Université Laval

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Université Laval
Motto:	Deo favente haud pluribus impar (By the grace of God, to no one equal)
Established:	1663
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
Website:	ulaval.ca

Université Laval (Laval University) 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, Laval is one of the few places to get actuarial instruction in French in North America.

Contents 1 History 2 Buildings and Features 3 Programs 4 Faculties 5 Sports 6 Notable alumni 7 See also 8 Notes 9 External links

[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 in 8 Dec 1852 by Queen Victoria, creating Université Laval with 'the rights and privileges of a university'. ^[3]

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. ^[4]

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.

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. ^[5]

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. ^[6]

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. ^[7]

[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 has over 350 programmes, and 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 Québec, Canada.

[edit] Faculties

• Urban planning, Architecture, and Visual arts
• Law
• Postgraduate Studies
• Forestry and Geomatics
• Literature
• Medicine
• Dentistry
• Music
• Pharmacy
• Philosophy
• Administrative Sciences
• Agriculture and Food sciences
• Education
• Science and Engineering
• Nursing
• Social Science
• Theology and Religious Studies

[edit] Sports

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

[edit] See also

• List of universities in Quebec
• List of universities in Canada
• Group of Thirteen (Canadian universities)
• List of oldest universities by region
• Quebec City
• CHYZ campus radio station

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Université Laval. "Université Laval at a Glance". (accessed 17 April 2007)
2. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm? PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008242
3. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0001990
4. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0001990
5. ^ *http://*www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm? PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008242
6. ^ *http://*www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm? PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008242
7. ^ *http://*www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm? PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008242

[edit] External links

• Université Laval
• Bibliothèque de l'Université Laval
• Faculty of Forestry and Geomatics Website
•   "Laval University of Quebec". Catholic Encyclopedia. (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company. 

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Coordinates: 46°46′48″N, 71°16′29″W