September 1, 2005 for immediate release

Classes begin on Tuesday, September 6 in the University of Northern British Columbia’s twelfth academic year since the start of full operations in 1994. It’s expected that there will be about 3600 students this year, though final enrolment figures won’t be known until the end of September. There are usually about 1,000 new students who start at UNBC every year.

There are various new programs being offered starting this fall:

• A master’s degree in Family Nurse Practitioner will educate advanced practice nurses who will care for people of all age groups from a general family practice perspective. They will be involved in diagnosing, prescribing, ordering diagnostic tests, and managing diseases, disorders and conditions.

• The bachelor’s degree program in Nursing is being expanded to Terrace, in collaboration with Northwest Community College, the College of New Caledonia, and Northern Health. The Terrace program has space for 18 students.

• The Bachelor of Social Work is starting new cohorts in Prince Rupert, Terrace, and Fort St. John. There is also a new Master of Education cohort in Quesnel.

• The new Quesnel campus, being built with CNC, will be open later in the semester.

• The Aboriginal Teacher Education Bridging initiative will start in Terrace with about a dozen students. The program is designed to increase the number of aboriginal teachers working in northern British Columbia, by assisting students with developing study skills and providing some courses required for the teacher education program.

Orientation activities are currently underway for new and returning students. For further information on Orientation, contact 960-6379.