:''St. Andrew's College, Prince Edward Island'' redirects to here. St. Dunstan's University (SDU) is a former

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

which was located on the northern outskirts of

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

, Canada. SDU merged with

Prince of Wales College Prince of Wales College (PWC) is a former university college, which was located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. PWC merged with St. Dunstan's University in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island. PWC traces its hi ...

(PWC) in 1969 to form the

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' H ...

. St. Dunstan's College was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown on January 15, 1855 as a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

which trained young men for the Catholic clergy. The St. Andrew's College, founded in 1831, was its predecessor.UPEI History
/ref> By the mid-20th century, the college had expanded into a small

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

university. A post-

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

enrollment boom mandated an expansion which saw new residences and teaching buildings constructed on the campus located along Charlottetown's Elm Avenue (the Malpeque Road). SDU received a provincial degree-granting charter in 1917 but didn't actually award its first bachelor's degrees until the spring 1941 convocation. SDU had formerly been affiliated with

Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...

, awarding joint degrees from the 1890s onward. Following the decision to start granting its own degrees, SDU severed the relationship with Laval by 1956. Similarly to PWC, SDU also operated a high school, offering senior

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

to those students wishing to continue into academic or professional studies. Saint Dunstan's sports teams were known as the Saints. By the 1960s, the provincial government in

began a critical study of its post-secondary education institutions (PWC and SDU), concluding that a merger to form a provincial university was the desired funding and service model for future students. The merger was not without controversy as emotions ran high among supporters of both institutions; however, in May 1969 the last classes graduated from PWC and SDU, and the institutions were merged into the

, which opened for the first time in September 1969 on what had been the SDU campus. At the same time as UPEI was formed, Elm Avenue was renamed by the City of Charlottetown to University Avenue, a name by which it is still referred to. The PWC campus on Grafton Street was taken over by the provincial government and formed the basis for a

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

known as

Holland College Holland College is the provincial community college for the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island (PEI). It is named after the British Army engineer and surveyor Captain Samuel Holland. In 2024, about 30% of the college's enrolled student ...

Notable students and alumni

Mike Duffy Michael Dennis Duffy (born May 27, 1946) is a former Canadian senator and Canadian television journalist. Prior to his appointment to the upper house in 2008, he was the Ottawa editor for CTV News Channel. Upon turning 75 on May 27, 2021, Duf ...

- Canadian Senator and journalist who briefly attended Saint Dunstan's University *

Jim Foley Jim Foley (born October 27, 1946) is a former award-winning slotback in the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the 1970 CFL College Draft, winning the CFL's Rookie of the Year Award in 1971, and later won th ...

- CFL football player *

Bill MacMillan William Stewart MacMillan (March 7, 1943 – July 14, 2023) was a Canadian hockey coach and player. MacMillan played and later coached in the National Hockey League (NHL). After several years with the Canada national team, including playing at ...

- NHL hockey player and coach * Don McDougall - businessman * George McMahon - Canadian politician * James Cardinal McGuigan - Cardinal named by Pope Pius XII and Archbishop of Toronto, Ontario *

James Jeffrey Roche James Jeffrey Roche (May 31, 1847 – April 3, 1908) was an Irish-American poet, journalist and diplomat. Roche emigrated as a young child, and grew up in Prince Edward Island, Canada. He came to Boston in 1866, and joined the staff of the Iris ...

- 19th-century Irish-American poet and diplomat

External links

St. Dunstan's University history - provided by UPEI

St. Dunstan's University Board of Governors - continuing to advance the mandate of SDU with religious education and scholarships

References

{{Reflist Universities and colleges established in 1855 Educational institutions disestablished in 1969 Education in Charlottetown University of Prince Edward Island 1855 establishments in the British Empire 1969 disestablishments in Prince Edward Island Universities and colleges in Prince Edward Island Defunct universities and colleges in Prince Edward Island Defunct Catholic universities and colleges in Canada