Université Laval:
| Université Laval |
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| Motto: |
Deo favente haud pluribus impar
(By the grace of God, to no one equal) |
| Established: |
1663 Séminaire de Québec now Université Laval (1852-present) |
| Type: |
Public |
| Endowment: |
$105.3 million |
| Rector: |
Denis Brière |
| Undergraduates: |
28,902 |
| Postgraduates: |
8,689 |
| Location: |
Quebec City, QC, Canada |
| Campus: |
Urban/Suburban |
| Sports teams: |
Rouge-et-Or |
| Colours: |
Red and gold |
| Affiliations: |
AUCC, IAU,AUFC, UArctic, ACU, CIS, QSSF, CBIE |
| Website: |
ulaval.ca |
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Université Laval is the oldest centre of education in Canada, and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French. Its main campus is located in Quebec City, Quebec, the capital of the Province, on the outskirts of the historic city.
According to the university's website, Laval ranked among top ten of Canadian universities in terms of research funding.[1] Classified as a Medical-Doctoral university for its medical school and extensive graduate population.
[edit] History
The origins of the university are the Séminaire de Québec founded in 1663 by Monseigneur François de Laval, the first bishop of New France. Laval University was established by the Séminaire de Québec in 1852. [2] The Séminaire de Québec was granted a Royal Charter on December 8, 1852 by Queen Victoria, creating Université Laval with 'the rights and privileges of a university'. [3]
Bishop Bourget of Montreal suggested interesting the Quebec Seminary in the establishment of Laval University. The Principal, M. Louis Casault, visited Europe to obtain a Royal charter, and studied the best university systems. The charter was signed in 1852. Pope Benedict XV approved the scheme, and authorized the erection of chairs of theology and the conferring of degrees. [4]
In 1878, the university opened a second campus in Montreal, which later became the Université de Montréal on May 8th, 1919 by a writ of Pope Benedict XV. In 1971, a second charter vesting supreme authority in the Laval University council was proclaimed. [3]
While the main campus moved out from Séminaire de Québec since then, the architecture school returned to that heritage building (now affectionately referred to as Le Vieux Séminaire) in 1989.
A view of Laval University east campus
The governance structure at Laval incorporates the powers of board and senate. The governance was modelled 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 2 bodies and to perform institutional leadership. [3] In 1911, the Medical Faculty of Laval University set up courses on public hygiene.
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]
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.
[edit] Book Publishing
Les Presses de l'université Laval, which was founded in 1950, deals with French Canadian civilization, literature, medieval studies, law, social sciences, physical sciences and engineering. [5]
[edit] Buildings and Features
Laval's main campus is considered one of the most striking in Quebec. It covers 1.2 km2 and has over 30 buildings, all linked by 10 km of underground walkways, which are frequently used particularly in the winter, when temperatures drop below the freezing point. Of the campus lands, 56 per cent are wooded areas, grasslands, and sports fields. The campus is home to a plethora of different flora and fauna, including some 67 species of deciduous and coniferous trees and 60 different species of birds.
[edit] Programs
As of 2002, Laval offers over 350 programmes to more than 37,000 students, 20 per cent of whom are studying at the postgraduate level. The university also attracts more than 2,500 foreign students yearly, and has close to 1,000 students from other parts of the country. Many students are also drawn to the university by the Français pour non-francophones programme that offers instruction in French as a second language to students from across Canada and around the world. It is also the only university training forestry engineers in the province of Quebec, Canada. From the mid 80s Laval also offers distance learning, as of now over 30 programmes and over 400 courses are offered by distance learned and from which 80% are accessible from the internet.
[edit] Faculties
Laval University School of Architecture
- Urban planning, Architecture, and Visual arts
- Law
- Postgraduate Studies
- Forestry and Geomatics is part of the AUFSC and has accredited baccalaureate of science programs with specializations in forestry & environmental management; forestry operations (co-op) and forestry engineering.
- Literature
- Medicine
- Dentistry
- Music
- Pharmacy
- Philosophy
- Administrative Sciences
- Agriculture and Food sciences
- Education
- Science and Engineering
- Agroenvironnemental engineering, agricultural engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Geological Engineering, Computer Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Physics, Rural engineering [6]
- Nursing
- Social Science
- Theology and Religious Studies
[edit] Sports
Université Laval Rouge et Or Logo
Athletics take place at the vast PEPS complex. Laval's varsity sports team are named the Rouge-et-Or (Red and Gold). The men's football Laval Rouge-et-Or are the 2006 Canadian champions and have won the past four of eight Vanier Cups.
[edit] Notable Alumni
Numerous public figures, including Prime Ministers of Canada, Premiers of Quebec, Supreme Court Justices, federal Cabinet Ministers, Senators, and Lieutenant-Governors. Some of the more prominent today are:
[edit] Further Reading
- Behiels, Michael. "Le père Georges-Henri Lévesque et l'établissement des sciences sociales à Laval, 1938-1955." Revue de l'Université d'Ottawa 52, no. 3 (juil.-sept. 1982). Appears in English translation in Youth, University, and Canadian Society, edited by Paul Axelrod and John G. Reid. Kingston and Montreal: McGill-Queen's University of Press, 1989.
[edit] See also
Laval University underground
Marie-Victorin laboratory at Laval University
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 46°46′48″N 71°16′29″W / 46.78, -71.27472
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