Green College is a centre for interdisciplinary scholarship and a community of scholars at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thr ...

founded by

Cecil Howard Green Cecil Howard Green (August 6, 1900 – April 11, 2003) was a British-born American geophysicist, electrical engineer, and electronics manufacturing executive, who trained at the University of British Columbia and the Massachusetts Institute of Tec ...

and Ida Green. The college consists of a residential community of nearly 100

graduate student Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and s ...

postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to pu ...

s, visiting scholars and professors, and non-resident affiliated faculty and academic programming. Green College is one of only three graduate

residential colleges A residential college is a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship w ...

in Canada which are modelled on the

Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most famous universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collectively, in contrast to other British universities, and more broadly to de ...

system, the other two being St. John's College, University of British Columbia and

Massey College Massey College is a graduate residential college at the University of Toronto that was established, built and partially endowed in 1962 by the Massey Foundation and officially opened in 1963, though women were not admitted until 1974. It was mo ...

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. Green College has formal ties with both institutions as well as with the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and

Green Templeton College, Oxford Green Templeton College (GTC) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The college is located on the previous Green College site on Woodstock Road next to the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in North Oxford an ...

, which similarly owes its inception to the generosity of

Cecil H. Green Cecil Howard Green (August 6, 1900 – April 11, 2003) was a British-born American geophysicist, electrical engineer, and electronics manufacturing executive, who trained at the University of British Columbia and the Massachusetts Institute of T ...

. The college is located at the North end of the

UBC The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top three ...

campus, near the Faculty of Law, Museum of Anthropology, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, and the Buchanan complex. Cecil Green Park House is an oceanfront mansion adjoining the College property. Dining together is an integral part of the Green College experience. The college is home to the Green College Dining Society which provides ten meals a week to residents and guests in Graham House's Great Hall. In 1997, Green College was evaluated as " urpassinggoals" by an independent review committee.This issue of UBC Reports
is also online in PDF form. The college's "stimulating program" earned a Peter Larkin Graduate Program Award from UBC in 1998.This issue of UBC Reports
is also online in PDF form.

History

Green College was established in 1993 thanks to a $7 million gift by

and Ida Green, which was matched by the

Province of British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

. This gift provided a home to the Cecil and Ida Green Visiting Professorship program, launched by the Greens in 1972.

History Prior to 1993

The facilities of the college campus existed prior to the founding of the college. In 1935, the Grand Campus Washout eroded a deep ravine across the east end of the grounds. After several days of erosion, the Gardener's shed collapsed into the ravine. Afterwards, the gully was filled with debris from a nearby landslide. Includes several contemporary photos of the Washout. The shed was not rebuilt. The landslide area can be identified today by the younger trees on the fill area and a sudden decrease in elevation where the fill has compacted. The following year the campus drainage system was constructed, terminating in a spiral drain at the southwest end of the Cecil Green Park Road parking lot associated with the college. Two more minor erosion events occurred in the summer of 1995 and 1997 when the drainage system overloaded and flooded the parking lot. A berm was constructed to prevent a recurrence of these events. Slope stability and controlling further erosion continues to be a significant issue for all of the north end of campus including the college grounds.

Green College role in APEC meeting, 1997

In November, 1997, the

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economy, economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

(APEC) meeting was held in Vancouver, with the final gathering at the

Museum of Anthropology at UBC The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is renowned for its displays of world arts and cultures, in particular works by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. As we ...

. Great controversy arose when politicians instructed

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...

officers to use force and

pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, or capsicum spray is a lachrymatory agent (a compound that irritates the eyes to cause a burning sensation, pain, and temporary blindness) used in policing, riot control, ...

against non-violent protesters. Green College was located near the Museum of Anthropology, directly adjacent to the official motorcade route to the APEC venue there. Green College resident and Law student Craig Jones was arrested and held for 14 hours when he displayed signs reading simply "Free Speech", "Democracy", and "Human Rights" on College property. Green College residents displayed protest banners from the windows and walls of the college. Green College residents were among those doused by pepper spray by the RCMP. Also, starting six months before the APEC summit, Green College provided event space and logistical support for an "APEC-University Forum", to discuss both sides of issues raised. Map of Green College on motorcade route, p xii. Green resident and Law student Karen Pearlston told "no signs and no people" on Green side of route, p. xiii, 145. RCMP arrests Law student Craig Jones and hold him for 14 hours for displaying signs reading simply "Free Speech", "Democracy", and "Human Rights" on College property, p. xv, 8, 145, 210, plate 12. Green College resident and PhD student in Pharmacology reports RCMP assault a person telling of alleged RCMP misconduct, and pepper-spraying Green College residents and others listening to the speaker, p. 7. Green College residents Jenn Baggs and Todd Tubutis, with PhD student Mike Thoms, display protest banner in front of Green College buildings, plate 5. Green College provides "major logistical support" and hosts events for APEC-University forum starting May 1997, per Arnab Guha, pp. 201-203.

Housing Contract controversy, 2006

In order to pay for mounting maintenance costs, the college entered into an agreement with UBC Housing and Conferences during the 2005–2006 term for Housing to take over some of the administration of Green College. On 28 July 2006, residents received
new contract
with terms that many residents found objectionable, with the order to sign the contract by 1 August 2006. Many residents did not sign the new contract. The deadline was pushed back several times, but eviction notices were given on 28 August to at least twenty-three of the residents.

Mandate and Motto

The college's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

features two cougars grasping a flagpole above a shield, and includes the college's motto "Ideas and Friendship". It was registered with the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for t ...

on January 15, 1996.

Residency and Membership

Members of the college are selected through a membership committee. Resident membership of Green College is open to UBC students who have been accepted into or are currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral degree program, UBC-appointed Postdoctoral Fellows and Visiting graduate students. A limited number of places are available each year to graduate students enrolled in degrees at other universities who have the status of Visiting Students or Visiting Scholars at UBC. Resident membership is not open to UBC faculty members.

Activities

Endowed Professorships and Lectureships

Green College has a number of endowed lectures and visiting professors every year. A major goal of the Visiting Professorship program is to enhance the intellectual environment of Green College and to provide opportunities for graduate students and faculty at UBC to interact with outstanding scholars from other institutions.

Cecil H. and Ida Green Visiting Professor

Since the first Cecil H. and Ida Green Visiting Professor, Nobel Laureate

Gerhard Herzberg Gerhard Heinrich Friedrich Otto Julius Herzberg, (; December 25, 1904 – March 3, 1999) was a German-Canadian pioneering physicist and physical chemist, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1971, "for his contributions to the knowledge o ...

, arrived in 1972, more than 180 distinguished scholars have participated in the CIGVP program. Visiting professors, mainly nominated by a UBC faculty member and recently recommended by a resident member, are selected by the college's Academic Committee on the basis of academic excellence and appeal to a broad audience.

Richard V. Ericson Lecture

Richard V. Ericson (1948-2007), was Professor of Criminology and Sociology and Director of the Centre of Criminology at the University of Toronto. He was founding Principal of Green College (1993-2003). His many acclaimed publications spanned police work, crime reporting, risk and regulation, insurance and governance, and the sociology of knowledge. He was especially proud of his role in the creation of Green College at UBC as a unique combination of residential academic community and public venue for non-curricular, interdisciplinary inquiry. The Richard V. Ericson lecture series is held annually and invites lecturers of national or international reputation to speak on topics of broad interdisciplinary interest. It was inaugurated in 2011 by Andrew Coyne, National Editor of Maclean's Magazine. The lectures are partly funded from the Richard V. Ericso
Lecture Endowment

John V. Clyne Lecture

The John Clyne Lecture Program, now administered by Green College on behalf UBC, is made possible by an endowment created to honour John Valentine Clyne at the conclusion of his service as Chancellor of UBC in 1984. The purpose of the endowment is to provide public lectures by individuals with outstanding expertise in one or more of the fields, namely Government, Business, Law and the Arts.

Academic Lectures and Interdisciplinary Groups

Academic programming highlighting interdisciplinary research and topics is determined each academic year by the college's Academic Committee. Regular programming includes the Green College Special Series, organized by the Principal, each Tuesday, the Green College Members' Series each Monday featuring presentations from resident members of the college, and sometimes the Writer-in-Residence and Justice-in-Residence series. Every academic year, other interdisciplinary series at the college are offered, including Cosmology, Genomics and Society; Law and Society; Modernism and Its Discontents; Nature, History, and Society; Policy Issues in Postsecondary Education; Post-Colonial Research Cluster; Religion in the 21st Century; and Science and Society.

Writers-in-Residence

Since 2000 this programme has welcomed Canadian writers of all genres. The Writer-in-Residence works with the Green College community through consultations and workshops, and coordinates a reading series through the college's academic programming for the UBC community and beyond. Writer Gary Geddes reflected on his time at Green College as a "highlight of isliterary career". Past writers in residence have included:

Merilyn Simonds Merilyn Simonds (born 1949) is a Canadian writer. Biography Merilyn Simonds was born in 1949 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She spent her childhood in Brazil, returning to Canada as a teenager, where she was educated at the University of Western Ontar ...

Lynn Coady Lynn Coady (born January 24, 1970)Lynn Coady
at

Roo Borson Ruth Elizabeth Borson, who writes under the name Roo Borson (born January 20, 1952 in Berkeley, California) is a Canadian poet who lives in Toronto. After undergraduate studies at UC Santa Barbara and Goddard College, she received an MFA from th ...

Wayde Compton Wayde Compton (born 1972) is a Canadian writer. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. Compton has published books of poetry, essays, and fiction, and he edited the first comprehensive anthology of black writing from British Columbia. He co ...

Karen Connelly Karen Marie Connelly (born 12 March 1969) is a Canadian travel writer, novelist and poet who has written extensively about her experiences living in Greece, Thailand and Canada. Life and work Connelly was born in Calgary, Alberta. At seventeen, ...

, Nalo Hopkinson, Kevin Kerr, Andrea Spalding, Patricia Robertson,

Anne Simpson Anne Simpson is a Canadian poet, novelist, artist and essayist. She was a recipient of the Griffin Poetry Prize. Biography Simpson received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Queen's University, and graduated in Fine Arts from OCAD University (form ...

and

Alison Wearing Alison Wearing (born 1967) is a Canadian writer and performer most noted for her memoir and solo play, ''Confessions of a Fairy's Daughter''. Wearing, born in Peterborough, Ontario, studied French, music, and political science across various uni ...

Justices-in-Residence

Initiated in 2001, the Justice-in-Residence program brings Justices to the college, where they participate in college life and make formal and informal presentations. Some of the past Justices-in-Residence: The Honourable Mr. Justice

Charles Gonthier Charles Doherty Gonthier, (August 1, 1928 – July 16, 2009) was a Puisne judge on the Supreme Court of Canada from February 1, 1989 to August 1, 2003. He was replaced by Morris Fish. Early life Gonthier was born in Montreal, Quebec to G ...

(2001), The Right Honourable

Beverley McLachlin Beverley Marian McLachlin (born September 7, 1943) is a Canadian jurist and author who served as the 17th chief justice of Canada from 2000 to 2017. She is the longest-serving chief justice in Canadian history and the first woman to hold the p ...

( Chief Justice of Canada) (2002), The Honourable Mr. Justice

Frank Iacobucci Frank Iacobucci (born June 29, 1937) is a former Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1991 until his retirement from the bench in 2004. He was the first Italian-Canadian, allophone judge on the court. Iacobucci was also the fir ...

(2003), The Honourable Mr. Justice W.

Ian Binnie William Ian Corneil Binnie (born April 14, 1939) is a former puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, serving from January 8, 1998 to October 27, 2011. Of the justices appointed to the Supreme Court in recent years, he is one of the few app ...

(2004), The Honourable Madam Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella (2006), The Honourable Mr. Justice

Marshall Rothstein Marshall Rothstein (born December 25, 1940) is a former Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Early life Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Jewish parents who immigrated from Eastern Europe, he received a Bachelor of Commerce in 1962 and an ...

(2007), The Honourable Mr. Justice Robert Singley (2009).

Social and Community Activities

In addition to formal academic programming, a diverse array of residen
committees
are active at the college. Associations include: Wellness Committee, Sustainability Committee, Arts Committee, Garden Committee, Outreach Committee, Social Committee, Sports Committee, and French, Spanish and German conversation groups. The Residents' Council is a coordinating committee consisting of the committee chairs, the President of the Green College Dining Society, and one Resident Member from each of the College Standing Committees (Academic, Membership, Media and Communications) chosen by the resident caucuses of those committees.

Location and Facilities

Green College is located on the

's main campus on the northern side of the peninsula, dangling precariously above Tower Beach and

Wreck Beach Wreck Beach ( Squamish: Ts'at'lhm) is a clothing-optional beach located in Pacific Spirit Regional Park, which is in turn part of the University Endowment Lands just west of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The clothing-optional section i ...

. Located on Cecil Green Park Road, just off of North West Marine Drive, the college is adjacent to Cecil Green Park House, the Departments of Anthropology and Sociology, the

Chan Shun Concert Hall The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts is located on the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is situated within the natural landscape of the campus and is surrounded by evergreens and rhododendr ...

and the

. Green College is located at http://www.maps.ubc.ca/?412 and and is situated in the

University Endowment Lands The University Endowment Lands (UEL) is an unincorporated area that lies to the west of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and adjacent to the University of British Columbia and the lands associated with that campus. Pacific Sp ...

which are slightly west of the city of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

. Green College consists of two heritage buildings: the Coach House and Graham House, the latter designed by Maclure and Fox in 1915, a series of residential blocks, guest house accommodations, Green Commons, a shared kitchen complex, gardens and a patio. The original garden design was by Thomas h. Mawson. The architectural style reflects the college's west coast location and is integrated with the forested oceanside landscape. The Coach House is home to a number of lecture series and conferences, while Graham House is the site of resident meals, galas and special events. Both buildings are also available for rental with catering providing by the Green College Dining Society. As of August 2007, Green Commons is home to the university's Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme.

Organization

The college is a unit of the Faculty of Graduate + Post-doctoral Studies (G+PS) of UBC. The head of the college is the College Principal who reports to the Dean of G+PS. Management of the college is guided through an Advisory Board consisting of faculty, community leaders, college residents and representatives from parallel institutions. Academic components of the college are managed through a variety of joint faculty – resident committees. The Green Colleg
Dining Society
is an independent entity that oversees the provision of meals to members of Green College and guests, serving daily meals to residents as well as providing catering services for events held at the college. The GCDS is governed by a Board of Directors with Executive Officers elected annually by members of the Society.

References

* *

External links

Green College websiteResindence contract (2018-19)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green College, University Of British Columbia University of British Columbia University residences in Canada Residential colleges