Université Laval 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 is ranked among the
top ten Canadian universities in terms of research funding. It is
classified as a Medical-Doctoral university for its
medical school and extensive graduate
population.
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. The Séminaire de Québec was granted a Royal Charter
on December 8, 1852, by
Queen Victoria, creating
Université Laval with 'the rights and privileges of a
university'.
Bishop Bourget of Montreal suggested interesting the Séminaire de
Québec in the establishment of Université Laval. The Principal, M.
Louis Casault, visited Europe to obtain a Royal charter, and
studied the best university systems. The charter was signed in
1852. Pope Benedict XV approved the scheme, and authorized the
erection of chairs of theology and the conferring of degrees.
In 1878,
the university opened a second campus in Montreal
, which later
became the Université de Montréal
on May 8, 1919, by a writ of Pope Benedict
XV. In 1971, a second charter vesting supreme authority in
the Université Laval council was proclaimed.
While the main campus moved out from the Séminaire de Québec since
then, the architecture school returned to that heritage building
(now affectionately referred to as
Le Vieux Séminaire) in
1989.
A view of Université Laval east
campus
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. In 1911, the Medical
Faculty of Université Laval set up courses on public hygiene.
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.
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.
Book Publishing
Les Presses de l'Université Laval, which was founded in 1950, deals
with Canadian civilization, literature, medieval studies, law,
social sciences, physical sciences and engineering.
Buildings and Features
Université Laval's main campus covers 1.2 km
2 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.
Coopérative de l'Université Laval
The Coopérative de l'Université Laval is a cooperative engaged in
the sale of products to customers throughout the university, such
as books, lecture notes and computers.
Programs
As of 2002, Université Laval offers over 350 programmes to 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 annually, and has close to 1,000 students from
Canada. 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 Canada
and around the world. It is also the only university in Quebec
which trains forestry engineers. From the mid-80s, Université Laval
also offers distance learning. As of now over 30 programmes and
over 400 courses are offered by distance learning, of which 80% are
accessible from the internet.
Faculties
Université Laval School of
Architecture
- Urban planning, Architecture, and Visual arts
- Faculté de droit (Faculty
of Law)
- Postgraduate Studies
- Forestry and Geomatics is part of the AUFSC
and has accredited baccalaureate of science programs with
specializations in forestry & environmental management;
forestry operations (co-op) and forestry engineering.
- Literature
- Medicine
- Dentistry
- Music
- Pharmacy
- Philosophy
- Administrative Sciences
- Agriculture and Food sciences
- Education
- Science and Engineering
- Agroenvironnemental engineering, agricultural engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Geological Engineering, Computer Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering,
Mining Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Rural
engineering
- Nursing
- Social Science
- Theology and Religious Studies
Sports
Université Laval Rouge et Or
Logo
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 2008 Canadian
champions and have won the past five of eight Vanier Cups.
Notable alumni
Numerous public figures, including Prime Ministers of Canada,
Premiers of Quebec, Supreme Court Justices, federal Cabinet
Ministers, Senators, and Lieutenant-Governors as well as athletes.
Some of the more prominent today are:
Rhodes Scholars
Further reading
- Behiels, Michael. "Le père Georges-Henri Lévesque et
l'établissement des sciences sociales à Laval, 1938-1955." Revue de
l'Université d'Ottawa 52, no. 3 (juil.-sept. 1982). Appears in
English translation in Youth, University, and Canadian Society,
edited by Paul Axelrod and John G. Reid. Kingston and Montreal:
McGill-Queen's University of Press, 1989.
See also
Université Laval Underground
Marie-Victorin laboratory at
Université Laval
Notes
External links
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