Brock University
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Brock University |
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| Motto | Surgite! (Push on!) |
| Established | 1964 |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | $17.7 million |
| Chancellor | Raymond Moriyama |
| President | Jack N. Lightstone |
| Staff | 592 |
| Undergraduates | 16,284 |
| Postgraduates | 1,169 |
| Location | St. Catharines, ON, Canada |
| Campus | Urban/Suburban |
| Colours | Red and white |
| Mascot | Boomer the Badger |
| Website | www.brocku.ca |
Brock University is a modern comprehensive university located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It was named for Major General Sir Isaac Brock, who lost his life during the Battle of Queenston Heights in the War of 1812, fought 30 km from the present-day site of the campus. His last words, "Surgite!" ("Push on!"), are the official university motto.
Brock offers a wide range of undergraduate programs, with a modest number of graduate and interdisciplinary degree programs. It is located on the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Many of the buildings on campus were designed by the innovative architectural firm, Moriyama and Teshima Architects. The main campus serves a student population of over 17,000 full- and part-time students. Despite unprecedented growth in recent years, which has seen the construction of several multi-million dollar expansion projects, university administration does not seek enrollment beyond the 16,000 full-time student level. A satellite campus used primarily for teacher education is located in Hamilton, Ontario.
Jack N. Lightstone became the school's president on July 1, 2006. The University Chancellor is Raymond Moriyama, the distinguished Canadian architect.
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[edit] History
The university was founded in 1964 as one of a series of universities created in Ontario to handle the undergraduate education of baby boomers.
[edit] 2006 labour negotiations
Brock University's professors and librarians have been working without a contract since June 30th, 2006, with a list of grievances including contractual, proportion of non-professors teaching courses, salary, and promotion and tenure issues. 88% of the membership has voted in favour of strike action. On December 6th, 2006, an eleventh-hour tentative agreement was reached between faculty and the Administration. Professor Barry Joe's blog provides a nuanced account of the state of relations between faculty and the Administration.
[edit] Academics
Brock offers a large number of undergraduate degree programs, divided under 6 main faculties:
- Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
- Faculty of Business
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Mathematics and Science
- Faculty of Social Sciences
At the graduate level, degrees are offered in several arts and sciences disciplines. In addition, Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary (an institution of the Lutheran Church - Canada is affiliated with the university and offers a four-year Master of Divinity.
[edit] Athletics
The university is represented in Canadian Interuniversity Sport by the Brock Badgers.
Brock University's official athletic mascot is Boomer the Badger; however, the lightweight men's rowing team is also referred to as the BU Lights. The BU Lights have a history of rowing excellence, despite their short existence compared to other rowing powers. A highlight of their accomplishments was capturing the Championship 8+ at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. They train on the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta course, which is a world class rowing venue. They also train in a state of the art indoor rowing facility, called the Leo LeBlanc Rowing Centre, which was generously donated in part by the St. Catharines rowing club.
[edit] Reputation
The Globe and Mail's University Report Card, which is a national survey on student satisfaction, ranked Brock first in several categories and sixth overall among 29 Canadian universities.
In Maclean's 2006 University Rankings, Brock ranked fourth in student satisfaction in the primarily undergraduate category.
Its location in the Niagara Peninsula puts Brock at the center of cool-climate grape and wine research. It carries the distinction of being the only university in Canada to offer an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Oenology and Viticulture - see the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute.
In 2003, Brock's Faculty of Business was accredited by the AACSB. Less than 10 percent of business schools worldwide have earned this accreditation, the highest standard in management education. Further, Brock University has become the second university in Ontario to have its Accounting Program officially accredited by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.
[edit] Student life
The Brock University Students' Union publishes a weekly campus newspaper, The Brock Press. It also operates a radio station, CFBU, which broadcasts 24/7 from its studio in Downtown St. Catharines.
The Brock Centre for the Arts is located on campus and features two large theatres, The Sean O'Sullivan (537 seats) and The David S. Howes (508 seats). The centre has a strong reputation in the Niagara Region for presenting some of the biggest names in Canadian Arts and Entertainment, Academics, and Politics.
The School of Fine and Performing Arts owns Rodman Hall, a downtown art gallery and teaching centre. The school is exploring a possible joint venture with the City of St. Catharines to operate a performing arts venue nearby.
The Brock University Students' Union represents all undergraduate students at Brock University. It operates various services and businesses run by students.
Isaac's is the on-campus pub run by the Brock University Students' Union that hosts a very popular Thursday night event featuring cheap drinks and Top-40 music on the dancefloor.
[edit] Residences
The campus is currently home to 2,391 students, in 6 separate residences. The majority of these are first-year students, though there is a sizable population of upper-year students who live in residence as well. Traditional style residences are serviced by Sodexho food services, who operate the DeCew and Lowenberger Dining Halls, and are also responsible for a number of other miscellaneous residence tasks as well.
[edit] DeCew Residence
The oldest of the Brock Residences (1969), DeCew contains 411 beds in a traditional residence style building. The majority of the rooms are double-rooms (room-mates), though there are also four single-rooms on each floor as well. Each floor typically houses 12 students who share two common living areas and two washrooms. These washrooms are normally divided male/female, except for one (as of 2006) residence 'house' which is female-only. DeCew Residence also houses the DeCew Dining Hall, which services DeCew, Vallee, and Earp Residences.
DeCew Residence is divided into 10 'houses' of approximately 42 students each, each with its own mascot. The residence houses include: Keefer (Camels, formerly male only and the Clubs), Fitzgibbon (Paws, formerly female only), Cruickshank (Dolphins), Hunter (Monsters), Holmes (Flamingos), Shickluna (Lions, formerly male only), Simcoe (Angels, female only), MacDonnel (Dragons), St. Julien (Moose), and Brant (Bulldogs). The Head Resident lives in the basement of Stairwell 17.
[edit] Gordon and Betty Vallee Residence
Gordon and Betty Vallee Residence, commonly referred to simply as Vallee, is another traditional-style residence which was opened in 1995. It contains 251 beds on 4 floors, with the 1st floor basement serving as home to the laundry machines, maintenance closets, and a suite for the Head Resident. Students in this residence share a washroom with one other person and while this affords more privacy to the students living there, it also means that, unlike DeCew, students have to clean their own washrooms.
The residence is divided into 6 halls: Mack (Mallards), Egerton (Huskies), Bradley (Armadillos), Dufferin (G'Nomes), Renaud (Tiggers), and Yeo (Crusaders).
[edit] Alan Earp Residence
Earp Residence was officially opened in 2001, and is home to 255 students. The building is very similar to Vallee Residence, in that all of its rooms are single-rooms with a washroom shared between two students. Like Vallee, Earp is a five-story building, with the basement housing maintenance equipment and laundry facilities. The Head Resident lives in a room adjacent to the lobby.
Alan Earp Residence is divided into 5 floors: MacDougall (Groundhogs), Doherty (Phoenix), Sheaffe (Titans), Secord (Barracudas), and Merritt (Wizards).
[edit] Arnie Lowenberger Residence
Arnie Lowenberger Residence is the newest of Brock University's residences, and officially opened midway through 2003. The building endured some controversy, as it was not completed on time and all 311 of the students who were supposed to live in it had to be put up in nearby hotels for several weeks until the building could be completed. Since then, it has become known lovingly as the Berg by those who call it home.
Lowenberger differs from Vallee and Earp Residences in terms of washrooms. Rather than being entirely composed of single-rooms, Lowenberger is a combination of single- and double-rooms, which are paired up with a washroom. Thus, each washroom in the building is shared between three students. Lowenberger also houses the Lowenberger Dining Hall, and the Head Resident lives in a room adjacent to the lobby.
Lowenberger is divided into 5 halls: East 100/200s (Ravens), West 200s (Stars), East 300s (Coyotes), West 300s (Wolves), and East 400s (Hawks).
[edit] Village Residence
Village Residence currently contains 888 beds for students. It was originally opened in 1989, though expansions followed in 1993, 1998, and 2002. It is one of Brock's two non-traditional style residences, where 5 students in three single-rooms and one double-room share a common living space, as well as a kitchen. Village is not serviced by Sodexho food services, though students living there have the option of purchasing meal plans to use at either of the Dining Halls.
As of 2006, Village is divided into 3 areas, North, South, and West, and each area has 4 courts in it.
Village North is composed of Court 1 (Dittrick Spartans), Court 5 (Kirby Cows), Court 6 (Carnochan Killer Whales) and Court 12 (Bennet Broncos).
Village South is composed of Court 7 (Petrie Pirates), Court 8 (Wetherald Wabbits), Court 9 (Hainer Hammerheads) and Court 4 (Tubman Polar Bears).
Village West is composed of Court 2 (Theal Eagles), Court 3 (Lampman Dinos), Court 10 (Currie Chameleons) and Court 11 (Green Gators).
Dons live in the '07 units (ex: court 1, unit 107, etc) in each court, except for courts 10, 11 and 12, where they reside in the '02 units (1002, 1102 and 1202). There is one Head Resident per area of village, making 3 in total. The Head Resident of Village North lives in Court 6 with the don in unit 607, Village South's Head Resident lives in Court 9 with the don in 907, and Village West's Head Resident lives in court 11 with the don in 1102.
[edit] Quarry View Residence
Quarry View Residence opened in the fall of 2003, along with Lowenberger. It contains 288 beds, which are divided into 3- or 4-person units entirely in single-rooms. Quarry View, like Village, is a non-traditional residence where students have a common living area and kitchen.
Quarry View Residence is divided into 6 blocks: Block 1 Musketeers, Block 2 Mavericks, Block 3 Yellow Baboons, Block 4 Martians, Block 5 Sea Otters, and Block 6 Renegades.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Rick Campanelli
- Kyle Rae
- Dr. Karl Kaiser, one of Canada's pre-eminent winemakers who introduced icewine to oenophiles around the globe as a founder of Inniskillin Wines. [1]
- Dr. Andy Panko, currently the President of Brownfield Revolution in Niagara-on-the-Lake. [2]
- Mr. Robert Neill. He and his partners successfully manage the largest accounting firm based in the Niagara region, Durward Jones Barkwell & Company LLP. [3]
- Dr. Ian D. Beddis. For the last 20 years, Dr. Beddis has been a leader in Calgary's investment industry. He has served on many national industry boards and has held the position of Chairman of the Alberta Stock Exchange and Chairman of the Alberta District of the Investment Dealers Association. [4]
[edit] Trivia
Brock University hosted the St. Catharines Wine Tasting of 2005, in which Canadian wines outscored several French wines in blind tasting by 51 tasters from the Canadian wine industry.
The school has the third-highest increase in external research funding in all of Canada.
It is the only school to offer the program MICA not only in canada by internationally as well.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official web site
- Brock University Students' Union
- Residence Action Council home page
- A comprehensive look at Brock's athletic system
- Job Opportunities and Career Resources @ Brock
- Brock University Faculty Association's Web page
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