| Trinity Western University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Turris Fortis Deus Noster (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God) |
| Established | 1962 Trinity Junior College (1962-1972), Trinity Western College (1972-1985), Trinity Western University (1986-present) |
| Type | Private |
| Religious affiliation | Christian |
| Endowment | $7.7 million[1] |
| President | Jonathan S. Raymond |
| Provost | Bob Wood (interim) |
| Students | 4000[2] |
| Undergraduates | 2700[2] |
| Postgraduates | 603 (2005-2006) |
| Location | Langley, British Columbia, Canada |
| Campus | 157-acre (64 ha) Suburban Rural |
| Sport Teams | Trinity Western Spartans |
| Colours | gold & blue |
| Nickname | Spartans |
| Mascot | Sparty the Spartan |
| Affiliations | ATS, AUCC, CWUAA, CIS, CUP, CHEC, CCCU, RSC, BCEQA[3]. |
| Website | www.twu.ca |
Trinity Western University (TWU) is a private, Christian liberal arts university located in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. The school was founded in 1962 as Trinity Junior College, and now enrolls approximately 4000[2] students and sits on a 157-acre (64 ha) campus.[4] TWU is Canada's largest privately funded Christian university. The school has a broad-based liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies core curriculum. TWU offers 42 undergraduate majors and 17 graduate and post-graduate programs.[2]
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The Evangelical Free Churches of America established a committee in 1957 to consider the feasibility of a liberal arts college on the Pacific coast. Trinity Junior College was formed as an arts institution associated with Evangelical Free Churches of America soon after, and enrolled its first freshman class in the fall of 1962. In 1972 TW Junior College became TW College and in 1980 it awarded its first baccalaureate degrees. It was granted its present status as a privately funded Christian university in 1985 and became known as Trinity Western University.[5]
Trinity Western University's motto is "A Mighty Fortress is our God" and its colours are gold and blue.[6]
The main TWU campus consists of 157 acres (0.64 km2) on the outskirts of historic Fort Langley. Nearby is the Langley City, and the Trans-Canada Highway. The university has a significant presence in the area. The Langley campus contains several residential dormitories, in which many TWU students live. These dormitories include Douglas Hall, Fraser Hall, Northwest, Robson Hall, and McMillan Hall.
Trinity Western University is governed by a Board of Governors and the president who manage the institution as a whole and provide a vision for the future. The current president of TWU is Dr. Jonathan Raymond.
The Trinity Western University Student Association represents the student body of the university. The student council comprises a total of 15 representatives and 8 appointed members.[7] These 23 people are divided into five different departments which fall under a sixth, the Executive. The Executive branch of student council comprises seven members. These include the President, the Vice President, the Vice President of Finance, the Vice President of Student Relations, the Vice President of Academic Relations, an Executive Director of Events, and the Executive Director of Internal Relations.
The Representative Assembly consists of the following: Senior Class Representative, Junior Class Representative, Sophomore Class Representative, Freshman Class Representative, Natural and Applied Technical Sciences Representative, Humanities and Social Sciences Representative, Professional Studies and Performing Arts Representative, School of Nursing Representative, School of Education Representative, School of Human Kinetics Representative, and School of Business Representative.
The appointed members, in addition to the Executive Director of Events and the Executive Director of Internal Relations, are the Associate Director of Operations, two Events Assistants, an Associate Director of Communications, and a Administrative Assistant.
The other departments that make up council are as follows: Communications Department, Events Department, Media and Finance Department, Faculty Reps Department, Class Reps Department, and the Executive.
There is also a five-member Senate that deals with inner-Council issues and appeals. Complete job descriptions and Student Council structure can be found in the bylaws[8] and policy manual.[9]
The University offers undergraduate majors in 42 programs and 56 programs (including minors, concentrations, and certificates), with over 1200 courses from which to choose.[10] The academic structure of the university is as follows:
In addition to the education on the school's main campuses, TWU’s travel studies and exchange programs enable students to study at partner institutions or universities worldwide.
The School of Graduate Studies offers 17 programs of study ranging from Interdisciplinary Humanities, to Business Administration, to Nursing, to Korean Studies, to Theology, and awards the following degrees: MA, MBA, MSN, MC, MSt, MTh, MTS, MDiv, DMin. Within these faculties and schools the University awards the following degrees: BA, BFA, BSc, BBA, BEd, BHK, BScN. Honours programs are also available in a number of majors.
Trinity Western University is a privately funded public Christian university. The TWU focus is on total student development and education. TWU is a member of the AUCC, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and is recognized by the United States Department of Education.The university's seminary was accredited by Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada in 1997.[11]
Trinity Western’s students[2] hail from all 10 Canadian provinces, 37 U.S. states, and 33 foreign countries: 61% Canadian,[2] 28% USA,[2] and 11% international.[2] The University employs a faculty of over 300 instructors and professors,[2] enabling a student/faculty ratio of 11 to 1, and an average class size of 16. Over 85% of the University's professors have doctorates.[12]
TWU offers a liberal arts and sciences curriculum undergraduate and graduate programs within 5 faculties: arts and religious studies, business and economics, natural and applied sciences, social sciences and education. It also offers extensive seminary training whereby students can receive graduate theology degrees. Other programs include Trinity Western Educational Services and Training (TWest-Continuing Studies), cooperative education and aviation studies. Research institutes and centres include the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute, Gender Studies Institute, Religion in Canada Institute, Septuagint Institute, Centre for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Centre for Spiritual Formation in Higher Education, and Religion, Culture and Conflict Research Group.[13]
Trinity’s international programs offer students the ability to study all over the world during the summer: studying Kinesiology while attending the 2012 Olympics in London, Coral Reef Biology in Hawaii, Johannine literature in Turkey, or Cross-cultural communications in Guatemala, among others.
Additionally, the University offers 15 semester programs which take place during the Fall and Spring terms. Trinity’s research and exchange partnership with the University of Oxford enables students to study as a visiting student at Oxford for either a semester or year.
The Norma Marion Alloway Library is the main library for undergraduate students, holding a circulation of over 300,000 books, 12,000 periodical subscriptions, and computer access to thousands more titles. The University Archives house several special collections: the Mel Smith Archives, the Robert N. Thompson Archives, and the Lyle Wicks Papers, which chronicle Canada’s political history through the works and personal documents of these three political figures. The library also has a Korean collection.
The graduate school and seminaries each maintain their own individual libraries.
OMADA Teambuilding is a leadership and team building program housed in the School of Human Kinetics at Trinity Western University. The program uses experiential education and hands on learning for both students of the university and outside organizations.
The program started in 1998 as the TWU Challenge course and in 2009 The TWU Challenge Course changed names to OMADA Teambuilding to better represent the diversity of programs that were being offered at that time.[14]
Trinity’s Laurentian Leadership Centre certificate program offers the rare opportunity for third and fourth year TWU students to experience a fully credited semester of study as well as a prestigious Parliamentary, business, communications or NGO internship in Canada's national capital Ottawa. Although the program is open to students of any major, it is primarily designed for those who plan a career in political science, business, communications, history or international studies, all of which are majors at TWU. It also welcomes visiting students from other educational institutions.
Students live in a restored heritage mansion, the Booth House, just minutes from Parliament Hill, taking classes in Canadian Governmental Leadership, Ethics & Public Affairs, and Law, whilst participating in an internship in business, communications, government or non-governmental sectors.
Located just across the US border, classes at TWU Bellingham are taught by TWU professors and count toward a degree.
Recently announced by President Jonathan Raymond in his 2008 State of the University Address was the grant of a rent-free 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) space to be used toward university education in Richmond.[15]
Trinity's students are represented by the Trinity Western University Students Association.
The university is represented in the CIS league, the top university athletics league in Canada, by the Trinity Western Spartans.
Other teams, not part of the CIS, also compete for Trinity Western University including the TWU Titans hockey team, who compete in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League, and the Trinity Western University Bombers hockey team. TWU Titans, Soccer Male and Female team.
Members of TWU’s chamber choirs are often invited to guest perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, performances which have been broadcast on a number of occasions on CBC Radio; as well, TWU's choirs have performed frequently with the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, and at venues including Carnegie Hall in New York City and frequent performances at the Orpheum, Vancouver, and the Chan Shun Concert Hall. TWU's Director of Choral Activities is Wes Janzen, D.M.A., a recognized choral expert at the international level and an adjudicator at numerous Choral Olympics events, now known as the World Choir Games.
The official student newspaper, "Mars' Hill", is a member of Canadian University Press (CUP) and the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP). In 2006 it was a finalist for the ACP's National Pacemaker Awards for best non-daily newspaper, and won the Pacemaker in 2008[16] and 2010.
From time to time TWU has garnered publicity due to the University's policy known as the "Responsibilities of Membership." As a private university, Trinity has made the decision to enact certain “responsibilities" which the University believes accompanies an atmosphere more conducive to learning and community. Beginning in the 2009-10 school year, TWU introduced a "Community Covenant" to replace the "Responsibilities of Membership."
Notably more restrictive than standards imposed by Canadian law and public universities, members of the TWU community agree not to be involved in:[17]
In 1995, TWU launched a teaching certification program, but the British Columbia College of Teachers denied accreditation of TWU's program, arguing that the agreement students must sign is discriminatory and that those graduating from Trinity Western's program will discriminate against gay students. The lower courts in British Columbia and, later, the Supreme Court of Canada, ruled in favour of Trinity Western University, stating that there was no basis for the BCCT's decision, and, moreover, that "the concern that graduates of TWU will act in a detrimental fashion in the classroom is not supported by any evidence."
The final analysis of the case, as reported by the Factum of the Intervener, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, was that "In the circumstances of this case the Council of the B.C. College of Teachers failed to conduct such an enquiry and erroneously concluded that equality of rights on the basis of sexual orientation trump freedom of religion and association. They do not."
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