Cape Breton University

Cape Breton University (CBU), formerly the "University College of Cape Breton" (UCCB), is a Canadian university in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Located near Sydney, Cape Breton University (CBU) is the only post-secondary degree-granting institution on Cape Breton Island, its namesake.

Cape Breton University serves more than 3,400 full-time and part-time students who hail from local, regional and national locations. CBU is also the academic home of several hundred international students representing more than 40 countries.

The university is enabled by the Cape Breton University Act passed by the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.^[2] It was enabled by the University College of Cape Breton Act (amended) ^[3] The University College of Cape Breton's Coat of Arms were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on May 27, 1995. ^[4]

History

CBU traces its roots to 1951 when the St. Francis Xavier University Sydney Campus was opened as a satellite campus of St. Francis Xavier University. Also referred to informally as "St. Francis Xavier Junior College" or "Xavier Junior College" (XJC) and colloquially as "Little X", the St. Francis Xavier University Sydney Campus was situated in Sydney's central business district and saw several buildings opened as a result of growth during its first decade of operation.

While working as librarian at Xavier Junior College, Mother St. Margaret of Scotland (Sister Margaret Beaton) recognized that documents of historical significance to Cape Breton Island were being lost. In 1957 Sister Beaton responded to this challenge and established Cape Bretoniana. Today, the Beaton Institute is the second largest public archive in Nova Scotia and operates as a regional archive for Cape Breton Island.

The Nova Scotia Eastern Institute of Technology (NSEIT) opened in 1968 on Grand Lake Road (Trunk 4) several kilometres east of the Sydney city limits. This institution focused on business technology and trades and its development was largely enabled by federal and provincial funding at a time when the coal and steel industries in Industrial Cape Breton were facing serious financial challenges.

In the early 1970s, the provincial and federal governments, as well as the local community, recognized the need for developing an institution of higher learning in the economically challenged Industrial Cape Breton region. With assistance from the Cape Breton Development Corporation, St. Francis Xavier University Sydney Campus and NSEIT were merged into the College of Cape Breton (CCB) in June 1974.

In 1980, the former NSEIT campus on Grand Lake Road was expanded as the institution consolidated at this location. The Government of Nova Scotia granted CCB a charter for granting university degrees in 1982 which saw the institution rename itself as the University College of Cape Breton (UCCB). UCCB united diverse education streams such as the liberal arts and sciences with technological and vocational diploma programs.^[5]

Renaming

In 2004, UCCB undertook several studies on how to better position the institution locally, regionally and nationally. One recommendation arising out of these studies was to rename the institution to remove the reference to "college", in recognition of its transformation over the past two decades into primarily a university level institution. This process led to UCCB transferring its trades and technology programs to the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) which operated its "Marconi Campus" (the former NSEIT) which is co-located on the Grand Lake Road campus.

On September 23, 2004 the university's board of governors voted unanimously to rename the institution Breton University, however the proposed name received opposition from a number of groups in the institution and local community over the removal of the word "Cape" from the proposed new name, thus the name Cape Breton University was adopted instead. The name change became official through the University College of Cape Breton Act (amended) which received Royal Assent on May 19, 2005.

Buildings and structures

A major expansion was undertaken for the 1987 Canada Winter Games which saw extensive sports facilities built at the campus. During the 1990s, several campus expansions saw residences, a "Student, Culture, and Heritage Centre", and various academic and research facilities constructed. Student enrollment over the same period also roughly doubled in numbers.

CBU has been in a physical expansion mode for some time with the University with major campus additions initiated in 2009.

As a collaborative player, CBU became a lead partner in the establishment of the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex. The $10 million project is a newly opened state-of-the-art health and recreation community facility situated on the CBU campus. It provides CBU students and the community with access to a superior track and field operation and year round indoor soccer facilities as well as an outstanding fitness centre that offers the best in conditioning equipment and a host of wellness and exercise classes. The complex is an important resource for active and healthy lifestyles, and solidifies CBU’s position as a recreational hub for the community.

Cape Breton University is growing in terms or residence and enhanced food services through the construction of a new student residence and dining hall, opening in September 2010. This new building is a significant addition to CBU’s rapidly expanding campus, meeting the needs of a growing domestic and international student population.

The establishment of the Centre for Sustainability in Energy & Environment (CSEE) is a major part of CBU’s commitment to growth in research, specifically in efforts to balance needs for new sources of energy and increasing environmental sustainability. With public and private investment, construction on the CSEE began in 2010 and when completed in 2011 will provide the university the opportunity to conduct world-class research in pure and social sciences in a facility designed to seek innovative and sustainable solutions to energy and environmental issues. Through the combination of interdisciplinary and collaborative research, innovative technological and commercial solutions, and shared education and transfer of knowledge, CBU faculty, students and staff will be welcoming researchers from around the world to this fine campus facility.

See also

• Higher education in Nova Scotia
• List of universities in Nova Scotia
• Canadian Interuniversity Sport
• Canadian government scientific research organizations
• Canadian university scientific research organizations
• Caper Radio

References

All facts, unless otherwise stated, are from Cape Breton University's web site

1. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0010058 The Canadian Encyclopedia University College
2. ^ www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/legc/statutes/capebunv.htm Cape Breton University Act
3. ^ http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/legc/bills/59th_1st/3rd_read/b160.htm University College of Cape Breton Act
4. ^ http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=573 Arms and Badge
5. ^ University College

External links

• Cape Breton University