University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university with its main campus located at Point Grey, in the University Endowment Lands, a suburb directly adjoining Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and another smaller campus known as UBC Okanagan located in Kelowna, British Columbia. It also has two smaller campuses in Vancouver: its campus at Vancouver General Hospital for the medical sciences and its UBC Robson Square campus in the downtown area of Vancouver for part-time credit and non-credit programs.

Early history

The information in this section is taken from "The History of the University"

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by former UBC President N.A.M. (Norman) MacKenzie, originally published in "The President's Report", 1957-58, available online at the UBC Archives.

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A provincial university was first called into being by the British Columbia University Act of 1890. The Act constituted a twenty-one member senate with Dr. Israel W. Powell of Victoria as Chancellor.

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Attempts at establishing a degree-granting university with assistance from the Universities of Toronto and McGill saw varying degrees of success. The McGill University College of British Columbia was set up as a private institution granting McGill University degrees until 1915.

Related Topics:
Toronto - McGill

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In the meantime appeals were again made to the government to revive the earlier legislation for a provincial institution, leading to the University Endowment Act in 1907, and The University Act in 1908. In 1910 the Point Grey site was chosen, and the government appointed Dr. Frank Fairchild Wesbrook as President in 1913. The outbreak of war in August, 1914 compelled the University to postpone plans for building at Point Grey, and instead the former McGill College site at Fairview became home to the University until 1925. The first day of lectures was September 30, 1915.

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World War I dominated campus life, and the student body was "decimated" by enlistments for active service, with three hundred UBC students in Company "D" alone. By the end of the war, 697 members of the University had enlisted. A total of 109 students graduated in the three war-time congregations, all but one in the Faculties of Arts and Science.

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In 1922 the now twelve-hundred-strong student body embarked on a "Build the University" campaign. 56,000 signatures were presented at legislature in support, and on September 22, 1925, lectures began on the new Point Grey campus.

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Except for the Library and Natural Science buildings, all the campus buildings were temporary constructions. Two playing fields were built by the students themselves, but the University had no dormitories and no social centre. Still, the University continued to grow by leaps and bounds.

Related Topics:
Library - Natural Science

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Soon, however, the effects of the depression began to be felt. In 1932-33 salaries were cut by up to 23%. Posts remained vacant, and many faculty lost their jobs. Most graduate courses were dropped. Just as things began to improve, World War II broke out.

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Canada declared war on September 10, 1939. Soon afterwards, University President Klinck wrote:

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::From the day of the declaration of war, the University has been prepared to put at the disposal of the Government all possible assistance by way of laboratories, equipment and trained personnel, in so far as such action is consistent with the maintenance of reasonably efficient instructional standards. To do less would be unthinkable.

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Military training on the campus became popular, and WWII marked the first provision of money from the federal government to the University. By the end of the war, it became clear that the facilities at Point Grey had become totally inadequate. The University needed new staff, new courses, new faculties, and new buildings for teaching and accommodation. The student population rose from 2,974 in 1944-45 to 9,374 in 1947-48.

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Surplus Army and Air Force camps were used for both classrooms and accommodation. Fifteen complete camps were taken over by the University in the course of the 1945-46 session alone, with a sixteenth camp, situated on Little Mountain in Vancouver, converted into suites for married students.

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Student numbers hit 9,374 in 1948; more than 53% of the students were war veterans in 1947-67. Between 1947 and 1951 twenty new permanent buildings were erected.

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