University of New Brunswick

The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and was the first public university in North America.^[1] The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in Fredericton and a smaller campus which was opened in Saint John in 1964. In addition, there are two small satellite health sciences campuses located in Moncton and Bathurst, New Brunswick. UNB offers over 60 degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels with a total student enrollment of approximately 12,000 between the two principal campuses.

General information

The Old Arts Building, a symbol of UNBF.

History

The University of New Brunswick was founded in 1785 in Fredericton, New Brunswick as the Academy of Arts and Science,^[2] a non-denominational institution modeled on the democratic ideals of the older Scottish universities.^[3] In 1800, the Provincial Academy of Arts and Science became the College of New Brunswick (Anglican).^[2] King's College was established at Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1828 under the control of the Church of England.^[4]

King's College offered the first engineering course taught at a Canadian university in 1854.^[5] In 1858 it was made non-sectarian under the designation of the University of New Brunswick.^[4] In 1859, it became the non-denominational University of New Brunswick (UNB).^[5]

The governance of UNB was modeled 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 two bodies and to provide institutional leadership.^[3] In the early part of this century, professional education expanded beyond the traditional fields of theology, law, and medicine. Graduate training based on the German-inspired American model of specialized course work and the completion of a research thesis was introduced.^[3]

By 1920, the University of New Brunswick had two faculties: Arts, and Applied Science. It awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Master of Arts (MA), and Doctor of Science (DSc). The latter was awarded only in civil engineering, electrical engineering and forestry. It had 156 male students and 21 female students, and only eleven academic staff, all male.^[6]

In the 1960s University policies changed in response to social pressure and the belief that higher education was a key to social justice and economic productivity for individuals and for society. ^[3] In 1964, a second, smaller campus was established in Saint John, New Brunswick.^[5] The growth of the UNBSJ campus is particularly notable, considering it began in 1964 with only 96 students spread throughout various buildings in Saint John's central business district. By the late 1960s, the Saint John Law School was moved to UNBF to become the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law, and in 1968 UNBSJ moved into its new campus at Tucker Park. The Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers (AUNBT) was established in 1954; in 1979 it became the bargaining agent for full-time academic staff. In 1980, the university offered the first Elderhostel program in Canada.

Both campuses have undergone significant expansion over the years and many University buildings have received funding from Lord Beaverbrook and other prominent industrialists and philanthropists. UNB's largest expansion coincided with the Baby boom, and its Fredericton campus tripled in size. In 1973 the New Brunswick Teachers' College (now the Faculty of Education) was absorbed into UNB. In 1989, University of New Brunswick established undergraduate degrees in adult education.

Currently UNBF has approximately 9,000 students while UNBSJ has 3,000, although UNBSJ is growing at a faster rate.

Location

UNB Fredericton is located on the banks of the St. John river. The campus is well-known for its colourful fall foliage, Georgian style red-brick buildings and a very steep hill. UNB Fredericton has shared the "College Hill" with St. Thomas University (STU) since 1964, when the former St. Thomas College moved from Chatham, NB (now Miramichi). They share some infrastructure but remain separate institutions.

The UNB Saint John campus (UNBSJ) is located in Tucker Park in the Millidgeville neighbourhood, several kilometres north of the city's central business district, and offers spectacular views of the Kennebecasis River and Grand Bay. New Brunswick's largest health care facility, Saint John Regional Hospital, is located adjacent to the UNBSJ campus and in 2010 a new medical school, a joint project between Dalhousie University, UNBSJ, and the Regional Hospital, will take in its first class.

Building history

Sir Howard Douglas Hall, which is commonly known as the 'Old Arts' building on the Fredericton campus, is the oldest university building still in use in Canada.

The first astronomical observatory in Canada, the Brydone-Jack observatory lies adjacent to Sir Howard Douglas Hall and was first operational in 1851. The observatory was named after William Brydone-Jack, a professor of mathematics and later president of the university. Due to the work done by Brydone-Jack at this observatory, Fredericton was the first location in Canada that had its longitude accurately determined.

Institute of Biomedical Engineering

The Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBME) on the Fredericton campus is one of the leading research institutes in biomedical engineering in Canada. It was founded in 1965 as the Bio-Engineering Institute, making it one of the oldest research institutes to be solely dedicated to the field of biomedical engineering. The institute is also the region's prosthetic fitting centre where amputees are fitted with state-of-the-art intelligent artificial limbs. The institute also carries out research in the field of myoelectric signal processing, biomedical instrumentation and human motion analysis. The IBME also developed the UNB Test of Prosthetic Function which is used by researchers all over the world. Although the institute does not offer degrees in biomedical engineering, students at UNB usually enroll in one of the other faculties of engineering such as electrical or mechanical and pursue their research in biomedical engineering at the IBME.

Scholarships

UNB gives away four million dollars worth of scholarships each year.^[7] The most prestigious of these are the Blake-Kirkpatrick, Beaverbrook, and President's scholarships. UNB has a scholarship guarantee in which any admitted student with an average of 80% or higher will receive a guaranteed amount of five hundred dollars, or more depending on their marks.^[8]

Athletics

UNB Fredericton is represented in Canadian Interuniversity Sport by the UNB Varsity Reds while UNBSJ is represented by UNBSJ Seawolves. UNBF used to have different names for each individual sport's team; for instance, the men's swim team was the Beavers, and the hockey team was the Red Devils.

A variety of sports teams are organized as "club" teams, supported financially by the Student Union as well as by individual members of the team. These club teams do not use the Varsity Reds name, and continue the tradition of different nicknames for each sport. Sports at the club level include rugby, field hockey "Redsticks" baseball, cheer leading, and the Woodsmen (among others). The UNB men's rugby team is known as the Ironmen, and boast numerous New Brunswick and Maritime championships at the 'A' and 'B' levels of competition. UNB has recently decided to only invest in eight of varsity teams and move the others to competitive sport club status within the Campus Recreation program. This reorganization will take effect in the 2008-09 academic year. This will mean that some current national athletes will no longer be able to compete for UNB.

The UNB wrestling team is known as the Black Bears, and has produced several CIAU/CIS medals, as well as a record 15 consecutive AUAA titles from 1987-2002.

St. Thomas and UNBF have a fierce rivalry in men's ice hockey and a growing one in women's ice hockey. These "Battle of the Hill" games are among the most attended. UNBF has won two University Cups (Canadian Interuniversity Sport hockey championships), one in 1998 and one in 2007.

In 2005, the UNB Cricket Club organized the initial UNB Cricket Cup, which took place in October. Featuring teams from several Residences on campus, it is believed that it is the first of its kind to take place at UNB. The tournament was won by Harrison House who chased a target of over 150 to beat McLeod by a margin of 1 wicket. All games, of innings comprising 10 overs, took place at Queen's Square Ball Field in Fredericton. The trophy is proudly displayed in the Harrison lounge. In 2007, UNBCC grew to almost 40 members making it arguably the biggest cricket club in the Atlantic Provinces.

Songs

Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement and convocation, and athletic games are: Carmina Universitatis Novi Brunsvici; 'Alma Mater' (1904); and 'UNB Anthem' with words by A.G. Bailey and music by D.V. Start.^[9]

Residence Traditions

Aitken House Club Med

Aitken House Crest

Aitken house's Club Med is one of the better known UNB residence traditions. It is a beach party held during the first week in November. It consists of every single resident within the house forming a production line, where 20 - 25 Tonnes of sand is brought into the house basement. The sand is left to dry for several days, and decorations are put into place. Then a Massive beach party takes place, where in previous years anywhere from 150 to 300 people have shown up to party in this 53 room residence.

Neville/Jones House Bed Push

The annual Neville/Jones House Bed Push is a marathon event used to raise money for Women in Transition House, Inc. (WITH), a local shelter for abused women and children. After a door-to-door fundraising campaign, the Norsemen of Neville and Gentlement of Jones travel to Saint John, NB where they construct a bed on wheels and set off on provincial highways to push the bed 100 km to Fredericton, overnight - a 12 hour running journey. Since its inception, the Bed Push has grown to become the largest student-run fundraiser at UNB, having donated almost $200,000 to the transition house, including a student fundraising record of $31,200 in 2007.

Harrison House Pumpkin Sacrifice

The Great Pumpkin Sacrifice is a unique tradition that has been in existence since 1973 at Harrison House, a now co-ed dormitory located at the centre of the campus. As part of the ceremony, a large pumpkin is carried around campus, lit and then thrown off the residence roof in a fiery explosion. The pumpkin itself is carved with a unique three-eyed face that is simultaneously frowning and smiling on the onlooker. The sacrifice is made in the hopes for a good academic harvest.

The tradition began on Halloween 1973, when a small group of students threw pumpkins off the roof of the residence.

Bridges Polar Dip

The Bridges Polar Dip is an annual fund raising event typically held in late February in which residents of Bridges House gather pledges with the promise that they will jump into a pool of ice cold water outside in the middle of winter. Since 2005, the polar dip has been raising money for the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, NS. As there are many people that perform this dip, in recent years the entertainment value of this event has been elevated by the individuals dressing up in various costumes ranging from super heroes such as Batman and Captain Planet, Greek togas and full scuba gear

Milestones

• The Faculty of Computer Science (FCS), UNBF, was the first computer science faculty in Canada.

• UNB offered Canada's first university-level engineering program, established in 1855 and the first engineers graduating in 1857.

• The University was the only institution to grant President John F. Kennedy an Honorary Doctorate in his lifetime.

• UNB owns 7,700 acres of real property in several sites, including an extensive wood lot adjacent to the Maritime Forestry Complex,formerly used for forestry education and research.

• Until 1968, the university had the power to expropriate land "it may deem necessary for the purpose of the University" without approval from the government.

• UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada, established in 1785.

Notable students and alumni

• Alfred Bailey - educator, poet, anthropologist, ethno-historian
• Sandra Barr - UNB's female athlete of the year in 1968, president of the Geological Association of Canada
• Elizabeth Winifred Brewster - poet and academic
• Bliss Carman - 19th-century Canadian poet
• Richard Currie - businessman, Chancellor of UNB
• Fredrik Stefan Eaton - department store executive
• J. Bruce Elliot - former CEO of Labatt Breweries and present CEO of Second Cup
• David Ganong - President of Ganong Brothers Limited
• William Francis Ganong - botanist, historian, cartographer
• Ed Kavanagh - writer, musician, and teacher
• Gérard La Forest - former Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Walter Learning - noted theatre director and founder of Theatre New Brunswick
• Allison McCain - Chair of the Board of McCain Foods Limited
• Frank McKenna - lawyer, politician, diplomat, banker
• Gerald Merrithew - educator, politician
• Anne Murray - Grammy-winning singer
• Tony Proudfoot - all star CFL (Montreal Alouettes and B.C. Lions) player
• Sir Charles G.D. Roberts - 19th-century Canadian poet
• A. Edison Stairs - businessman, politician|
• Andy Scott - Former politician
• Edward Ludlow Wetmore, jurist, politician
• Mary Matilda Winslow - The University's first black female graduate
• Sam Hinds - The Prime Minister of Guyana

Media

Radio

• FM 107.3 CFMH-FM (Saint John)
• FM 97.9 CHSR-FM (Fredericton)

Newspapers

• The Baron (Saint John campus)
• The Brunswickan (Fredericton campus)
• The Pillar (Engineering Newspaper) (Fredericton Campus)

Faculties

UNB Fredericton

• • Arts
    • Anthropology
    • Classics and Ancient History
    • Culture and Language Studies
    • Economics
    • English
    • French
    • Fine Arts
    • History
    • Philosophy
    • Political Science
    • Psychology
    • Sociology
  • Business Administration
  • Computer Science
  • Education
  • Engineering Students can choose to specialize in the following disciplines: Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Forestry Engineering, Geological Engineering, Geomatics Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. ^[10]
    • Chemical Engineering
    • Civil and Geological Engineering
    • Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineering
    • Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering
    • Mechanical Engineering
  • Forestry and Environmental Management is part of the AUFSC and has accredited baccalaureate of science programs with specializations in Forest Ecosystem Management Program and Forest Engineering.[1]
  • Kinesiology
  • Law
  • Nursing
  • Science
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Geology
    • Mathematics and Statistics
    • Physics
  • Renaissance College
  • College of Extended Learning

UNB Saint John

• • Arts
    • Department of History and Politics
    • Department of Humanities and Languages
    • Department of Psychology
    • Department of Social Sciences
  • Business
  • Science, Applied Science and Engineering
    • Biology
    • Department of Computer Science and Applied Statistics
    • Engineering
    • Health Sciences
    • Mathematics
    • Nursing
    • Physical Sciences

UNB Moncton

• • Nursing

See also

• List of oldest universities in continuous operation

Further Reading

• Bailey, Alfred G., ed. 'The University of New Brunswick: Memorial Volume'. Fredericton: University of New Brunswick, 1950.
• McGahan, Peter. 'The Quiet Campus: A History of the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, 1959-1969.' Fredericton: New Ireland Press, 1998.
• Montague, Susan. 'A Pictorial History of the University of New Brunswick'. Fredericton: University of New Brunswick, 1992.

References