The King's University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is a Canadian Christian university offering bachelor's degrees in the arts, humanities, music, social sciences, natural sciences, business, and education. King's is one of 26 publicly funded post-secondary institutions in Alberta. The university serves more than 900 students from across Canada and abroad, representing more than 16 nations.
On November 16, 1979, the Alberta Legislature approved The King's College Act which granted a charter to The King's College. King's was founded, by the Christian College Association (Alberta) as The King's College.
In December 1970, a constitution, and statement of principles gave written expression to their vision of Christian Higher education. The enabling legislation is the Post-secondary Learning Act.[2]
On November 2, 1983, an official affiliation agreement was signed with the University of Alberta, ensuring that the great majority of courses at King's would transfer automatically to the University and making various University resources, such as the library and curriculum labs, available to college students. In 1987, The King's College was given the right to grant its first accredited degree, a three-year BA, with concentrations in a number of disciplines. Since then, it has been authorized to offer many other degree programs, as listed in this calendar.
In the summer of 1993, the college moved into its first permanent campus. In November of that year, the Alberta legislature approved the bill changing the college's name to The King's University College.[3] In November 2015, the Alberta legislature passed a private member's bill changing the name to "The King's University".[4]
King's partners with other Canadian organizations to provide education opportunities to students. Most notably, in 2011 The King’s Environmental Studies (ENVS) Program was granted professional accreditation from Environmental Careers Organization ECO Canada, the certifying body of the Canadian Environmental Accreditation Commission (CEAC).[5] In 2013, King's signed an agreement with Newman Theological College to offer Bachelor of Education students the religious education courses necessary to be eligible for a continuous contract with Edmonton Catholic School District.[6]
In 2013, King's inaugurated the fourth President Melanie J. Humphreys. Humphreys took office on July 2, 2013, after the retirement of President Emeritus J Harry Fernhout (2005–2013). Fernhout was preceded by Henk Van Andel (1985–2005) and founding President Sidney DeWaal (1979–1983).[7]
In the early 1990s, The King's University drew attention due to a controversial decision to fire an employee (Delwin Vriend, a lab assistant) because of his sexual orientation.[8][9] At the time, the Alberta Individual Rights Protection Act did not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation, and the Human Rights Commission did not want to investigate it.[8][10] Vriend took his case against the province of Alberta to court, which decided in 1994 that sexual orientation should be added to the act, a decision appealed by the government and overturned in 1996.[8] But Vriend v. Alberta, brought before the Supreme Court of Canada in 1997 and decided in 1998, with the unanimous decision that "the exclusion of homosexuals from Alberta's Individual Rights Protection Act is a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms".[11][12]
In 2018, The Edmonton Journal ran an article noting that since the 1990s Equal Rights Case Kings University has become a place of acceptance for LGBTQ+ people. Kings University held its first Pride event in 2018 and has an active student run LGBTQ+ organization called SPEAK. Professors and LGBTQ+ students commented that Kings University is a safe place for LGBTQ+ individuals. [13]
Programs
Students can enrol in over 650 courses across 37 disciplines.[14] The King's University offers three-year and four-year bachelor's degrees in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and commerce, as well as a two-year Bachelor of Education after-degree. Prominent programs include the Environmental Studies program and the Politics-History-Economics (PHE) combined major. Currently, the university has over 900 students[14] enrolled in Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Education programs. The King's University accepts academically qualified students of all faiths into its programs.
Research
Training of undergraduates in laboratory, field, or literary research, is figured prominently at King's. Many projects are collaborative with other universities, non-government organizations, community groups, or international partnerships. The King's Centre for Visualization in Science [15] is developing computer-based teaching tools for high school science teachers to simulate properties and processes in chemistry and physics. Research with implications for social policy includes Alberta's oil sands, pluriformity in Alberta's public education system and national delivery of men's health services. Sustainability in business, communities, and resource-based livelihoods in Africa is the research focus of international partnerships with non-government organizations and other universities.[16]
The King's University library was renamed the Simona Maaskant Library in 1998, after its chief librarian Simona Maaskant.[17][18][19] The Simona Maaskant Library contains over 75,000 physical materials (books and audiovisual materials) and 200,000 electronic materials.[19]
The library is a member of the NEOS Library Consortium therefore offering users access to an additional 10 million materials through the consortium.[19]
The Simona Maaskant Library also includes a special collections and archives division called The Gerry Segger Heritage Collection.[20] The collection acts as a research centre for archival materials associated with Dutch-Canadians.[21]
Micah Centre
The Micah Centre is focused on transformational development and social justice aims to provide students with further transformative experiences that shape their educational and vocational choices. The Micah Centre hosts the Interdisciplinary Studies Conference, a two-day conference held in the Fall and Winter semesters. Past topics include: Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Economics and Christian Desire, Culture Making, and The Alberta Oilsands.[22]
The Micah Centre also coordinates The Honduras Water Project,[23] recipients of Alberta's Award of Distinction for Internationalizing the Teaching and Learning Practice, annually sends service-learning teams to a remote Honduran village to both learn about poverty and development firsthand, and work alongside residents in constructing a community water system. Recent Micah internships with global NGO partners have emphasized community organization (Bangladesh), HIV/AIDs (Tanzania), and environmental sustainability (Kenya).
International studies
King's partners with more than 25 off-campus study programs in various locations including the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies (India, USA), Netherlandic Study Program, China Studies, Russia Studies, Middle East Studies, Film Studies (Los Angeles), and Uganda Studies. International students are eligible for campus employment in university research projects, the library, facility and grounds department, Tamil studies, and food services, among others.
Student Scholarships and Awards Available each year: $660,000
Student to Faculty Ratio: 9:1
Male to Female Ratio: 5:7
Faculty and sessional instructors: 96
Countries represented in student body: 47 (10% International Students)
Number of alumni: 6,500+
Rankings and distinctions
For the last five years, King's has been a leader in its sector with "top of the class" grades for Student-Faculty Interaction, Class Size, Quality of Teaching, and Most Satisfied Student in The Globe and Mail Canadian University Report.[26] It was also named best small university in Canada by Maclean's magazine for several years running. King's was named Most Supportive Campus Environment of any Canadian Institution,[when?] as measured by the National Survey of Student Engagement, and is in the top ten percent of all colleges and universities in North America.[27]
King's received an A+ rating for overall student satisfaction on the Globe and Mail 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Canadian University Reports.[28][needs update]
Athletics
The King's University Eagles compete in the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference. Team sports include basketball, soccer/futsal, badminton, and volleyball.
In the 2008–2009 season, the women's basketball team won their first-ever bronze medal.
Campus
King's buildings have floor area of 21,000 square metres (226,042sqft) on a site of 80,000 square metres (861,113sqft). Facilities include: 34 classrooms, eight science labs, three computer labs, a greenhouse, fine arts studios, a performance hall with Letourneau pipe organ and Glenn Gould piano, 1,200m2 (12,917sqft) library, 900m2 (9,688sqft) gymnasium, spacious cafeteria, drama space, conference rooms, atrium assembly space, outdoor sports fields, and two student residences.
Jacobus Kloppers (Professor Emeritus) – Internationally known classical organist.
Related Research Articles
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being instituted into a separate, autonomous university in 1966. It is composed of 14 faculties and over 85 research institutes and centres. The main campus is located in the northwest quadrant of the city near the Bow River and a smaller south campus is located in the city centre. The main campus houses most of the research facilities and works with provincial and federal research and regulatory agencies, several of which are housed next to the campus such as the Geological Survey of Canada. The main campus covers approximately 200 hectares.
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, the university's first president. It was enabled through the Post-secondary Learning Act. The university is considered a "comprehensive academic and research university" (CARU), which means that it offers a range of academic and professional programs that generally lead to undergraduate and graduate level credentials.
Nipissing University is a public university located in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. The campus overlooks Lake Nipissing.
The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is a public polytechnic and applied sciences institute in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Athabasca University (AU) is a Canadian public university that primarily operates through online distance education. Founded in 1970, it is one of four comprehensive academic and research universities in Alberta, and was the first Canadian university to specialize in distance education.
Trinity Western University (TWU) is a private Christian liberal arts university with campuses in both Langley and Richmond, British Columbia. The school is a member of Universities Canada.
Delwin Vriend is a Canadian man who was at the center of a landmark provincial and federal legal case, Vriend v. Alberta, concerning the inclusion of sexual orientation as a protected human right in Canada.
John Wesley "Buzz" McClung was a historian, lawyer, jurist, and a judge of the Alberta Court of Appeal.
Vriend v Alberta [1998] 1 S.C.R. 493 is an important Supreme Court of Canada case that determined that a legislative omission can be the subject of a Charter violation. The case involved a dismissal of a teacher because of his sexual orientation and was an issue of great controversy during that period.
Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is an Alberta public post-secondary institution located in Olds, Alberta, established in 1913 as Olds Agricultural College.
Burman University is an independent publicly funded university located in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. It is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system. By date of founding, it is the oldest university in Alberta. The school's official mission statement is to educate learners to think with discernment, to believe with insight and commitment and to act with confidence, compassion, and competence. The university places emphasis on service in local and global communities.
The University of Alberta Faculty of Law is the graduate school of law of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Established as an undergraduate faculty in 1912 it is the third oldest law school in Canada, and often considered the oldest law school in Western Canada.
The University of CalgaryFaculty of Law, at the University of Calgary. is a law school in Calgary, Alberta.
Grant MacEwan University, commonly known as MacEwan University, is a public university located in Downtown Edmonton, Alberta. Originally established as a community college which was named in honor of Dr. Grant MacEwan, 9th Lieutenant Governor (Canada) of Alberta in 1971, Grant MacEwan College officially transitioned into a university in 2009 under the Post-Secondary Learning Act. While the university's name was rebranded as MacEwan University for public communication and marketing purposes in 2013, its official name remains Grant MacEwan University. MacEwan university offers a wide range of programs and is home to six faculties and schools, providing nearly 60 programs including baccalaureate degrees, certificates, diplomas, post-diplomas and university transfer programs.
University of Saskatchewan has over 200 academic programs on its Saskatoon, Saskatchewan campus, and is internationally known for its teaching and research. The on-campus synchrotron Canadian Light Source makes it the only Canadian institution for such nuclear and biotechnology research. Canadian Light Source nuclear research facility provides research and analysis of the internal structures of advanced materials and biological samples. The College of Arts and Science is the largest of the U of S and comprises five separate health science fields in addition to numerous other programs in the Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Natural Sciences. The Department of Computer Science as well as the College of Engineering are ranked highly within their fields. The founding college, the College of Agriculture, is still providing agricultural breakthroughs which are utilized worldwide.
The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at University of Alberta is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1913, it is one of the oldest medical schools in Western Canada and is composed of 21 departments, two stand-alone divisions, 9 research groups, and 24 research centers and institutes. Educational, clinical and research activities are conducted in 29 buildings on or near the University of Alberta north campus.
Concordia University of Edmonton, is a publicly funded independent academic institution in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; accredited under the Alberta Post-secondary Learning Act. Concordia offers arts, science, and management undergraduate degree programs, as well as graduate degree programs in education, information technology, information security, and psychology. Concordia is primarily funded by tuition and private donations and as of 2022, receives nearly one third of its funding from the government of Alberta.
The Edmonton Pride Festival is a 2SLGBTQ+ pride festival, held annually in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The School of Library and Information Studies is situated at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and is part of the Faculty of Education. The School offers a Master's program in Library and Information Studies (MLIS) that is accredited by the American Library Association, as well as combined programs with a Master of Arts in Digital Humanities and a Master of Business Administration (MLIS/MBA). SLIS offers an Individual Interdisciplinary PhD opportunity in conjunction with other University of Alberta departments that serve as home units for PhD programs. The School also offers the only fully online MLIS in Canada.
The Simona Maaskant Library is the library at the King's University in Edmonton, first opened in 1981 as The King's College Library, and renamed in 1998 after its chief librarian Simona Maaskant.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
