| St. Francis Xavier University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Quaecumque Sunt Vera |
| Motto in English | Whatsoever things are true - Philippians 4:4-9 |
| Established | 1853 St. Francis Xavier College/Seminary (1855). Subsequent name, St. Francis Xavier University. |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | $ 100 million[1] |
| Chancellor | Brian Joseph Dunn |
| President | Dr. Sean Riley |
| Academic staff | 264 |
| Students | 4500 full time 627 part time |
| Location | Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Campus | Rural |
| Sport Teams | X-Men and X-Women |
| Colours | blue and white |
| Affiliations | AUCC, IAU, CIS, CUSID, AUS, CBIE, CUP. |
| Website | stfx.ca |
St. Francis Xavier University is a post-secondary institution located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The school was founded in 1853, but did not offer degrees until 1868. The university has approximately 5000 students.
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St. Francis Xavier College was founded as a Roman Catholic educational institution at Arichat, Nova Scotia, in 1853.[2] The university was moved from Arichat to its present location in Antigonish in 1855 .[3] On May 7, 1866, St.Francis Xavier College was given university status, becoming St. Francis Xavier University. [4] The University awarded its first degrees in 1868.
In 1883, Mount St. Bernard Academy was founded for female education, with girls from primary grades to grade 12 taught by the Sisters of Notre Dame.
Henry Frederick Busch (architect) designed the College building, 1888. [5]
In 1894, the academy affiliated with St. Francis Xavier University as Mount St. Bernard College. In 1897, the school became the first co-educational Catholic university in North America to grant degrees to women. Four women were awarded University degrees in 1897[6]
In 1985, the number of women students at St. Francis Xavier equalled the number of men for the first time. In 1990, the women's college existed as a residence only.[2]
In the early part of the 20th 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.[7] 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.[7]
A metal plaque in the Chapel at St. Francis Xavier University is a memorial dedicated to the 33 members of St. Francis Xavier University who died during military service. [8]
The St. Francis Xavier tartan was designed as a university tartan in 1994.[9]
Maclean's Magazine has ranked St. Francis Xavier as the top "Primarily Undergraduate" university in Canada for five consecutive years (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006). The university has also ranked first in alumni support for the past six years (2001–2006). [10] In 2007, Maclean's changed the criteria of the "Primarily Undergraduate", resulting in St. Francis Xavier placing third in the category.[11] In early 2009, Maclean's reported that St. Francis Xavier students ranked first in choosing to return to their current institution among other categories.[12]
Between the years 2000 and 2004, more St Francis Xavier students, on a per capita basis, have received Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) awards for post-secondary study than any other university in Canada.[13]
St Francis Xavier University is organized into the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, Gerald Schwartz School of Business and Information Systems, School of Education, and the Coady International Institute. Each faculty has subordinate departments under its administration appropriate to each discipline, for example the Department of Philosophy is part of the Faculty of Arts. Faculties are headed by a Dean elected from among the constituent professors. The current Dean of Arts is Dr. Richard Nemesvari, the Dean of Science is Dr. Robert van den Hoogen, the Dean of Business is Dr. Leo Gallant, and the Dean of Education is Dr. Jeff Orr.[14]
The Xaverian Weekly is the student newspaper, run by the Xaverian Weekly Publications Society, and prints 2,000 copies every Thursday. The newspaper is a member of Canadian University Press. The current editor-in-chief is Jean Ketterling.
Originally called Excelsior, the newspaper began as a monthly journal of literary essays and campus news founded in 1896 by M.A. McAdam and J.W. McIsaac. The editors changed the paper's name to the Xaverian in 1903.
The Xaverian Annual is the student yearbook, founded in 1924 and run by the Yearbook Society. The Yearbook Society prints the publication on a student by student basis every year.
St. Francis Xavier students are represented by the St. Francis Xavier University Students' Union. It is a student-run organization providing services and activities ranging from administering a medical and dental plan to concerts and orientation activities.
The Students' Union Building (Bloomfield Centre) houses the offices of the Students' Union Executive and various societies, the Golden X Inn, the MacKay Room (a large space for events), a cafeteria, Jack's Lounge, the campus post office, and the university bookstore.
Approximately 50% of students (90% of first-year students) at St. Francis Xavier live on-campus in the university's traditional residences or apartment-style housing. Usually, students in first and second years live in traditional residences, where social life is very active, while students in third and fourth year tend to live in apartment-style residences where they have the possibility of cooking for themselves. Apartment-style residences consist typically of four bedroom apartments with 2 full bathrooms and a small kitchen. Students who live in traditional residence are registered in a mandatory meal plan at the central dining facility, Morrison Hall. Alternatively, students may enroll in a block plan that provides a specificied number of meals. St. Francis Xavier has an exclusive contract with Sodexo, giving that company a monopoly on food and conference services at every facility on campus.[15]
Traditional residences at St. Francis Xavier:
Apartment-style housing at St. Francis Xavier:
St. Francis Xavier University is known for its distinctive "X-Ring". It is awarded to students on December 3 (Saint Francis Xavier's feast day) of each year before their graduation. On average, more than 95% of the graduating class opt for the ring.[16]
The X-Ring is presented to students in a ceremony during the afternoon, which only recipients may attend. Traditionally, this ceremony was held in the University Chapel; however, since 2006 it has been hosted in the Charles V. Keating Millennium Centre. There is typically a live video link of the ceremony available for family and friends to watch from across the world or from a large screen set up in the Oland Centre on campus.
In addition to those awarded to students, there is one Honorary X-Ring awarded annually. The X-Ring Eligibility Policy states that this recipient must not already hold an X-Ring, and must demonstrate outstanding contribution to the Xaverian community and be exemplary of the Xaverian motto: "Quaecumque sunt vera" (Whatsoever things are true).[17]
Past honorary X-Ring recipients:
Since Dr. Riley was named president in 1996, St. Francis Xavier has undergone a $200 million campus renewal initiative. The goal of the program is to improve educational and residential opportunities throughout campus. To date, the initiative has seen the completion of eleven large scale projects.
St. Francis Xavier is represented in the Atlantic University Sport conference by 11 varsity athletics teams. The X-Men teams include men's football, basketball, soccer, hockey and cross-country. The X-Women teams include soccer, rugby, hockey, basketball, volleyball and cross-country.
In 1966, the X-Men Football team won the College Bowl (now the Vanier Cup) as top university football team in Canada. The X-Men Basketball program has won 3 CIS Championships (1993, 2000, and 2001) and in 2004, the X-Men Hockey team won their first CIS Championship. In 2011, the X-Women Hockey team placed 2nd at the CIS Championships in Ottawa.
In 2006, the X-Women Rugby team became the first female St. Francis Xavier varsity team to win a CIS Championship, as 10-time defending AUS Rugby Champions. In 2008, the team placed 2nd at the CIS Championships in Lethbridge, Alberta after capturing their 12th consecutive AUS Championship.[21]. In 2010, the X-Women captured gold again in the CIS Championship held at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, after capturing their 14th consecutive AUS Championship. In 2011, they lost to the Guelph Gryphons in the gold medal game, again at Trent University, but did win their 15th consecutive AUS championship.
X Alumnus, Eric Gillis (2003 CIS Cross Country Champion) competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and placed 33rd in the 10 000m race.
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