Lakehead University

Lakehead University is a public research university in Thunder Bay, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada.

Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', or 'LU', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate and graduate programs and a medical school.

The school has more than 45,000 alumni in 67 different countries. The main campus in Thunder Bay has more than 7,300 students. As of September 2011, a new permanent extension campus in Orillia, located about 150 km north of Toronto, has more than 1,100 students.

History
Lakehead Technical Institute was established in 1946 in response to a brief outlining the need for an institution of higher education in northwestern Ontario. Lakehead University evolved from Lakehead Technical Institute (founded 1946) and Lakehead College of Arts, Science, and Technology (founded 1957).

Lakehead Technical Institute was established on June 4, 1946, by an Order-in-Council of the Province of Ontario. Classes commenced in January 1948, in temporary rented quarters in downtown Port Arthur. In September of that same year, the first university courses were added to the curriculum.

Lakehead College of Arts, Science and Technology was established by an Act of the Ontario Legislature proclaimed on August 1, 1957. Years later, the original Lakehead College of Arts, Science and Technology Act was amended to grant the college authority to establish new faculties, and confer degrees in arts and sciences. The Lakehead University Act, 1965, was given royal assent on June 22, 1965, and came into force on July 1, 1965. The Lakehead College of Arts, Science and Technology, thereafter known as "Lakehead University," was continued under this new charter. The first degrees were conferred on May 5, 1965.

Academic organization
The university has nine faculties: Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Forestry and the Forest Environment, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Science and Environmental Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities, Medicine, and Graduate Studies. The new Faculty of Law will open its doors in 2013.

By full-time undergraduate enrollment, the Social Sciences & Humanities is the largest faculty at Lakehead 29.6%, followed by Health and Behavioral Sciences 21.2%, Science & Environmental Studies 15.6%, Engineering 11.2%, Education 12.4%, Business Administration 6.4%, Forestry & the Forest Environment 1.9%, Medicine 1.7%.

Thunder Bay Campus


The original college site comprised some 32 hectares of land in south-west Port Arthur, Ontario. From 1962 to 1965, an additional 87 hectares of adjoining land were purchased in anticipation of future expansion. The first building was opened in 1957.





In 2005 the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) was formed as a joint initiative between Lakehead University and Laurentian University in Sudbury. NOSM is organised within the Faculty of Medicine of both Laurentian (East Campus) and Lakehead (West Campus) universities. The medical school has multiple teaching and research sites across Northern Ontario, including large and small communities. Students are given a choice of attending either one of the two main NOSM campuses.

Lakehead University is home to one of the top Ancient-DNA laboratories in the world. The Paleo-DNA Laboratory was the first university affiliated laboratory in Canada to become accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) for forensic DNA testing. Lakehead University Paleo-DNA Laboratory has gained recognition for work done in its state-of-the-art facility on a wide array of subjects, such as the remains from Titanic victims, and most recently the DNA samples used in the documentary “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.”

A new law school is being established and will accept its first students in 2013. The new program will be housed in the former Port Arthur Collegiate Institute.

Lakehead University's physical plant now consists of 39 buildings and 116 hectares of property including 40 hectares of landscaped and maintained grounds.

Residence
Accommodations at Lakehead are divided into three living styles: residence halls, apartments and townhouses. The Thunder Bay residence currently has a total of 1,196 beds and three cafeteria/dining halls. Students can choose from meal options that range from kitchenette, full-kitchen and complete meal plan depending on the residence styles.

The men's residence for 52 students was opened in September 1962. By 1966, 32 additional double bedrooms were added to the residence and a section of the new structure was made available as a residence for women. A new residence village comprising 10 new buildings and providing residence for 520 students was completed in 1968. The village is situated on the banks of the McIntyre River within easy 5-minute walking distance of all university buildings and athletic facilities.

From 1989 to 1992, a complex of townhouses marked the newest addition to the residence facility that included units accessible to the physically challenged.

A 271-bed residence in Orillia is slated to open its doors in Fall 2011.

Student life
Lakehead's campus radio station is CILU-FM. The station also broadcasts on the Internet. The student newspaper is The Argus. Students can also participate in various activities in numerous clubs ranging from student government to multi-cultural and athletics. Canada's largest campus pub, named The Outpost, and The Study Coffeehouse serve as gathering places for many campus community activities and as performance venues. For outdoor enthusiasts, popular summer activities include kayaking, hiking, camping and rock climbing. In the winter, hockey, snowboarding, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling are among students' favorites.

Athletics
Lakehead's Thunder Bay campus has two main athletic facilities known as the Fieldhouse and the Hangar. The Fieldhouse contains a main gymnasium, weight room, squash court, 50 meter swimming pool and change-room facilities. The Hangar has a 200 meter indoor track, soccer field, cardio area, aerobic studio and a climbing wall. Lakehead University is represented in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport league by the Lakehead Thunderwolves. Varsity teams include: Basketball, Cross-Country, Hockey, Nordic Skiing, Track & Field, Volleyball, and Wrestling.

Orillia campus
Lakehead University opened a campus in Downtown Orillia in 2006, and in September 2010 expanded to its new 500 University Avenue location. A new academic building at this site represents the first phase in the development of Canada’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Platinum university campus. A 271-bed student residence building and a cafeteria/bookstore facility opens in September 2011 at the University Avenue site.

Lakehead - Orillia aims to become one of Canada's "greenest" campuses, serving as a catalyst for research and learning in the environmental sciences. The Campus will serve as a demonstration site for green technology, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. As a LEED Platinum campus, this institution promotes the use of public transit, High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) commuting, bicycles and walking There will be 230 parking spots made available for students at the University Avenue location.

Programs offered at Lakehead – Orillia include unique multidisciplinary undergraduate studies that combine arts/science with Concurrent Education (Primary/Junior division) (HBASc/BEd, BASc/BEd) and majors in Interdisciplinary Studies, English, Anthropology, Environmental Sustainability and Geography (HBASc/BASc). Programs in Criminology and Media Studies begin in September 2011. In addition, a college transfer program in Business Administration enables 3-year diploma graduates to complete a BAdmin degree in one year. Other programs offered at the Orillia campus include a 4-year honours Bachelor of Commerce (HBComm), a 3-year part-time Master of Business Administration (MBA), a 4-year Honours Bachelor of Social Work (HBSW) and a 1-year post-graduate degree in Social Work (HBSW). All undergraduate programs are offered at the 500 University Avenue site, while the professional year of Lakehead – Orillia’s education and social work programs are offered at the downtown campus. The Orillia campus has an enrollment of over 1,100 students at its two locations (2011/2012).

Aboriginal


As a percentage of total student population, Lakehead University has one of the largest aboriginal student communities in Canada. The university has a governing board with senate policies along with Aboriginal-governed councils within its university governance structure. Lakehead also offers Aboriginal support by including many Aboriginal staff. For example, there is a Vice-Provost of Aboriginal Initiatives. Special first-year bridging programs for Aboriginal students are provided. Dedicated tutoring services are available within Lakehead’s Native Nursing Access Program. There is also the Superior Science Program which goes to remote Aboriginal communities. Lakehead has Canada's only Department of Aboriginal Education to foster Native Language instruction and prepare teachers to meet the needs of Aboriginal students and communities.

Notable alumni

 * Steve Ashton - Minister of Water Stewardship / MLA Thompson, Government of Manitoba
 * Ronald J. Duhamel - Former Member of Parliament, Senator
 * Stephen Low - IMAX Film maker, Director
 * Lyn McLeod - Canadian Politician, Former Cabinet Minister
 * E.J. Dusty Miller - Member of Order of Ontario, Former Thunder Bay Mayor
 * Gary Polonsky - Founding President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Ontario Institute of Technology
 * Diane Schoemperlen - Governor General's Awards - winning Novelist
 * Jim Foulds - Canadian Politician

Histories of the University
Harold S. Braun with William G. Tamblyn. 'A Northern Vision: The Development of Lakehead University.' Thunder Bay: Lakehead University, President's Office, 1987.