Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Encyclopedia
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (commonly abbreviated to Kwantlen, previously known as Kwantlen University College) is a public degree-granting undergraduate polytechnic university with four campuses located in the South Fraser region of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

’s Lower Mainland
Lower Mainland
The Lower Mainland is a name commonly applied to the region surrounding and including Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As of 2007, 2,524,113 people live in the region; sixteen of the province's thirty most populous municipalities are located there.While the term Lower Mainland has been...

. Kwantlen began operation as Kwantlen Polytechnic University on September 1, 2008.

Beginnings

Kwantlen College was formed in 1981, by a separation of the South Fraser campus from Douglas College
Douglas College
Established in 1970, Douglas College is one of the largest public colleges in British Columbia, Canada serving 14,000 credit students, 9,000 continuing education students and 1,000 international students each year.-Programs:...

. There were more than 200 suggestions in a contest to name the new South Fraser region college. The winning entry “Kwantlen” was submitted by Stan McKinnon. “Kwantlen” comes from the name of the Kwantlen First Nation
Kwantlen First Nation
The Kwantlen First Nation is the band government of the Kwantlen subgroup of the Stó:lō people in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada, located primarily at Fort Langley. They traditionally speak the Downriver dialect of Halkomelem, one of the Salishan family of languages...

 in whose traditional territory the university is located. Chief Joe Gabriel of the Kwantlen First Nation
Kwantlen First Nation
The Kwantlen First Nation is the band government of the Kwantlen subgroup of the Stó:lō people in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada, located primarily at Fort Langley. They traditionally speak the Downriver dialect of Halkomelem, one of the Salishan family of languages...

 gave permission for the college to use the Kwantlen name.

Following a provincial government initiative designed to increase access to degree programs in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, begun in 1988, five community colleges were granted authority to offer baccalaureate degrees. These five institutions— Cariboo
Thompson Rivers University
Thompson Rivers University is a comprehensive university located in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. It offers students a broad range of courses, career streams, and the ability to ladder credits from diploma programs into full degrees...

, Fraser Valley, Kwantlen, Malaspina, and Okanagan
Okanagan University College
Okanagan University College was a public, post-secondary educational institution based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It evolved from Okanagan College , and the college's predecessor, the B.C. Vocational School 1963-1965...

—were renamed university colleges. Initially, they offered degrees under the aegis of one or more of the three provincial universities. In 1995 they were awarded the authority to offer degrees in their own right.
Also in 1995, the province of British Columbia enacted legislation changing the institution's name to Kwantlen University College.

Transition to university

In 2005, Kwantlen University College began a campaign to convince elected officials at the municipal and provincial levels, and various key community leaders, to support its efforts to become a university. Removing "college" from its official name would require approval from the government of British Columbia. In its case for the university status, Kwantlen's administrators claimed the change to Kwantlen University would:
  • Enhance Kwantlen's ability to help British Columbia become the best educated, most literate jurisdiction in North America; and
  • Bring multiple benefits to the fastest growing region in BC and help BC achieve long-term growth and prosperity.


In 2007, Murray Coell, Minister of Advanced Education and Minister responsible for Research and Technology was joined by special advisor Geoff Plant, to release the Campus 2020 report that recommends Kwantlen University College become Kwantlen University.

On April 22, 2008, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell announced that Kwantlen University would become Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
On April 22, 2008, the Provincial Government announced its intention to amend the University Act at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....

 to make Kwantlen a polytechnic university, in recognition of its "versatility in providing academic, trades and horticultural training." The legislation renaming the University College to University received Royal Assent on May 29 2008.

AUCC membership

On October 24, 2008, Kwantlen became a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
- See also :* G13 * Association of Commonwealth Universities...

 (AUCC).

Although the AUCC is not an official government accreditation body, its standardized membership benchmarks and requirements for members serves to ease a student's ability to transfer from undergraduate to graduate programs across Canada and the world.

Campus locations

The campuses of Kwantlen are located at:
  • Surrey Campus: 12666 72 Avenue, Surrey, BC
  • Richmond Campus: 8771 Lansdowne Road, Richmond, BC
  • Cloverdale Campus: 5500 180 Street, Surrey, BC
  • Langley Campus: 20901 Langley Bypass, Langley, BC

Academics

Kwantlen is composed of faculties in the Humanities and Social Sciences as well as a Division of Science and Mathematics. It has a School of Business, a Faculty of Design, a Faculty of Health Studies, a School of Horticulture, a Faculty of Trades and Technology, and a College of Qualifying Studies. Most of these divisions offer both bachelors degrees and certificates. By September 2011 Kwantlen will offer bachelors degrees in key areas of arts and sciences such as: anthropology, Asian Studies, creative writing, English, history, journalism, music, philosophy, policy studies, psychology, sociology, and visual arts. A bachelors degree in biology is in the works. Applied degrees are offered in fields such as business, criminology, design, horticulture, journalism, nursing, and information technology.

Libraries

Kwantlen has a library on each of its four campuses. The main library is on the Surrey campus. Smaller collections are available in Richmond, Langley, and Cloverdale. Books are freely delivered between campuses. The collections of the Kwantlen libraries total about 190,000 print monographs, nearly 1000 print journal subscriptions, and access to over 100 different on-line databases.

Student enrolment

For the 2006 academic year, Kwantlen had an enrolment of more than 18,000 students. Kwantlen's region (Richmond, Delta, Surrey, White Rock and Langley) has a population of over 775,000, and to serve it the BC provincial government funds 8,500 full-time equivalent student spaces (FTEs). A 1999 Ministry of Advanced Education study found the rate of participation in post secondary education in Kwantlen’s region (22%) to be lower than the provincial average.

Faculty and employees

Faculty and staff employees
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...

 number over 1,400. While some faculty are also involved in research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...

, their primary role is undergraduate education. In 2011, for the fifth time in a row, Kwantlen Polytechnic University was named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers
Canada's Top 100 Employers
Canada's Top 100 Employers is an annual competition that recognizes the best places in Canada to work. First held in 1999, the project aims to single out the employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional working conditions and progressive human resources policies. Winners are...

, as published in Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...

 magazine.

Cooperative education

Several diploma or degree programs in Kwantlen offer cooperative education
Cooperative education
Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience...

. Such programs include dedicated work-placement semesters that match their field of study, in addition to regular studies.

Program transferability

Kwantlen offers many transferable courses to other educational institutions, which often lead to direct transfers into second-year or third-year studies at other post secondary institutions. To aid in this, Kwantlen is a part of the BC Transfer Guide Website, an online resource for planning and understanding transfer in the BC post-secondary education system.

New program development

Additional major and minor programs are under development in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...

, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...

, fine arts and geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...

.

CELTA at Kwantlen

Kwantlen offers CELTA
CELTA
The Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults is a professional credential held by many teachers of English as a foreign language.-Overview:...

 the Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults - one of the most widely recognized certification in the world.

Student life

In 2005, Kwantlen launched an interactive component of the official Kwantlen website called The Digital Cafe, which features a number of promotional videos, music and blogs by Kwantlen students and photographs that highlight Kwantlen programs as well as student life on campus.

Kwantlen Student Association

The Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) is an elected student body
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...

 that contributes to community life, and allocates student funds to social, cultural and entertainment programs for students. Through the KSA students and other members of the Kwantlen community are also eligible for special discounts including bus and train passes, discount movie tickets and other seasonal offers.

History

The Kwantlen Student Association was founded as the Kwantlen College Student Society under the Society Act of British Columbia in August 1981 after the opening of Kwantlen College after it split from Douglas College
Douglas College
Established in 1970, Douglas College is one of the largest public colleges in British Columbia, Canada serving 14,000 credit students, 9,000 continuing education students and 1,000 international students each year.-Programs:...

. The Association's first Annual General Meeting was held on February 26, 1982. At this meeting, the Society changed its name to the Kwantlen College Student Association, and amended its constitution to provide services to its membership, and to "preserve, protect and enhance the concept of a multi-campus" institution.
Affiliation with the CFS

Since the early 1980s the KSA has also been affiliated with the Canadian Federation of Students
Canadian Federation of Students
The Canadian Federation of Students is the largest student organization in Canada. Founded in 1981, the stated goal of the CFS is to work at the federal level for high quality, accessible post-secondary education.-Structure:...

 as one of its founding members. For a brief period of time in the late 1990s, the KSA was the only Student Association in Canada to have held membership within both the Canadian Federation of Students and the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations
Canadian Alliance of Student Associations
The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations was formed in 1995 by several post-secondary institutions' student unions who had withdrawn from the Canadian Federation of Students and previously unaffiliated student unions...

 at the same time.
2008 membership referendum

In March 2008, the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) organized a referendum to disaffiliate from the CFS. In 2007, Global Television in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 ran stories alleging corruption within the Douglas Students' Union, local 18 of the CFS. The report focused on a $500,000 payment to the students' union's health insurance provider by the Canadian Federation of Students - British Columbia. It appeared to link the actions of the CFS-BC with CFS' national office and staff. This negative media coverage of the CFS was one of the reasons listed by the KSA for calling the disaffiliation referendum. The KSA also criticized the financial transparency of CFS-BC and argued that the CFS was ineffective at lobbying for students.. During the referendum campaign, the KSA also released a leaked document reportedly authored by "CFS-BC" which named several CFS staff members as active members in the anti-defederation campaign. The KSA alleged that this was the "smoking gun" proving that the "Federation seeks to place CFS supporters in key staff positions in all of its member students’ unions"

The Canadian Federation of Students petitioned the BC Supreme Court to postpone the Kwantlen referendum. According to CFS national chairperson Amanda Aziz, the lawsuit was launched when Kwantlen Students Association hired the independent elections administrator Schiffner Consultants to run the referendum after a period of deadlock on the Referendum Oversight Committee. The KSA chairperson, Laura Anderson, claimed that the Federation was "afraid of facing the students" and was attempting to stall the referendum.. Three weeks after the disaffiliation votes at SFSS and UVGSS, Kwantlen students voted to remain members of the CFS.
2011 Special General Meeting

At a Special General Meeting held on November 30th, 2011 Kwantlen students voted 352 to 0 to remove 13 directors of the KSA and place them into "bad standing" where they would be unable to run for future office. The vote was held over allegations of conflicts of interest in settling litigation, abuse of student funds, a 40% pay raise to the elected officials on their first day of office among other things.
Membership

The highest authority within the Kwantlen Student Association lies with the membership (who are the students of Kwantlen Polytechnic University). Membership is mandatory.

Members exercise their authority through special and general resolutions at general meetings as well as through elections and referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...

s. Ultimately, the membership delegates its authority over the day to day operations of the society to an elected Board of Directors (Council), which is bound to operate under a Constitution and a set of Bylaws.
Constitution

The Kwantlen Student Association's first constitution was adopted on August 10, 1981, and the society at that time was known as the Kwantlen College Student Society or KCSS.

Minor amendments to the constitution were later made in 1982, and the society also changed its name to the Kwantlen College Student Association or KCSA.

The Kwantlen Student Association's current constitution was adopted by the membership on April 25, 1995, and the society also changed its name to its current name, the Kwantlen Student Association otherwise simply known as the KSA.
Council

Each year in February Kwantlen students may run for and elect a Council to a one year term of office that spans April 1 to March 31.

Council consists of the five executive members as well as elected officials from each Kwantlen campus. Council has also created a number of non-voting seats.

Council is responsible for, and exercises full control over the affairs of the Society while the executive members assist with the management of the day to day operations of the society. Council holds regularly scheduled meetings at least twice each month, excluding the months of July, August and December.

The membership also allows Council to create Regulations, which are described as being "...those operational rules and regulations" that help govern the day to day operations of the society. Finally, the membership allows Council to create Policies, which represent positions, views or opinions that the society may take from time to time on various issues Council feels are relevant to the membership.
Standing Committees

Standing Committees of Council assist the executive members in shaping the general direction of the Society, as well as advising Council on a variety of issues relevant to students.

Member services

The KSA operates a cafe
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...

, a fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...

 centre and a social justice centre on campus. It employs an ombudsperson
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...

, distributes day planners
Personal organizer
A personal organizer, day planner, personal analog assistant, or personal planner is a small book/binder, designed to be portable, usually containing a diary, calendar, address book, and other sections usually including blank paper. It may also include pages with useful information, such as maps,...

, and provides advocacy services as well as funding for campus clubs, events, conferences, and political special interest groups. Through the KSA, students and other members of the Kwantlen community are also eligible for special discounts including bus and train passes, discount movie tickets, and other seasonal offers. Finally, full time students who do not have comparable coverage elsewhere, are automatically eligible to receive benefits from a health and dental plan.

KSA fees

All Kwantlen students as members are charged fees collected by the polytechnic university on behalf of the KSA as per the Section 27.1 requirements under the University Act.

Locations

The organization's main office is located at the Surrey Campus of Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The society also has offices and provides services at Kwantlen's three satellite campuses in Cloverdale, Langley and Richmond. The KSA does not own a student union
Student activity center
A student activity center is a type of building found on university campuses. In the United States, such a building is more often called a student union, student commons, or student center...

 building.

The Runner

The Runner is the institution's independent student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....

. It is a member of the Canadian University Press
Canadian University Press
Canadian University Press is a non-profit co-operative and newswire service owned by almost 90 student newspapers at post-secondary schools in Canada. Founded in 1938, CUP is the oldest student newswire service in the world and the oldest national student organization in North America. Many...

.. Since early 2009, The Runner has added to Kwantlen student life by providing the community with "a freely distributed, year-round, multi-campus, student-owned, student-run news and campus culture publication".

It receives some of its funds from the Kwantlen Student Association under a levy; however, it is run as separate, autonomous incorporated B.C. non-profit society, Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society (PIPS), with its own Kwantlen student board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

.

See also

  • List of universities in British Columbia
  • Higher education in British Columbia
    Higher education in British Columbia
    Higher education in British Columbia is delivered by 25 publicly funded institutions that are composed of eleven universities, eleven colleges, and three institutes. This is in addition to three private universities, five private colleges, and six theological colleges...

  • Education in Canada
    Education in Canada
    Education in Canada is for the most part provided publicly, funded and overseen by federal, provincial, and local governments. Education is within provincial jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen by the province. Education in Canada is generally divided into primary education, followed by...

  • Canadian Interuniversity Sport
    Canadian Interuniversity Sport
    Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...

  • Canadian government scientific research organizations
    Canadian government scientific research organizations
    Expenditures by federal and provincial organizations on scientific research and development accounted for about 10% of all such spending in Canada in 2006...

  • Canadian university scientific research organizations
    Canadian university scientific research organizations
    Expenditures by Canadian universities on scientific research and development accounted for about 40% of all spending on scientific research and development in Canada in 2006....

  • Canadian industrial research and development organizations
    Canadian industrial research and development organizations
    Expenditures by Canadian corporations on research and development accounted for about 50% of all spending on scientific research and development in Canada in 2007....


External links

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