Brescia University College

This article is about the women's college in Ontario. For the university in Kentucky, see Brescia University. For the university in Italy, see University of Brescia.

Coordinates: 43°0′18.61″N 81°16′36.54″W / 43.0051694°N 81.2768167°W

Brescia University College
Former names
 Ursuline College
(1919-1963)
Brescia College
(1963-2001)
Motto Choose to Lead
Established 1919
Type Affiliated college of The University of Western Ontario, Public university
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Principal Dr. Colleen Hanycz
Academic staff
 46
Undergraduates 922 full time + 135 part time
Postgraduates 12
Location London, Ontario, Canada
Campus Urban
Colours Blue and Gold          
Mascot Bee (Queen Bee)
Affiliations AUCC, IAU, COU, ACU, WCC
Website http://www.brescia.uwo.ca

Brescia University College is a Catholic liberal arts college for women located in London, Ontario, Canada. Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario, Brescia is the only university-level women's college in Canada. It has approximately 1,100 undergraduate students.

Mission statement

According to its mission statement, Brescia University College:

History

Brescia University College is the only university-level women's college in Canada. Brescia was founded in 1919 as Ursuline College by the Ursulines. It was originally located at 556 Wellington Street London, Ontario. It was founded as a Roman Catholic affiliate of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario.[1] From the beginning, the graduates have always received University of Western Ontario degrees.[2] The Ursuline Sisters named the Roman Catholic college after the Italian city of Brescia where their religious institute was founded. The first class was of seven young women.[2] Construction at the present location (1285 Western Road London, Ontario) began in 1923. Brescia Hall was the first building and was built by contractor Joseph Michael Piggot. Brescia Hall was renamed "Ursuline Hall". Ursuline College was renamed "Brescia College" in 1963, and in 2001[3] renamed "Brescia University College".

Programs

The Honours Bachelors of Science in Foods and Nutrition at Brescia is accredited by Dietitians of Canada. This means people who graduate with this degree are eligible to apply for dietetic internship placements.

The Master of Foods and Nutritional Sciences programme is divided into two streams. The internship stream is for people who have graduated from a programme accredited by Dietitians of Canada. It combines a masters degree and an internship and upon graduating, the person has an MSc and can write the exam needed to become a registered dietitian. The second stream is for people who are already a Registered Dietitian in Canada.

Brescia also offers a Pre-University Year programme. According to the Brescia website, the Preliminary Year is a one-year university preparatory programme taught by university professors on the College campus. This programme is co-educational.[4]

The College also offers and English as a Second Language programme called CultureWorks.[5]

Student life

The Preliminary Year programme and the Masters of Science are co-education; all undergraduate programs are women-only. However, all courses are accessible to UWO students, male or female, including students from Western's two other affiliated university colleges.

Buildings

James Carlisle Pennington designed Brescia Hall (1924–25) for the Ursuline Sisters, near Western Road at Sarnia Road, on the campus of the University of Western Ontario.[6] The Mother St. James memorial building is the main building on campus. It houses classrooms, offices, student services, the business office, the Beryl Ivey Library and computer lab, the Mother St. James Memorial Auditorium, a coffee shop and the Circle Women’s Centre resource centre. The Ursuline hall is the residence for 170 female students. Ursuline Hall also has the cafeteria (Castle Café), some professors' offices, the food laboratories and a few classrooms. In September 2013, Brescia opened its new residence building and dining pavilion, Clare Hall, which houses just over 300 students and features a state of the art eatery.[7]

Advertising Controversy

Early into the 2010/2011 academic year, a new advertising campaign sparked controversy for the University College. The campaign, known as Bresia Bold, was meant to call attention to Bresia's unique position as the only university-level women's college in Canada through edgy, (quasi-)feminist marketing. A sign, displaying a former Brescia student and the message: "Her mind is as sharp as her heels", was the source of said controversy. Amidst claims that it "enforced gender stereotypes", "heteronormativity", and "focus[ed] on appearances rather than substance",[8] the advertisement was removed from Brescia's campus.

Notable alumnae

See also

Books

References

  1. ↑ University of Western Ontario
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brescia University College History
  3. ↑ http://www.brescia.uwo.ca/about/brescia/history/chronology.html
  4. ↑ Preliminary Year
  5. ↑ CultureWorks.
  6. ↑ http://www.dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/architects/view/1385 James Carlisle Pennington
  7. ↑ http://www.brescia.uwo.ca/campus_life/residence/overview.html
  8. ↑ http://www.westerngazette.ca/2010/09/29/brescia-pulls-ad-over-controversy/

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brescia University College.