University of Northern British Columbia
Encyclopedia
The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) is a small, primarily undergraduate university
whose main campus
is in Prince George
, British Columbia
. UNBC also has regional campuses in the northern British Columbia cities of Prince Rupert
, Terrace
, Quesnel
, and Fort St. John
. The enabling legislation is the University Act. 4177 students were enrolled at UNBC in the 2007-2008 academic year. In 2007, the University obtained the trademark
for "Canada's Green University". The university press, The Over the Edge, is a member of the Canadian University Press
. Because of its northern latitude, UNBC is a member of the University of the Arctic
.
passed Bill 40, (the UNBC Act) that formally established the university, on June 22, 1990 The university was established in response to a grass roots movement spearheaded by the Interior University Society. UNBC offered a limited number of courses in rented office space in 1992 and 1993 but was opened officially by Queen Elizabeth II, with 1500 students, in 1994 with the completion of the main Prince George campus after two years of construction.
The governance was modelled on the provincial University of Toronto Act of 1906 which established a bicameral system of university government consisting of a Senate (composed of members of the faculty), responsible for academic policy, and a board of governors (composed of members of the community) exercising exclusive control over financial policy and having formal authority in all other matters. The President, appointed by the board, was to provide a link between the two bodies and to perform institutional leadership. The current President is Dr. George Iwama, whose term as President began July 1, 2009.
The university has gained attention with the introduction of the Northern Medical Program (NMP), which is a collaboration between UBC
and UNBC. Through this collaboration, several acadamic physicians have been attracted to the city, which has led to an emerging academic medical community. For example, the introduction of the BC Cancer Agency's Centre for the North has attracted academic oncologists, such as Dr. Robert Olson.
that is partially below ground level. It is the efficient heating system connected to all the core campus buildings that permits UNBC to pursue its goal of heating the university by the gasification of clean-burning, renewable wood pellets, collected from the waste of pine trees killed by the mountain pine beetle epidemic.
UNBC's buildings are designed to represent the northern landscape. The 'Winter Garden' area has a flowing blue staircase below a ceiling of wooden lattices, representing the west coast rain forests. The cafeteria has a lighthouse design representative of the North's rugged coastline. There are also other structures, such as triangular glass peaks, which represent mountains and act as sky-lights for the UNBC Bookstore.
On October 13th 2010, UNBC was co-awarded the Campus Sustainability Leadership Award by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for its bio-energy project which targets a reduction in fossil fuel use by supplying 85% of UNBC's heating needs.
. It is said to be a saying meaning "other people have their point of view" or "respect everyone's point of view".
The First Nations Centre provides support services for aboriginal students, including bringing in elders, counselling, and events such as talking circles and sweats. The Northern Pride Centre Society or PC offers a safe space, support, and resources to the LGBTQ and ally community, including a new Positive Space Campaign designed by UNBC students.
A bi-monthly University Farmers’ Market is held on campus, a collaborative project between multiple stakeholders within the university including NUGSS, faculty, staff, students, Students for a Green University and the Prince George Public Interest Research Group. This innovative project brought easily accessible local foods onto campus, bringing UNBC populations together (faculty, staff and students) in a social atmosphere.
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
whose main campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
is in Prince George
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
, 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...
. UNBC also has regional campuses in the northern British Columbia cities of Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
, Terrace
Terrace, British Columbia
Terrace is a city on the Skeena River in British Columbia, Canada. The Kitselas people, a tribe of the Tsimshian Nation, have lived in the Terrace area for thousands of years. The community population fell between 2001 and 2006 from 12,109 with a regional population of 19,980 to 11,320 and...
, Quesnel
Quesnel, British Columbia
-Demographics:Quesnel had a population of 9,326 people in 2006, which was a decrease of 7.1% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Quesnel was $54,044, which is slightly above the British Columbia provincial average of $52,709....
, and Fort St. John
Fort St. John, British Columbia
The City of Fort St. John is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Peace River Regional District, the city covers an area of about 22 km² with 22,000 residents . Located at Mile 47, it is one of the largest cities along the Alaska Highway. Originally...
. The enabling legislation is the University Act. 4177 students were enrolled at UNBC in the 2007-2008 academic year. In 2007, the University obtained the trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
for "Canada's Green University". The university press, The Over the Edge, 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...
. Because of its northern latitude, UNBC is a member of the University of the Arctic
University of the Arctic
The University of the Arctic is an international cooperative network based in the circumpolar region, consisting of universities, colleges and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the North...
.
History
The British Columbia legislatureLegislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
passed Bill 40, (the UNBC Act) that formally established the university, on June 22, 1990 The university was established in response to a grass roots movement spearheaded by the Interior University Society. UNBC offered a limited number of courses in rented office space in 1992 and 1993 but was opened officially by Queen Elizabeth II, with 1500 students, in 1994 with the completion of the main Prince George campus after two years of construction.
The governance was modelled on the provincial University of Toronto Act of 1906 which established a bicameral system of university government consisting of a Senate (composed of members of the faculty), responsible for academic policy, and a board of governors (composed of members of the community) exercising exclusive control over financial policy and having formal authority in all other matters. The President, appointed by the board, was to provide a link between the two bodies and to perform institutional leadership. The current President is Dr. George Iwama, whose term as President began July 1, 2009.
The university has gained attention with the introduction of the Northern Medical Program (NMP), which is a collaboration between UBC
UBC
- Universities :* University of British Columbia, a major Canadian university with its main campus in Greater Vancouver* UBC Okanagan, the campus in Kelowna, British Columbia* UBC Thunderbirds, the athletic program of the main campus- Athletics :...
and UNBC. Through this collaboration, several acadamic physicians have been attracted to the city, which has led to an emerging academic medical community. For example, the introduction of the BC Cancer Agency's Centre for the North has attracted academic oncologists, such as Dr. Robert Olson.
Features and Buildings
The campus is located on Cranbrook Hill, overlooking the city of Prince George from the west and is widely renowned for its innovative architecture. The separate buildings are linked by an agoraAgora
The Agora was an open "place of assembly" in ancient Greek city-states. Early in Greek history , free-born male land-owners who were citizens would gather in the Agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later, the Agora also served as a marketplace where...
that is partially below ground level. It is the efficient heating system connected to all the core campus buildings that permits UNBC to pursue its goal of heating the university by the gasification of clean-burning, renewable wood pellets, collected from the waste of pine trees killed by the mountain pine beetle epidemic.
UNBC's buildings are designed to represent the northern landscape. The 'Winter Garden' area has a flowing blue staircase below a ceiling of wooden lattices, representing the west coast rain forests. The cafeteria has a lighthouse design representative of the North's rugged coastline. There are also other structures, such as triangular glass peaks, which represent mountains and act as sky-lights for the UNBC Bookstore.
On October 13th 2010, UNBC was co-awarded the Campus Sustainability Leadership Award by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for its bio-energy project which targets a reduction in fossil fuel use by supplying 85% of UNBC's heating needs.
Mandate
UNBC's motto 'En cha huná literally means "He/she also lives." in the Nak'azdli (Fort St. James) dialect of CarrierDakelh
The Dakelh or Carrier are the indigenous people of a large portion of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada.Most Carrier call themselves Dakelh, meaning "people who go around by boat"...
. It is said to be a saying meaning "other people have their point of view" or "respect everyone's point of view".
Student life
NUGSS or the Northern Undergraduate Students Society represents the undergraduate students at the University of Northern British Columbia. A non-profit organization, the Student Society is the voice for students and facilitates various events. The NUGSS executive composes of five executive directors and six associates who are elected to one-year terms. NUGSS as holds annual events for students the Backyard Barbecue and the Final Affair.The First Nations Centre provides support services for aboriginal students, including bringing in elders, counselling, and events such as talking circles and sweats. The Northern Pride Centre Society or PC offers a safe space, support, and resources to the LGBTQ and ally community, including a new Positive Space Campaign designed by UNBC students.
A bi-monthly University Farmers’ Market is held on campus, a collaborative project between multiple stakeholders within the university including NUGSS, faculty, staff, students, Students for a Green University and the Prince George Public Interest Research Group. This innovative project brought easily accessible local foods onto campus, bringing UNBC populations together (faculty, staff and students) in a social atmosphere.
UNBC Timberwolves
The Timberwolves, UNBC's basketball team, were officially accepted into the Canada West Universities Athletic Association. An announcement, made on UNBC's website on September 20th, 2011, stated: "The Canada West Universities Athletics Association has voted in favour of the University of Northern British Columbia’s most recent application for full membership. A special meeting was called last week to revisit the University of Northern British Columbia’s membership application. The positive outcome of this most recent vote means that UNBC will compete in Canada’s top university athletic association in both basketball and soccer. UNBC will begin play in men's and women's soccer and basketball in September 2012".Student media
- Over The Edge, a weekly student newspaper. Established in 1994.
- CFUR, the campus radio station.
- Watt, a music and entertainment magazine produced by CFUR.
Notable alumni
- James MooreJames Moore (Canadian politician)James Moore, PC, MP is the Canadian Member of Parliament for Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam. He is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada...
(Member of Parliament and Conservative Cabinet Member)
See also
- List of universities in British Columbia
- Higher education in British ColumbiaHigher education in British ColumbiaHigher 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 CanadaEducation in CanadaEducation 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...