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Mission of the University of Manitoba
To create, preserve and communicate
knowledge, and thereby, contribute to the cultural, social and economic
well-being of the people of Manitoba, Canada and the world.
Vision
Statement of the University of Manitoba
We believe that the University of
Manitoba will be a leader among Canadian universities as it becomes known for
meeting challenges while it advances knowledge and understanding. We will not
only be the first of western Canada's universities we will also be among the
best of Canada's universities. We will be respected for our knowledge of the
world and for our understanding of the complexities of our Prairie region in its
cultural, socioeconomic and scientific dimensions, which we will articulate
according to international standards of science and scholarship. We will be
recognized for our centrality in the development of Manitoba's knowledge-based
society in a knowledge-based global economy.
Steeped in tradition and
excellence that stems back 131 years, the University of Manitoba has grown to be
the largest and most recognized post-secondary educational institution in the
province.
In a typical year, the university has an enrolment of
approximately 22,000 undergraduate students and 3,000 graduate students. The
university offers over 90 degrees, more than 60 at the undergraduate level, in
academic programs as diverse as agricultural and food sciences, music,
engineering and medicine. Most of our academic units offer graduate studies
programs leading to master s or doctoral degrees.
The University of
Manitoba is also home to a wide range of research centres and institutes, and
Smartpark Research and Technology Park, a community of innovators that forges
collaborations between university and industry.
An expanded location
on Broadway and a site south of Assiniboine Park now the home of the Canadian
Mennonite University were both held up as possible homes for a full grown
University of Manitoba.
In the end, the Fort Garry site of the Manitoba
Agricultural College was selected to house the university. Construction of the
first buildings on the Fort Garry campus began in 1911 and the first buildings,
Tache Hall, the Administration Building, and the Home Economics Building now
the Human Ecology Building opened in 1912. The history of the Fort Garry
campus is evident on the Administration Building which is adorned with the
University of Manitoba s name on its western side and the Manitoba Agricultural
College s name on the eastern side.
The transition to the Fort Garry
campus and debate over where the University of Manitoba should be located would
continue for some time and until 1950 the university was split with junior
students studying at the Broadway campus and senior students studying in Fort
Garry.
The University of Manitoba s second home, the Bannatyne campus,
houses the faculties of Medicine, Dentistry and the Schools of Dental hygiene
and Medical Rehabilitation. The Bannatyne campus is historic in its own right as
the home of the Manitoba Medical College. In 2008, the Faculty of Pharmacy
joined the Bannatyne campus.
The War Years
While students had
always been active in sports and social activities, the post First World War
period also marked a boom in student organization with the creation in April
1919, of the University of Manitoba Student s Union and in 1921 the creation of
the University of Manitoba Alumni Association.
During the First and
Second World Wars, the University of Manitoba served as a training ground for
troops and watched some of its best and brightest to go off and fight for their
country. A sacrifice that was recognized after the First World War with the
planting of the Avenue of Elms stretching from the Administration Building to
Pembina Highway along Chancellor Matheson Drive. Following the Second World War
the university also played a critical role in helping troops complete their
education and re-enter civilian life.
The change in university life was
substantial, enrolment reached 6,488 in 1946-1947 and then soared in the post
war boom with many families sending their children to university for the first
time. The Fort Garry campus saw significant growth in the 1960s to meet the
demands of the baby boom generation of students with the
addition of
University College, University Centre and new teaching facilities.
Of
course the Fort Garry site has faced challenges over the years. During the 1950
flood the campus grounds were inundated with water, forcing university employees
to paddle between buildings in an effort to ensure that library materials and
research equipment was not damaged in the flood. The 1950 flood would leave its
mark on the graduating class of 1950, which had to miss its convocation as
members took up the fight against the rising waters. At its 25th class reunion
that loss was rectified with a mock convocation and in 2000 then-Chancellor
Arthur Mauro recognized the alumni as the flood class.
Recent
History
The University of Manitoba s student population has continued to
grow in diversity with close to 10 per cent of the population now composed of
International Students, allowing the University of Manitoba to say it truly is
part of the global community.
In 1999 the university launched Smartpark,
a 100-acre research and technology park at the University of Manitoba s Fort
Garry Campus. The park now hosts over 1,000 employees, many who are co-op
students and graduates of the university. Smartpark serves as a bridge between
basic research and industry, facilitating collaboration between the university
and more than 30 research-oriented companies now residing in the
park.
Building on Strengths: Campaign for the University of Manitoba,
completed in 2004, raised $237 million to bolster student supports at the
university and has had a tangible impact on the campus, helping create the
Engineering and Information Technology Centre and supporting redevelopment of
buildings across the campus.
And we can expect the face of the University
of Manitoba to change dramatically over the next few years thanks to two
significant events. In 2007 the university acquired the 120-acre Southwood Golf
Course property directly adjacent to the Fort Garry Campus. The new land will
provide the university with room to grow in the future and will help it create a
true university community with increased housing for students and
faculty.
Finally, in 2008 the university announced Project Domino, a $100
million project which will directly impact at least 13 faculties and departments
at the university over the next five years. But the watch-word of Project Domino
is conservation rather than construction. So, there will only be one new
building constructed during the project a new 350-bed residence on the south
side of campus. The rest of Project Domino will focus on redeveloping old
buildings for new tasks. The university s historic Tache Hall, for example,
will be redeveloped as a home for the Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music and
the School of Art. Once Music and Art move into Taché Hall their former
buildings will be redeveloped to house the Faculty of Graduate Studies and
International House & and so the dominos will continue to fall creating a
revitalized campus. |
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