Victoria College was an

affiliated college An affiliated school (also affiliated college, federated school, federated college or federated university) is an educational institution that operates independently, but also has a formal collaborative agreement with another, usually larger institu ...

based in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

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, ...

, Canada. Founded in 1903, it was the first

post-secondary Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...

institution established in

, and served as the predecessor to 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 ...

. As a result, the history and traditions of the institution are perpetuated by the University of Victoria. It was established in 1903 as an affiliated college of

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

based at Victoria High School. Victoria College suspended operations when the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, 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 a ...

(UBC) opened to the public in 1915. Victoria College resumed operations in 1921 at

Craigdarroch Castle Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is a historic, Victorian-era Scottish Baronial mansion. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada due to its landmark status in Victoria. History It was constructed in the ...

, as an affiliate of UBC. An influx in enrolment following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

led the institution to move to a new location in the

Uplands Upland or Uplands may refer to: Geography *Hill, an area of higher land, generally *Highland, an area of higher land divided into low and high points *Upland and lowland, conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level *I ...

neighbourhood of Victoria. It continued to operate as an affiliated college until 1963 when it was reorganized into an independent institution, the University of Victoria.

History

McGill affiliate (1903–1915)

Victoria High School, Victoria, British Columbia, January 16, 1912 (AL+CA 2009)

Victoria College was a two-year college which provided students in

with post-secondary education. Between the years 1903 and 1915, Victoria College was affiliated with

, offering first- and second-year McGill courses in Arts and Science. Administered locally by the Victoria School Board, the College was an adjunct to Victoria High School and shared its facilities. Both institutions were under the direction of a single Principal, E.B. Paul from 1903 to 1908; and S.J. Willis from 1908 to 1915. After the

opened to the public in 1915, the College was forced to suspend post-secondary operations.

UBC affiliate (1921–1963)

In 1920, as a result of local demands, Victoria College began the second stage of its development, reborn as an affiliated institution of the University of British Columbia. Though still administered by the Victoria School Board, the College was now completely separated from Victoria High School, moving September 27, 1921, into

. The institution was opened as a two-year institution, allowing students to complete the first two years of their bachelor's degree at Victoria College, before completing it at UBC. The institution was managed under principals E.B. Paul, and his successor, P.H. Elliott, providing scholarly instruction in first- and second-year arts and science. Principal of Victoria College, J.M. Ewing, and his successor, W.H. Hickman, helped manage the institution's growth following the

, as well as its later transition from an affiliated institution into an independent institution. During this period, the College was governed by the Victoria College Council, representative of the University of British Columbia, the Greater Victoria School Board, and the provincial Department of Education. The first major change to the institution during this period occurred in 1946, when the College was forced by postwar enrolment to move from Craigdarroch to the Lansdowne campus of the Provincial Normal School (presently a part of

Camosun College Camosun College is a public college located in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The college has two campuses, Lansdowne and Interurban, with a total enrollment of around 14,000 students (including Professional Studies and Industry Training) ...

Lansdowne campus). The provincial normal school was later merged with Victoria College in 1956, becoming the College's Faculty of Education. Late during this period, of land at

Gordon Head Gordon Head is a seaside neighbourhood in the municipality of Saanich in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Gordon Head lies north of McKenzie Avenue and east of the Blenkinsop Valley. The University of Victoria is located partly within G ...

was acquired by Victoria College, with the co-operation of the Department of National Defence and the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

. The University of British Columbia later authorized its bachelor's degrees to be awarded at Victoria College. The first students that completed their studies entirely in Victoria were awarded UBC

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

s from the College in 1961. In 1963, Victoria College was reorganized through a charter as the

, becoming an independent university.

Traditions

Athletics

Victoria College students were active in many different sports and athletic activities. The warm, temperate climate of Victoria allows for extended sporting seasons and little rain. The rivers and ocean around Victoria provided excellent opportunities for

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

and

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

teams. The two sports continue to be popular sports at the University of Victoria.

Fight Song

Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement and convocation, and athletic games is 'Rack and Ruin' a reminder of the tradition of the founding Victoria College. The Fight Song is still sung by the University of Victoria rowing club and soccer teams.

Faculty and staff

The staff of Victoria College started small and catered to the community. At its founding, it including a staff of just two faculty members, with the inaugural class consisting of four women and three men. The students and faculty members continued to steadily grow over the course of the first half of the twentieth-century.

Notable alumni

* Jim Coleman (1911–2001), Canadian sports journalist, writer and press secretary