Notre Dame University College was a private university in

Nelson, British Columbia Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the British Columbia Interior, Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of resto ...

, Canada. It was established in 1950 by the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

diocese of Nelson and opened with twelve students. In 1951 Notre Dame became affiliated as a junior college with

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the univ ...

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

, United States, and in 1961 it became affiliated with

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Franc ...

Antigonish, Nova Scotia , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = File:St Ninian's Cathedral Antigonish Spring.jpg , image_caption = St. Ninian's Cathedral , image_flag = Flag of Antigonish.pn ...

. In 1963, it was chartered as a private four-year university by the Province of

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

. Shortly thereafter, it adopted the name Notre Dame University of Nelson (NDU). At the height of its operation, it enrolled 2,000 students in a variety of academic disciplines. The university granted both Major B.A. Degrees, with intensive work in one subject area, and B.A. Degrees with Concentrations in two subject areas. It hosted a wide range of foreign students, including many from

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, and the United States. Dr. Hugh L. Keenleyside, a noted Canadian civil servant and scholar, served as Chancellor and Chairman of the Board of Governors of Notre Dame University College from 1969 to 1977. Prominent Faculty members included Dr. P.J. Micallef, Professor of Philosophy, a Laval scholar, and Dr. L.A.D. Morey, Professor of English, a former student of

J.R.R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

at Oxford University, among many other highly regarded academicians. NDU served as the headquarters of the Canadian National Ski Team and embarked on a student-inspired scheme to finance a new student union building independently of university funds. Although the University attracted sufficient numbers of students, it encountered financial difficulties, perhaps in part connected to internal strife - Notre Dame was the first university in Canada to endorse a faculty labour union. In 1976, at the request of the Notre Dame Board of Directors, the Province of British Columbia assumed control, renaming it the David Thompson University Centre and placing it under the administration of the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

. In spite of its local and regional popularity, the provincial government found the per-student cost too high and closed it in 1984.

Notable alumni

Don Cozzetto Dr. Don Cozzetto is a Canadian academic and university administrator. He was born and raised in Rossland, British Columbia but has spent most of his career in the United States. He received his B.A. from Notre Dame University College in Nelson, Bri ...

Edward John Edward John (born July 8, 1949) is a prominent First Nations political leader in Canada. Early life The son of Louis and Amelia John, he was born in the Carrier village of Tachie, along the north shore of Stuart Lake, about 60 km from ...

Andrew Petter Andrew J. Petter (born 1953) is the chair of Innovate BC, a provincial Crown agency responsible for supporting innovation and growth in the technology sector in British Columbia. Andrew Petter served as President and Vice-Chancellor of Simon ...

Sadeq Qotbzadeh Sadegh Ghotbzadeh ( fa, صادق قطب‌زاده, 24 February 1936 – 15 September 1982) was an Iranian politician who served as a close aide of Ayatollah Khomeini during his 1978 exile in France, and foreign minister (30 November 1979 – ...

References

Defunct universities and colleges in Canada Universities in British Columbia Nelson, British Columbia Educational institutions established in 1950 1950 establishments in British Columbia Educational institutions disestablished in 1984 1984 disestablishments in British Columbia {{Canada-university-stub