustana Campus

The Augustana Campus is located in Camrose, Alberta, a small city in rural Alberta about 100 km southeast of Edmonton. In 2004, the former Augustana University College in Camrose merged with the University of Alberta, thus creating the Augustana Faculty. It is the satellite campus of the University of Alberta.

[edit] Future campuses

Two future campuses are within the city of Edmonton.

The South Campus is located a few kilometres to the south of the Main Campus, with a link via Light Rail Transit (this link is under construction, as of December 2006). The station will be near the current Foote Field and Saville Sports Centre.

Enterprise Square will open on the north side of the North Saskatchewan river in downtown Edmonton.^[30] It will be located in the historical building previously occupied by the Hudson's Bay Company. As of November 2006, the building is undergoing major renovations. Enterprise Square will house the Faculty of Extension, the professional development activities of the School of Business, the Alberta Business Family Institute, and the Design Gallery.

[edit] Residences

The University of Alberta offers a wide range of residences on its campuses.

While a majority of the university's students live off-campus, a significant number of students from outside Edmonton in early years of their post secondary education opt to live in residences operated by the university's Residence Services [38].

• Lister Centre [39] ia the largest residence, located in four residence towers, mostly occupied by first and second year students. The residence has a reputation for partying and bad food.^{[citation needed]} It provides excellent programs to integrate new students to the university life. It offers single and double furnished dorm rooms, common kitchens and living areas.
• HUB International [40] houses mostly international students and other students who find the atmosphere at Lister Centre to be univiting. It houses a predominantly Asian population.^{[citation needed]} It offers bachelor suites and single, double and quadruple bedroom apartments.
• International House [41] is a residence specifically for international students and Canadian students interested in living with international students. Single bedrooms with common kitchens and living spaces, both furnished and unfurnished.
• Newton Place [42] houses older students in apartment-style residence.
• East Campus Village [43] comprises walk-up townhouses. Older students.
• Michener Park [44]. Older students.
• St Joseph's College Residence is an all-male residence operated independently of Residence Services by the catholic college.
• La Residence Saint-Jean [45].
• Augustana Faculty Residences [46].

[edit] Construction

As part of the University of Alberta's expansion,^[31] many construction projects have recently been completed on campus and many more are either in the process of being completed or are slated to begin in the near future. Expansion of the University of Alberta's hospital is also included in the construction projects. Many of the new buildings recently completed now stand where either older university buildings once stood or on what used to be parking lots (making parking more of a difficult process on campus).

One of the major projects underway is the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility known as the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science (CCIS) to be mainly used by the Faculty of Science.^{[citation needed]} This project is expected to be completed by 2010.^{[citation needed]} There is controversy revolving around this project.^{[citation needed]} At least 3 old buildings are currently in demolition phase to make way for this building. These three buildings are the V-wing (a large one-floor building composed of roughly 10 lecture halls), the Avadh Bhatia Physics building (a six-storey Physics department building), and the Centre for Subatomic research.^{[citation needed]} Many of the classes and labs that were held in these buildings have now been relocated to other new or recently renovated buildings.

[edit] Research

Housing over 400 distinct research laboratories, the University of Alberta is one of the leading research universities in Canada. In the period from 1988 to 2006, the University of Alberta received about $3.4 billion for research from external sources, with $404 million in 2005-2006 alone.^[32] The university is the national scientific and administrative headquarters for the Sustainable Forest Management Network of Centres of Excellence, and the headquarters for the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration.

The university's medical researchers are developing the Edmonton Protocol, which is a new treatment for type one diabetes that enables diabetics to break their insulin dependence. The project was originally developed by Drs. James Shapiro, Jonathan Lakey, and Edmond Ryan.^[33] The first patient was treated in 1999. As of 2006, the project is developed through the Clinical Islet Transplant Program.

In June 2006, a new building for the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) was opened on campus. The building is one of the world’s most technologically advanced research facilities and houses the quietest laboratory space in Canada.^[34] NINT occupies five floors and the top two floors are used by the University of Alberta for nanotechnology-related research, with some staff members being jointly recruited by the NRC and the University of Alberta.

The U of A is a member of the G13 universities. The G13 universities are composed of the leading research universities in Canada.

• Mizar system

[edit] Student life

• University of Alberta Students' Union

[edit] Athletics

The University of Alberta is represented in Canadian Interuniversity Sport by the Alberta Golden Bears (men's) and the Alberta Pandas (women's).

The Pandas are a dominant force in women's university hockey. As of November 2006, they have won the Canada West Conference 7 times in the 8 year history of competition.^{[citation needed]} In addition, they have claimed the national championship five times in the last seven years. Their gold medals come in 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2000. They also boast a pair of silver medals (2005, 1999) since the inception of the CIS championship in 1997-98. When the Pandas lost the CIS championship game in March 2005, it ended a 110-game undefeated streak (109-0-1).^{[citation needed]}

The Golden Bears hockey team has played in the CIS University Cup finals, winning an unprecedented 12 times.^{[citation needed]} Every fall the team plays against the Edmonton Oilers rookies. In 2006 they lost 6-3, ending their five game winning streak against the rookies.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Chancellors

1. Charles Allan Stuart (1908-1926)
2. Nicolas Dubois Dominic Beck (1926-1927)
3. Alexander Cameron Rutherford (1927-1942)
4. Frank Ford (1942-1946)
5. George Fred McNally (1946-1952)
6. Earle Parkhill Scarlett (1952-1958)
7. Laurence Yeomans Cairns (1958-1964)
8. Francis Philip Galbraith (1964-1970)
9. Louis Armand Desrochers (1970-1974)
10. Ronald Norman Dalby (1974-1978)
11. Jean Beatrice Forest (1978-1982)
12. Peter Savaryn (1982-1986)
13. Tevie Harold Miller (1986-1990)
14. Sandy Auld Mactaggart (1990-1994)
15. Louis Davies Hyndman (1994-1998)
16. Lois Elsa Hole (1998-2000)
17. John Thomas Ferguson (2000-2004)
18. Eric P. Newell (2004-present)

[edit] Alumni

[edit] Academics

• Chemistry pioneer Raymond U. Lemieux, winner of the Wolf Prize in Chemistry (1999) and the Albert Einstein World Award of Science (1992)
• Dean of Harvard Medical School Joseph B. Martin
• Molecular biologist Tak Wah Mak
• President of Nanyang Technological University Su Guaning
• Regius Chair of Medicine, University of Oxford's John Bell
• Nobel Laureate Richard E. Taylor

[edit] Authors

• Canadian author and activist Nathan Braun (1999 Presidential Scholar, Augustana Faculty)
• Governor General's Literary Award winner and playwright Vern Thiessen
• Canadian author Timothy Taylor
• Canadian author W.O. Mitchell

[edit] Politicians

• Former Prime Minister of Canada Joe Clark
• Former Premier of Alberta Peter Lougheed
• Current Premier of Prince Edward Island Pat Binns
• Founder and former leader of the Reform Party of Canada Preston Manning
• Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin
• Former Governor General Roland Michener
• Minister of International Trade David Emerson
• Minister of Environment Rona Ambrose
• Minister of Indian Affairs Jim Prentice
• Premier of Alberta (Designate) Ed Stelmach

[edit] Other notable alumni

• Soap opera creator Ted Corday (Days of our Lives)
• Designer of the Canadian flag George Stanley
• Former International Paralympic Committee President Robert Steadward
• Canadian Actor Paul Gross

[edit] Honorary degree recipients

• Former Deputy Prime Minister Don Mazankowski
• Former National Hockey League player Wayne Gretzky

See also the complete list

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Complete list of all faculties and departments
• Presidents of the university
• Chancellors of the university
• Famous alumni and staff

[edit] External links

• University of Alberta
• List of Faculties and Departments
• Students' Union
• Graduate Students' Association
• University of Alberta International
• University of Alberta Calendar
• University of Alberta Athletics

	Alberta universities
Alberta | Athabasca | Calgary | Lethbridge

G-13 Universities
Alberta | UBC | Calgary | Dalhousie | Laval | McGill | McMaster | Montréal | Ottawa | Queen's | Toronto | Waterloo | Western