University of Saskatchewan
On the 19th of March 1907, the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan passed an Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province. This legislation created a publicly funded institution intended to serve all citizens without regard to race, creed or religion. The university began as an agricultural college with a focus on extension work and applied research to meet the needs of the largely agrarian province. On the 7th of April 1909, Saskatoon was chosen as the location for the university after a politically influenced vote that saw other cities like Regina lobby hard for the site. Walter Murray preferred Regina but the board selected Saskatoon. The first buildings were constructed shortly after this decision. The university admitted its first students in 1912 and awarded its first degrees that same year. Duncan P. McColl served as the first registrar while Walter Charles Murray became the first president of the board of governors. Chief Justice Edward L. Wetmore was elected as the first chancellor from the inaugural convocation.
David Robertson Brown of Brown & Vallance designed the initial campus plan in Collegiate Gothic style. Sir Wilfrid Laurier laid the cornerstone of the College Building on the 29th of July 1910. The College Building opened in 1913 and was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 2001. Original structures used native limestone mined just north of campus known as greystone. When local supplies ran out, the university switched to Tyndall stone quarried in Manitoba. The Memorial Gates were erected in 1927 at the corner of College Drive and Hospital Drive to honor alumni who served in World War I. A stone wall bears inscriptions of the names of sixty seven students and faculty killed during the conflict. The original architectural plan called for buildings to be constructed around a green space known as The Bowl. Today these original buildings are connected by skywalks and tunnels. The Engineering Building burned in 1925 and was rebuilt by Brown & Vallance. The Faculty Club also burned in 1964 before being reconstructed.
In 1948 the university built the first betatron facility in Canada. Three years later scientists constructed the world's first non-commercial cobalt-60 therapy unit. Sylvia Fedoruk led the research team that developed this cancer treatment device. She later became Saskatchewan's lieutenant-governor from 1988 to 1994. The success of these facilities led to the construction of a linear accelerator as part of the Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory in 1964. University scientists used the SCR-270 radar in 1949 to image the Aurora for the first time. The Canadian Light Source synchrotron opened the 22nd of October 2004 and is the size of a football field. This facility represents one of the largest and most innovative investments in Canadian science. Discoveries made at USask include sulphate-resistant cement and the development of DNA-enhanced immunization vaccines through the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization. Innovation Place Research Park hosts private industry working with the university on various scientific projects.
The governance model was based on the University of Toronto Act of 1906 creating a bicameral system. A senate managed academic matters while a board of governors oversaw finances. The president linked the two governing bodies and provided institutional leadership. As of 2006 faculty and staff totaled 7,000 while student enrollment comprised 15,005 full-time students plus 3,552 part-time students. The current tricameral structure includes a Board of Governors with 11 members, a Senate of 100 representatives, and a University Council of 116 faculty and students. Peter Stoicheff served as President and Vice-Chancellor while Arini held the position of Provost and Vice-president Academic. The university offers over 200 academic programs including Agriculture and Bioresources, Arts and Science, Biotechnology, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Nutrition, Veterinary Medicine, and Kinesiology. Correspondence courses were established in 1929 to expand access to education across the province.
Seventy students began the first classes on the 28th of September 1909. The Sheaf student publication was first published in 1912 and became weekly by 1920. CJUS-FM campus radio station began broadcasting in 1965 before becoming limited commercial in 1983. Funding ended in 1985 but the station revived in internet form in early 2005. Place Riel Theatre opened in 1975 and Place Riel student center opened in 1980. Saskatchewan Hall was the first residence completed in 1912 designed for 150 students. Qu'Appelle Hall officially opened in 1916 housing 120 students with an addition adding 60 more spaces in 1963. Athabasca Hall provides 270 residences and was completed in 1964 as a co-ed hall. The Huskies Track and Field team has won national championships on 12 occasions making it the most successful team on campus. The men's football team won the Vanier Cup three times in 1990, 1996, and 1998.
John Diefenbaker served as the 13th prime minister of Canada and also held the university's chancellor position. He and his wife are buried near the Diefenbaker Canada Centre which houses his paper collection. Gerhard Herzberg received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1970 after fleeing Nazi Germany in 1935 to accept a position at the university. Henry Taube won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1983. Sylvia Fedoruk became the first female chancellor of the university while serving as lieutenant-governor from 1988 to 1994. Ray Hnatyshyn served as the 24th governor general of Canada. Emmett Matthew Hall was a Supreme Court judge and father of the Canadian system of Medicare. Seventy-eight graduates have gone on to receive the Rhodes Scholarship including Wilbur Jackett in 1933 and Mark Abley in 1975. Between 1907 and 2007 over 132,200 members belonged to the University of Saskatchewan Alumni Association.
Common questions
When was the University of Saskatchewan established by legislative act?
The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan passed an Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province on the 19th of March 1907. This legislation created a publicly funded institution intended to serve all citizens without regard to race, creed or religion.
Where is the main campus of the University of Saskatchewan located?
Saskatoon was chosen as the location for the university after a politically influenced vote on the 7th of April 1909. The first buildings were constructed shortly after this decision and the initial campus plan was designed in Collegiate Gothic style by David Robertson Brown.
What major scientific facilities does the University of Saskatchewan operate?
In 1948 the university built the first betatron facility in Canada and scientists later constructed the world's first non-commercial cobalt-60 therapy unit. The Canadian Light Source synchrotron opened the 22nd of October 2004 and represents one of the largest and most innovative investments in Canadian science.
Who served as the first president of the board of governors at the University of Saskatchewan?
Walter Charles Murray became the first president of the board of governors while Duncan P. McColl served as the first registrar. Chief Justice Edward L. Wetmore was elected as the first chancellor from the inaugural convocation.
How many students enrolled when classes began at the University of Saskatchewan?
Seventy students began the first classes on the 28th of September 1909. As of 2006 faculty and staff totaled 7,000 while student enrollment comprised 15,005 full-time students plus 3,552 part-time students.