December 23, 2008

The past year saw UNBC achieve its best marks ever in nationalrankings, produce the first graduates from the Northern MedicalProgram, win a provincial basketball championship, and announce thelargest research project it has ever undertaken.

January
UNBC launches a new website design, which would later win second placein a national marketing competition for colleges and universities….Premier Campbell announces the creation of the Pacific Institute forClimate Solutions, the largest research institute ever created by theProvince, involving UNBC, UVic, UBC, and Simon Fraser University.

February
Construction begins on the Northern University Student Centre, which will occupy the former UNBC Fitness Centre.

March
The UNBC women’s basketball team completes an unbeaten record at homeby capturing the BCCAA basketball championship in front of 2000spectators at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre…. UNBC holds itsfirst annual Green Day.

April
UNBC students capture top awards at a western Canadian Geography conference and a national Model United Nations simulation.

May
23 students become the first-ever graduates of the Northern MedicalProgram during a celebration on campus…. As part of its pine beetlerecovery program, the federal government funds UNBC projects related toterahertz energy, bioenergy, and community diversification…. UNBC hostsits largest convocation ceremony to date as 830 students graduateduring the first grad ceremony on campus in a decade. Honorary degreesare presented to Peter Bentley, Rick Hansen, and Nisga’a elder JacobMcKay.

June
UNBC President Don Cozzetto steps down after nearly two years and isreplaced on an interim basis by former President, Charles Jago….Research funding received by the University since its inception tops$100 million.

July
The Government of BC invests $3.5 million from its Clean Energy Fund inthe development of a renewable energy system at UNBC, citing theUniversity’s research capacity and suitable campus infrastructure.

August
Students discover more than 200 artifacts during an archaeology fieldschool near Fort St. James that was developed in partnership with theNak’azdli Band.

September
Nearly 4000 students take classes in the fall semester, which featuresnew majors in Human Resources Management and Forest Ecology andManagement…. PhD student Cherisse Seaton of Prince George receives thelargest scholarship ever received by a UNBC student: $105,000 overthree years…. Undergraduate student Gareth Hopkins of Richmond wins thetop prize in a national “Rising Stars of Research” competition for hiswork on a weevil that attacks young trees…. UNBC researchers are partof a North American research team exploring glacial melt in BC. Theycalculate that BC’s glaciers are losing enough water per year to fillBC Place Stadium 8300 times.

October
Both the Globe and Mail and National Post rank UNBC among the bestsmall universities in Canada as part of annual surveys. The Globereport focuses on student satisfaction (with UNBC receiving an A- inoverall satisfaction) while the National Post names UNBC a ResearchUniversity of the Year for achieving the second highest rate ofresearch growth among any university in Canada over the past five years.

November
UNBC scores its best result ever in Maclean’s magazine, finishingsecond in Canada – and best in the west – among 21 universities in themagazine’s “Primarily Undergraduate” category.

December
Following an 87% approval rating from graduate students, all UNBCstudents are now part of the U-Pass transit program…. UNBC professorLaurie Chan attracts $11 million in funding from Health Canada over thenext decade to study the health effects of pollutants in 100 aboriginalcommunities across Canada. It’s the largest research project ever to beundertaken at UNBC.

Contact:
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622