Bishop's University

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Bishop's University
Image:Bishops university logo.gif
Motto: Recti cultus pectora roborant  (Latin)
Sound learning strengthens the spirit.
Established: 1843[1]
Type: Public
Religious affiliation: non-denominational
Chancellor: Scott Griffin
President: Robert Gordon
Principal: Jonathan Rittenhouse
Undergraduates: 1,817 [2]
Location: Sherbrooke (Lennoxville), Quebec, Canada
Campus: Rural: 550 acres [1]
Colours: Purple and Grey          
Nickname: Bishop's Gaiters
Affiliations: AUCC, IAU, QSSF
Website: http://www.ubishops.ca

Bishop's University is an English-language liberal arts university located in the borough of Lennoxville, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Primarily undergraduate, it also offers graduate courses and M.A. and M.Ed. degrees in education and M.Sc in Computer Science and Physics.

Contents

[edit] History

Bishop's University, established as Bishop's College in Lennoxville, near Sherbrooke, Que in 1843 has a strong Anglican religious affiliation. [3] Bishop's is one of the oldest universities in Canada. The fact that it is a small university is one of its trademarks. The school was originally founded in 1843 by the third Anglican bishop of Quebec George Jehoshaphat Mountain as a liberal arts college. [4]In 1845, instruction began and in 1854, the first degrees were granted. [5] An act of the Quebec Legislative Assembly ratified its foundation. In 1853 it was established as a university by royal charter baring the name University of Bishop's College. It was affiliated to Oxford and Cambridge universities. Its charter empowered the University to grant degrees in theology, law, medicine, and fine arts. The Church of England controlled the university until 1947. [6]

Since 1947, a corporation made up of Anglican bishops from the dioceses of Quebec and appointed trustees have been responsible for its business affairs. A senate have dealt with academic matters. [7]

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 (faculty), responsible for academic policy, and a board of governors (citizens) 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 2 bodies and to perform institutional leadership. [8]

In the early part of this century, professional education expanded beyond the traditional fields of theology, law and medicine. While graduate training based on the German-inspired American model of specialized course work and the completion of a research thesis was introduced, [9] Bishop`s University remains one of Canada's few primarily undergraduate universities.

Bishop's University remained under the Anglican church's direction until 1947 when the university became a non-denominational institution.

The policy of university education initiated in the 1960s responded to population pressure and the belief that higher education was a key to social justice and economic productivity for individuals and for society. [10]

Bishop's carries a strong academic history which includes fifteen Rhodes Scholars.[citation needed]

[edit] Academic programs

In addition to its arts and sciences programs, Bishop's business school is known as The Williams School of Business, which is its second largest faculty at the school, next to Humanities. In addition to business, Bishop's also offers educational degrees under its own School of Education.

Bishop's offers several programs from five different divisions:

All of these divisions focus on providing a well-rounded education for all students. They enjoy an average class size (as of Fall 2004) of 36 people for first-year courses and 12 people for upper-year courses. 32% of the courses offered at Bishop's have 10 or fewer people in them, providing students with a feeling that they can have their voice heard among their classmates.

In 2004, Bishop’s joined the Universite de Sherbrooke in creating SIXtron, a joint spin-off of technology based in Montreal which is focused on developing highly scalable and cost-effective, amorphous silicon carbide (SiC)-based thin film coatings for the solar industry.[11] In the fall of 2007 the university announced a strategic research plan which will position “Research and Creativity” as a central issue in the University’s development, making Bishop's unique among Canadian undergraduate institutions.[12]

As of 2007, Bishop’s has 1817 full-time students. The student body represents every Canadian province and territory along with 18 U.S. States and over 50 countries.[2]

[edit] Campus

McGreer Hall (1846) of Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada.
McGreer Hall (1846) of Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada.

The Bishop's campus is located on 500 acres (2.0 km²) of land at the junction of the St. Francis and Massawippi rivers. It is located in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec. The campus is significantly influenced from the Gothic Revival period, and is home to some of Quebec's most historic buildings, including St. Mark's chapel. The construction on campus began with "Old Arts" in 1846 and continues today with the University's most recent building, Paterson Hall, in 2003. The students are known for their strong affinity towards their school especially during sports games[citation needed]. The local meeting spot is the nearby Golden Lion Pub. In 2005, the CBC's Rick Mercer Report, named the “Lion” the best student pub in Canada.[13]

[edit] 'Unofficial' school song

At both home and away athletic competitions, BU students can be heard singing their school song. Bishop’s official school song, “Alma Mater,” was written in 1937 and continues to be a favorite. In 1964, however, the lyrics “Drink a toast to Bishop’s University” were written by John Piper, Douglas Tees, Ace Henderson and John Martland as part of the musical comedy, “The Grate Escape,” performed by the Bishop’s choir. The tune stuck and has become the beloved unofficial song. Today it is the most well known school song in the country and a wonderful piece of BU tradition.[14]

“ Raise a toast to Bishop's University

On the mighty Massiwippi shore!
We're conditioned to our fate,
We will never graduate,
We will stay here forever more!

College days will linger ever in our hearts,
Wearing gowns, raising hell and quaffing ale!
And we'll show esprit de corps
As we watch the Gaiters roar
On to victory!

So raise your beer mugs,
And your little brown jugs
To Bishop's University!

 ”

[edit] Principals of Bishop's University

  • The Rev. Jasper H. Nicolls, 1845
  • The Rev. J.A. Lobley, 1878
  • The Rev. Thomas Adams, 1885
  • The Rev. J.P. Whitney, 1900
  • The Rev. T.B. Waitt, 1905
  • The Rev. H. de B. Gibbins, 1906
  • The Rev. R.A. Parrock, 1907
  • The Rev. Canon H.H. Bedford-Jones, 1920
  • The Rev. Arthur Huffman McGreer, 1922
  • A.R. Jewitt, 1948
  • C.L.O. Glass, 1959
  • A.W. Preston, 1969
  • D.M. Healy, 1970
  • C.I.H. Nicholl, 1976
  • H.M. Scott, 1986
  • Janyne M. Hodder, 1995
  • Robert Poupart, 2004
  • Jonathan Rittenhouse (Interim), 2007

[edit] Sports

Bishop's Canadian Interuniversity Sport teams are known as the Bishop's Gaiters. Although their logo and mascot suggest the term "gaiter" stems from the word alligator, the term "gaiter" actually refers to a sock-like article of clothing worn by Anglican bishops up until the beginning of the 20th century.

The Bishop's Gaiters have a long history with the University. Rugby football began in 1888 and Canadian football was a budding varsity sport by the 1930s. From 1962 until 1987 the Bishop's University football sidelines were patrolled by the legendary Bruce Coulter, who went into retirement with the CIAU record for wins, having recorded 137 (137–80–3). In 1991 the football stadium was renamed in his honour. The Bishop's football team competes for two special trophies: The Mayor's Cup, which is awarded annually to the winner of Bishop's University and the Université de Sherbrooke, and the Bigg Bowl, which is awarded to the winner between Bishop's University and St. Francis Xavier University (currently scheduled once every three years).

The hard-court has also brought Bishop's great success. The men's basketball team enjoyed their most successful season in 1998, winning the CIAU National Championship, becoming the smallest school in history to do so. The women's basketball team won back-to-back National Basketball championships in 1983 and 1984. Bishop's currently competes in nine varsity and club sports.

[edit] Noted former students and alumni

In 1906, Reginald Fessenden transmitted the first radio audio broadcast from Brant Rock, Massachusetts.
In 1906, Reginald Fessenden transmitted the first radio audio broadcast from Brant Rock, Massachusetts.
The Rev. Canon Frederick Scott, Senior Chaplain, First Canadian Division, Canadian Expeditionary Force.
The Rev. Canon Frederick Scott, Senior Chaplain, First Canadian Division, Canadian Expeditionary Force.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Bishop's University. BU at a glance. Retrieved on 05-16, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Bishop's University. BU Facts and Figures.. Retrieved on 05-16, 2008.
  3. ^ *http://*www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm? PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008242
  4. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000321
  5. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000321
  6. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000321
  7. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000321
  8. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm? PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008242
  9. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm? PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008242
  10. ^ *http://*www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm? PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008242
  11. ^ http://www.ubishops.ca/research/spin-off.htm
  12. ^ Bishop's University - Research Office - Strategic Research Plan
  13. ^ our_story
  14. ^ Raise a toast!

[edit] Further reading

  • Donald C. Masters, Bishop's University: The First Hundred Years (Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1950)
  • Elizabeth H. Milner, Bishop's Medical Faculty, 1871–1905 (Sherbrooke: Rene Prince, 1985)
  • Christopher Nicholl, Bishop's University, 1843–1970 (Montreal: McGill-Queen's, 1994)
  • Anna M. Grant, editor, A Portrait of Bishop's University: 1843-1993 (Lennoxville: Bishop's University, 1993)

[edit] External links

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