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King's University (Canada)

Coordinates: 53°31′31″N 113°25′3″W / 53.52528°N 113.41750°W / 53.52528; -113.41750
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For other similar names, see King's College (disambiguation) and King's University (disambiguation).
The King's University
Motto"Teaching Each Other in All Wisdom"
Typeliberal arts college
Established1979
AffiliationChristian Reformed Church in North America
EndowmentCA$1,863,967[1]
PresidentShawn Christopher Devries
Academic staff
120
Students910
Location
Edmonton
,
Alberta
,
Canada
CampusUrban, 20 acres (8.09 ha)
ColoursBlue, Gold    
MascotEagle
Websitehttp://www.kingsu.ca/

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.

History

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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]

Equal-rights case

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Main article: Vriend v Alberta

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

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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

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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]

Simona Maaskant Library

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Exterior view of the Simona Maaskant Library
Main article: Simona Maaskant Library

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

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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

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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.

Statistics

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(as of Spring 2021)[24]

  • Enrolment: 910[25]
  • Post-graduate employment rate within 2 years: 98%
  • 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

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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

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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

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King's buildings have floor area of 21,000 square metres (226,042 sq ft) on a site of 80,000 square metres (861,113 sq ft). 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, 1,200 m2 (12,917 sq ft) library, 900 m2 (9,688 sq ft) gymnasium, spacious cafeteria, drama space, conference rooms, atrium assembly space, outdoor sports fields, and two student residences.

Notable alumni

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Notable faculty

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  • Jacobus Kloppers (Professor Emeritus) – Internationally known classical organist.

References

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  1. ^ "Archived Financial Statements". Kingsu.ca. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Alberta, Government of (September 17, 2012). "Alberta Queen's Printer". Qp.alberta.ca. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  3. ^ "Bill PR10: THE KING'S COLLEGE AMENDMENT ACT, 1993" (PDF). Assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Bills and Amendments – Legislative Assembly of Alberta". Assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  5. ^ "Accreditation – ECO Canada". Eco.ca. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "The King's University College | King's University College". Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  7. ^ "The King's University College | King's University College". Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c Simons, Paula (March 15, 2018). "Gay rights pioneer Delwin Vriend didn't set out to be a hero. He became one anyway". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  9. ^ Beaudoin, Gerald A. (December 16, 2013). "Vriend Case". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  10. ^ Simons, Paula (March 15, 2018). "Gay rights pioneer Delwin Vriend didn't set out to be a hero. He became one anway". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  11. ^ "Timeline: Same Sex Rights in Canada". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  12. ^ Vriend V. Alberta, 1 SCR 493 (Supreme Court of Canada 1998-04-02).
  13. ^ https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/paula-simons-a-new-feeling-of-pride-at-the-university-that-once-fired-gay-instructor [bare URL]
  14. ^ a b "About King's". kingsu.ca. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  15. ^ "The King's Centre for Visualization". Kcvs.ca. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  16. ^ "The Directory of Canadian Universities – the King's University College". Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  17. ^ Janson, Marlies; Optiz, Helmut (2011). World Guide to Special Libraries. Vol. 1. De Gruyter. p. 422. ISBN 9783110917857.
  18. ^ "Maaskant, Simona Margaretha". The Edmonton Journal. April 29, 1998. p. B6.
  19. ^ a b c "About the Library". www.kingsu.ca. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  20. ^ "Preserving Stories of the Dutch-Canadian Immigrant Experience". The Banner. November 16, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  21. ^ Bruinsma, Robert (May 25, 2019). "Saving Dutch-Canadian History". Christian Courier. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  22. ^ "Past Conferences". Kingsu.ca. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  23. ^ "The Micah Centre – Honduras Water Project". Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  24. ^ "About King's". Kingsu.ca. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  25. ^ "The King's University College". Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  26. ^ "Canadian University Report 2013: Student satisfaction survey results". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. October 23, 2012.
  27. ^ "Maclean's Education hub". Oncampus.macleans.ca. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  28. ^ "Globecampus.ca ~ Campus Navigator – King's University College (The)". Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  29. ^ ""Glorious and Free"?! Generous Citizenship for the Next 150". www.kingsu.ca. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
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53°31′31″N 113°25′3″W / 53.52528°N 113.41750°W / 53.52528; -113.41750

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