August 17, 2004 for immediate release


Today, the University of Northern British Columbia has celebratedthe tenth anniversary of its opening by hosting a Special Convocationceremony at the Prince George campus. Exactly ten years ago, QueenElizabeth II visited Prince George to open the University and tenhonorary degrees have been presented to commemorate the anniversary.

"Thehonorary degrees we've presented recognize the community, academic, andpolitical leaders whose vision led to the creation of Canada's firstnew university in a generation," says UNBC President Charles Jago. "Inhis opening remarks ten years ago, Founding President Geoffrey Wellerpredicted that northerners 'will long remember that something happenedin Prince George' that day. Our celebration today is proof."

A Brief History
The UNBC story began in January 1987, when a group of business andcommunity leaders first met to advance the idea of a northernuniversity. Originally called "the No-Name Group", they soon gained anidentity as the Interior University Society. The IUS crafted the UNBCvision and its members traveled around the region and to Victoria,talking about a northern university wherever they went. This advocacy -together with a petition signed by 16,000 northerners - paid off in1989, when the Government of BC appointed an Implementation PlanningGroup that made recommendations on the elements of an interioruniversity. In June 1990, the Legislature passed the UNBC Act,officially creating UNBC and its founding Board, the Interim GoverningCouncil. The subsequent construction of a campus, hiring of staff andfaculty, and recruitment of students led to the August 17, 1994 openingof UNBC by The Queen.

UNBC Today
In the decade that has followed the grand opening, UNBC has emerged asone of Canada's best small universities. It debuted in the top-10 inthe annual Maclean's magazine ranking of Canadian universities andrecently received its highest-ever ranking (7th) in the magazine. TheUniversity's focus on the North has been integral to its growth and itsemerging national and international reputation:

- In 1994, the University had 1400 students; today it has 3700.Similarly, the percentage of northern BC high school grads going on touniversity has grown from 8-15%.

- There have been eleven graduating classes and there are 4200 UNBC alumni.

- Surveys of BC university alumni consistently show that UNBC grads arethe most satisfied with their education and most continue to live andwork in the North.

- Much of UNBC's research activity is directly relevant to northernsocial, economic, and environmental issues. On a per-faculty basis,UNBC is as research-intensive as York, Memorial, Lakehead, andLaurentian universities.

- Last year about $9 million in research funding was received.

- First Nations students make up about 10% of the student body at UNBC- higher than the other BC universities, which each average around 1%.

- Since the opening in 1994, a forestry lab, teaching laboratory, theBentley Centre, and a second student residence have been added to thePrince George campus. There is also a new regional campus in downtownTerrace and a new CNC-UNBC campus now under construction in Quesnel.

- The annual local economic impact of the University is estimated at $100 million.

The Northern Medical Program
Perhaps the biggest development since 1994 is the Northern MedicalProgram, a collaboration between UBC and UNBC to train physicians inthe North. The building that will house the program has also beenopened today (see above photo). The Northern Health Sciences Centre isa showpiece for wood construction and will feature state-of-the-arttelecommunications to facilitate interaction between medical studentsat UBC, UNBC, and the University of Victoria. The first 24 studentswill begin the program this fall and about half of them will be fromnorthern/rural communities.

The opening of the Northern Health Sciences Centre is the most recentchapter in northerners' quest to improve health care in the region:

- In June 2000, about 6000 residents attended a rally in the PrinceGeorge arena to express their displeasure over the state of health carein the North. The idea for the Northern Medical Program was born thatday and at similar rallies around the region.

- On January 18, 2001, at a national rural health summit in PrinceGeorge, UNBC and UBC signed an agreement that officially establishedthe Northern Medical Program.

- On March 15, 2002, the Government of BC endorsed the expansion ofmedical education in BC and committed $12.5 million to build theNorthern Health Sciences Centre. Construction began in July, 2003.

"Ten years ago, Founding Chancellor Iona Campagnolo paraphrased authorJ.R.R. Tolkien when she proclaimed that 'this is the hour of thenorthern people, when we arise from our quiet forests to shake thetowers and counsels of the great.' UNBC has embraced the spirit of thatvision," says President Jago. "This university has made great stridesin its first decade, and it is our intent to keep faith with thosefounding visionaries who understood the value of a university in andfor the North."

See related news releases:
Event schedule
Announcement of Honorary Degree recipients
Community Barbecue supports future medical students

UBC news release announcing launch of Northern Medical Program
Government of BC news release