University of Winnipeg

The University of Winnipeg (U of W) is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged to form United College in 1938. The University of Winnipeg was established in 1967 when United College received its charter.

Maclean's magazine and the Globe and Mail newspaper consistently rank the university in the top ten of all Canadian universities whose primary focus is undergraduate education.

History
The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged to form United College in 1938. George Creeford Browne (architect) & S. Frank Peters designed Wesley Hall (1894-5), which is now part of the University of Winnipeg.

The University of Winnipeg was established on July 1, 1967 when United College received its charter. United College was formed in 1938 from the union of Manitoba College, founded in 1871, Yellow College in 1875 and Wesley College, founded in 1888. Originally affiliated with the University of Manitoba, United College received its charter in 1967 and became the University of Winnipeg.

Campus
As a university in the downtown of a large urban centre, the University of Winnipeg is playing a significant role in the downtown renewal. Recent initiatives, for example, include the newly renovated Canwest Centre for Theatre and Film and a recreation complex. A new western campus with three LEED Silver buildings has added significant capacity to campus and includes the state-of-the-art Richardson College for the Environment and science complex, a student and community daycare facility and a new student residence. In 2008, the university announced that Raymond L. McFeetors, Chairman of The Great West Life Assurance Company, had donated $2.67 Million for a dormitory to be built on newly acquired property west of the campus. The money came from his personal resources and from Great West Life.

A new building - the Buhler Centre - has also been constructed to house the faculty of business and continuing education programs designed by PSA+DPA+DIN collective a collaborative effort between Peter Sampson Architecture Studio inc, David Petter Architect, and DIN Projects. . Wesley Hall, a stone-clad brick structure built in 1894-95, is on the Registry of Historic Places of Canada

The Institute for stained glass in Canada has documented the stained glass at the University of Winnipeg

The U of W was the first university in Canada to ban the sale of bottled water on campus.

Organization
The University of Winnipeg is a provincially and privately funded post-secondary institution with undergraduate and selected graduate programs, as well as a Division of Continuing Education and a high school division.

It has had six presidents since 1967 and one as an acting president for one year.


 * 1) Dr. Wilfred Lockhart (1967–1971)
 * 2) Henry Duckworth (1971–1981)
 * 3) Robin Farquhar (1981–1989)
 * 4) Marsha Hanen (1989–1999)
 * 5) Constance Rooke (1999–2003)
 * 6) Patrick Deane (2003–2004; acting president)
 * 7) Lloyd Axworthy (2004 to present)

Students and faculty
Students at the University are represented by the University of Winnipeg Students' Association. CKUW is the student radio station based out of the University of Winnipeg. The Uniter is the campus newspaper.

Faculties

 * Faculty of Arts
 * Faculty of Business & Economics
 * Faculty of Education
 * Faculty of Science
 * Faculty of Theology
 * Faculty of Graduate Studies

Colleges

 * Global College
 * Menno Simons College
 * Richardson College for the Environment

Centres and Institutes

 * Centre for Academic Writing (CAW)
 * Centre for Distributed / Distance Learning (CDDL)
 * Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research (C-FIR)
 * Centre for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL)
 * Centre for Research in Young People's Texts and Cultures (CRYTC)
 * Centre for Rupert's Land Studies
 * Centre for Sustainable Transportation
 * Institute of Urban Studies
 * Institute for Women's and Gender Studies

Athletics
The university is represented in Canadian Interuniversity Sport by the Winnipeg Wesmen in volleyball, basketball, soccer, as well as baseball in the upcoming years.

Ian Scott has been the public address announcer for the Wesmen since 2004.

The Great Rock Climb
The brainchild of President Emeritus Dr. Henry E. Duckworth, a 25-ton granite boulder was placed on the front lawn of The University of Winnipeg on October 7, 1971. The Rock of Remembrance commemorates the 100th anniversary of Manitoba College, a founding college of what is now The University of Winnipeg.

The University of Winnipeg’s Great Rock Climb celebrates endurance and ingenuity. Teams of three students, faculty, staff, or alumni raced down the 50.3 m from the steps of Wesley Hall to the top of the Great Rock in a test of physical stamina and defiance of earthly gravity.

The all-time record was set in 1979 by the Collegiate team when the trio reached the top in 9.8 seconds. Renovations during the summer of 2007 have significantly slowed the event, with a new record set in 2007 by The Caravaners, consisting of members Ian Scott, Drew Hawranik, and Alex Edye. 2008 and 2009 were repeat performances by The Caravaners, who become the only trio to win the competition in three consecutive years. They recorded a time of 15.19 seconds which becomes the current record for the event with a renovated front lawn.

After flying in from Edmonton to battle in the Great Rock Climb, Drew Hawranik had to return to Alberta without competing due to rain on September 10, 2010. 2010 becomes the third consecutive year that the Great Rock Climb has been delayed by weather.

Aboriginal Students
The University of Winnipeg offers several programs and services to Aboriginal people. The University of Winnipeg offers a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies with a Master’s Degree in Indigenous Governance. The University of Winnipeg provides special first-year bridging programs for Aboriginal students. Academic counsellors, tutors, and Aboriginal Elders are present on campus to provide academic and social supports. Through its Wii Chiiwaaknak Learning Centre, Eco-Kids Program and Eco-U Summer Camp services, the University of Winnipeg actively partners with Aboriginal communities. The University of Winnipeg is now offering the only Master's degree in Development Practice with a focus on Indigenous Development in the world, joining a network of 22 prestigious universities globally with support from the MacArthur Foundation.

Noted alumni

 * Lloyd Axworthy - politician and current UW President
 * Tom Axworthy - Canadian Civil Servant
 * Omar Zakhilwal- Afghan Finance Minister as well as the Chief Economic Advisor to the President of Afghanistan
 * David Bergen - Award Winning Author (B.Ed 1985)
 * Bill Blaikie - NDP politician
 * Margaret Bloodworth - National Security Advisor (BA 1970)
 * Ruby Dhalla - Brampton Liberal MP
 * Chantal Kreviazuk - singer/songwriter
 * Margaret Laurence - Canadian novelist and short story writer.
 * Guy Maddin - film director
 * Don Newman - Award-Winning Journalist
 * John Paskievich - film director and photographer
 * Howard Pawley - former Premier of Manitoba
 * Fred Penner - children's entertainer
 * Lyall Powers - Professor of English, University of Winnipeg
 * Susan Thompson - former mayor of Winnipeg
 * Brad Roberts - pop singer, Crash Test Dummies
 * Bill Richardson - CBC radio host
 * Erfan Nasajpour, professional basketball player
 * Sonia Sui - a model and actress in Taiwan

University History

 * A. Gerald Bedford 'The University of Winnipeg: A History of the Founding Colleges' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1976)
 * Friesen, Gerald. "Principal J. H. Riddell: The Sane and Safe Leader of Wesley College." In Prairie Spirit: Perspectives on the Heritage of the United Church of Canada in the West, edited by Dennis L. Butcher, et al. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1985.