The University of King's College is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

liberal arts university in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

.Roper, Henry. "Aspects of the History of a Loyalist College: King's College, Windsor, and Nova Scotian Higher Education in the Nineteenth Century." Anglican and Episcopal History 61 (1991). Established in 1789, it is the oldest chartered university in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and the oldest English-speaking university in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

outside the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The university is regarded for its Foundation Year Program (FYP), an undergraduate curriculum designed to comprehensively study a variety of intellectual developments—past and present—through great books and ideas. It is also known for its upper-year interdisciplinary programs, particularly in contemporary studies, early modern studies, and the

history of science and technology The history of science and technology (HST) is a field of history that examines the development of the understanding of the natural world (science) and humans' ability to manipulate it (technology) at different points in time. This academic discip ...

. In addition, the university has a

journalism school A journalism school is a school or department, usually part of an established university, where journalists are trained. 'J-School' is an increasingly used term for a journalism department at a school or college. Journalists in most parts of the ...

that attracts students from across the world for its intensive graduate programs in journalism, writing, and publishing. The university was founded by

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Nova Scotia Highway 101, Highway 101. The community has a history d ...

as the ''King's Collegiate School'' in 1788, but the school moved to its current location in Halifax after a fire destroyed a large portion of the original university in 1920. The relocation was made possible with the help of

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

, which has since maintained a joint Faculty of Arts and Sciences with King's. As a result, this has provided students at King's with full access to Dalhousie’s facilities and services. Furthermore, students from King’s and Dalhousie can enroll in courses offered at either institution as the campuses are located adjacent to each other. Despite this academic partnership, the University of King's College remains independent under its own charter.

History

Late 18th century and 19th century

During the British evacuation of New York in 1783, Charles Inglis, the rector of Trinity Church, led the flight of

United Empire Loyalists United Empire Loyalist (UEL; or simply Loyalist) is an honorific title which was first given by Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, the 1st Lord Dorchester, the governor of Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec and Governor General, governor ...

(UEL) to

. In 1788, the resettled UEL founded the King's Collegiate School in Windsor, named after King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

. In the following year, the University of King's College emerged from the collegiate while an act was passed for "the permanent establishment and effectual support of a college at Windsor," and £400 per annum was granted towards its maintenance. The college opened in 1790, and received a royal charter from George III in 1802, becoming Canada's first English-speaking, degree-granting university. Even though the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

traces its history to another King's College at Fredericton established in 1785, it did not initially receive degree-granting powers through a Royal Charter until 1827. Similarly,

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

traces its origins to 1801 but did not receive a Royal Charter until 1821. Windsor was chosen as the location of the college, as it was described at the time as "a cherished semi-rural retreat for generations of Nova Scotians." Prior to European colonization, the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

inhabited the area, which they referred to as

Pisiguit Pisiguit is the pre- expulsion-period Acadian region located along the banks of the Avon River (known as the Pisiquit River to the Acadians) from its confluence with the Minas Basin of Acadia, which is now Nova Scotia, including the St. Croix Ri ...

, for more than 10,000 years. In the 16th century, French colonists began colonizing the region, which became part of the colony of

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

. During the first half of the 18th century, British forces gradually conquered Acadia as part of the

French and Indian Wars The French and Indian Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in North America between 1688 and 1763, some of which indirectly were related to the European dynastic wars. The title ''French and Indian War'' in the singular is used in the U ...

. The founders of King's College, representing the political and financial elite of Anglophone Nova Scotians, had only been in the area since the 1750s, with the construction of Fort Edward and the

expulsion of the Acadians The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal of inhabitants of the North American region historically known as Acadia between 1755 and 1764 by Great Britain. It included the modern Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Br ...

. A significant reason for the establishment of King's College was to discourage young Nova Scotians from studying in the United States, where they might be exposed to republican ideals.

The founding of a College or Seminary of learning on a liberal plan in that province ova Scotiawhere youth may receive a virtuous education and can be qualified for the learned professions, is, we humbly conceive, a member of great consequence, as it would diffuse religious literature, loyalty, and good morals among His Majesty's subjects there. If such a seminary is not established the inhabitants will have no means of educating their sons at home, but will be under the but will necessity of sending them for that purpose either to Great Britain... or else some of the states of this continent, where they will soon imbibe principles that are unfavourable to the British Constitution.

On this, Inglis, the Archbishop of Nova Scotia and a founder of the college, was clear:

...one of the principle motives for pushing
he college He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
forward was to prevent the importation of American Divines and American politics into the province. Unless we have a seminary here, the youth of Nova Scotia will be sent for their education to the Revolted Colonies—the inevitable consequences would be a corruption of their religious and political principle.

Another significant reason for the founding of the college was to prevent the spread of regional varieties of English in Nova Scotia:

A very principal object of the new institution would be accomplished by assimilating the manner of the rising generation to those of the parent state . . . to teach the genuine use, practice and pronunciation of the English language, which in distant colonies is apt to degenerate, and that the purity of the language, undebased by local or national accents and solecisms, is undeniably to be found in the Kingdom of England.

These ideas continued during the development and appointments of the college's board, principals, and faculty. Influence in the development of the college came from the highest levels, including the first Bishop of Nova Scotia and

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

. The first Board of Governors include the colony's governor, lieutenant governor, chief justice, the secretary of the colony, the speaker of the House of Assembly, the attorney general, and the solicitor general. The university was residential, tutorial, and closely tied to the Anglican Church. Only white Anglican men could attend the college, and during the 19th century these students were required to adhere to the Thirty-nine Articles of the Anglican Church. As a result, several groups were barred from attending, including the Mi'kmaq, Francophones, Catholics, non-Anglican Protestants and slaves, including those owned by the founders of the town of Windsor.

Other facts

Upon discovering the chalice and paten of St. Peter's Anglican Church (West LaHave, Nova Scotia) were being sold in Halifax, Senator William Johnston Almon purchased them and donated them to the King's College Chapel (1891). The chalice is reported to be the oldest Anglican chalice in Canada, dated to c. 1663. The Town of Windsor assert that students at King's College invented

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

c. 1800 on Long Pond adjacent to the campus. (A similar game developed, perhaps independently, in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

several years later which has led to occasional confusion about the sport's origins.) The noted Canadian poet Sir Charles G. D. Roberts taught at King's College from 1885 to 1895.John Coldwell Adams,
Sir Charles G.D. Roberts
" ''Confederation Voices'', Canadian Poetry, UWO, Web, March 2, 2011.

Early and mid-20th century

On February 5, 1920, a fire consumed many of the university’s buildings. Although the cause of the blaze is still unknown, legend states it was caused by students playing with matches in a dormitory. Due to frozen fire hydrants at the time of the event, the blaze could not be put out and a majority of the 28-hectare campus burned to the ground. In 1922, the Carnegie Foundation offered a conditional grant to rebuild King's College. Among the provisions were that King's College was to be rebuilt in Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, and that it was to enter into an association with Dalhousie University. The partnership required King's to pay the salaries of select Dalhousie professors, who, in return, would help manage King's College. In addition, students at King's would be permitted to study at Dalhousie, while Dalhousie students would be permitted to study at King's with the exception of

divinity Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...

; the granting of all other degrees outlined in the 1802 charter was to be temporarily halted. The conditions were in hope that one day all of Nova Scotia's universities would merge into a single body, much like the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. As consolidation was a way to strengthen a small and financially insecure institution, King's College accepted the funding and relocated to the northwest corner of Dalhousie's Studley Campus, at the intersection of Oxford Street and Coburg Road. Alongside the move, the institution renamed itself “University of King's College”. Other universities in Halifax similarly did not follow through with the Carnegie Foundation's merger plan. In the formative years of King's College, many more types of degrees were offered than the institution offers today; for example, the

University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law The University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law is the second oldest university-based common law Faculty in the Commonwealth.National Historic Site. When

World War II 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 ...

broke out, King's was requisitioned by the military for the training of naval officers between 1941 and 1945. King's functioned as a "

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. 'Stone frigate' is an informal term which has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy (RN), after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French ...

", providing a facility for navigation training before officers were sent to their ships. This role is highlighted in the 1943 Hollywood feature film, ''

Corvette K-225 ''Corvette K-225'' is a 1943 American war film starring Randolph Scott and James Brown, with Ella Raines making her feature film debut. Directed by Richard Rosson, the film was released in the UK as ''The Nelson Touch''. Robert Mitchum, credi ...

'', a part of which was filmed on the University campus. The academic life of the College carried on during those years elsewhere in Halifax, aided by Dalhousie University and the United Church's Pine Hill Divinity Hall. In reflection of this naval past, the student bar on campus is known as the HMCS King's Wardroom, often referred to as "The Wardroom" or "The Wardy". During the war, the Germans would occasionally broadcast names of Allied ships they had sunk. As ships had to keep radio silence, these reports could not be verified, and it was suspected that many were false. Allies circulated lists of non-active ships in the hopes of feeding the Germans misinformation; when the Germans broadcast that they had sunk HMCS ''King's,'' their ruse was exposed. After the war, the campus was returned to the University. The policy of university education initiated in the 1960s responded to population pressure and the belief that higher education was a key to social justice and economic productivity for individuals and for society.

Late 20th century and 21st century

Until the spring of 1971, the university granted graduate theological degrees as well as undergraduate degrees. In the same year, the Faculty of Divinity was moved to Pine Hill, where it was formally amalgamated into the

Atlantic School of Theology Atlantic School of Theology (AST) is a Canadian public ecumenical university that provides graduate level theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taug ...

, an ecumenical venture with the United Church of Canada and the Roman Catholic Church. While this new institution now grants its own degrees, King's holds in abeyance its rights to grant divinity credentials and still continues to grant annual honorary degrees. In 1972, King's faculty and alumni created the Foundation Year Program, a first-year

great books A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or particularly noteworthy. What makes a book "classic" is a concern that has occurred to various authors ranging from Italo Calvino to Mark Twain and the related questions of "Why Read the Cl ...

course that would count for four of a student's five first-year credits. The program consisted of six sections from The Ancient World to The Contemporary World, in which students would read the work of major philosophers, poets, historians and scientists, receive lectures from a range of experts in all these areas, write critical papers and engage in small-group discussion and tutorials. The program initially had 30 students; it now draws almost 300 a year, most of whom live in residence on campus. Many of those who taught in the program in its early days were colleagues and students of the philosopher

James Doull James Alexander Doull (1918–2001) was a Canadian philosopher and academic who was born and lived most of his life in Nova Scotia. His father was the politician, jurist, and historian John Doull. Biography From the late 1940s until the mid-1980s ...

, who exercised a considerable degree of influence on the program in its formative stages. In 1989, Doull was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university. In 1977, King's introduced two Bachelor of Journalism programs: a four-year honours degree and a one-year compressed degree for students who already hold a bachelor's degree. In 1989, a campus library building was erected to commemorate the bicentennial of the university. It replaced a smaller library in the Arts and Administration building. The library has won numerous architectural awards. In 2000, the same architect designed the school's New Academic Building. In 2001, additional residence rooms were added in the basement of Alexandra Hall to accommodate some of the new students. Residence can currently accommodate 274 students, and nearly all on-campus living spaces are reserved for FYP students, though some spaces are reserved for upper-year students. All buildings on the present campus are celebrated reconstructions and derivations of the buildings of the original 1789 campus in

. A system of tunnels connects the residences to the other buildings of the campus, a feature particularly common to North American universities. The King's Library houses an impressive collection not only of rare Anglican church documents, but also a vast collection of original artwork, Renaissance and medieval books, and extensive archival material of relevance both to the history of Nova Scotia and the university. It also has some ancient artifacts, along with the Weldon Collection of fine imported china. Many of the rare books stem from the original, private collection of university founder, Charles Inglis. Recently, the blueprints for the buildings of the current campus were consulted in the library to restore the famed cupola crowning the A&A Building to its original 1920s condition. In 1993, King's created the Contemporary Studies program. In 1999, King's launched the Early Modern Studies program. In 2000, King's commenced the History of Science and Technology program. Each of these programs can constitute one component of a jointly conferred combined honours degree with Dalhousie. The Upper Year Program, like the Foundation Year Program, place a strong emphasis on historical contextualized, interdisciplinary study as opposed to traditional university

departmentalization Departmentalization (or departmentalisation) refers to the process of "grouping the organizational activities and structure into departments". Division of labour creates Expert, specialists who need :wikt:coordination, coordination and the coordi ...

. Today, there are over 1,000 students at King's, which represents significant growth over enrolment in the 1960s and 1970s. Its first-year class is made up mainly of Foundation Year Program students. In 2001, the FYP class was 274 students, with slightly over a hundred of these students coming from

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. The growing number of students from out of province reflects King's growing academic reputation and its transformation from a small, local college to a nationally acclaimed university. However, King's maintains strong ties to its host city and province and the number of Nova Scotians attending King's rose 23 per cent between 1994 and 2004. The largest ever FYP class was in 2004 with 309 students. However, the administration has resolved to cap future classes at just under 300. With improved retention rates, the school's population looks to stabilize at around 1,200 in future years. The number of students leaving after first year has dropped significantly since the introduction of the upper year inter-disciplinary programs. King's' transformation from a small college catering mainly to local Anglican students into a more intellectually cosmopolitan university with a strong national profile has been a resounding success. In terms of teaching quality, King's has been placed in the same academic league as top Canadian research universities like McGill and Toronto. One recent academic commentator summed up King's growing renown for its quality of teaching and eccentric student culture by remarking "If there is a Harvard of the North, it’s more likely King’s than McGill — although a better analogy would be a cross between Harry Potter’s Hogwarts and Camp Wanapitei in Temagami." The new programs, combined with a rigorous set of academic expectations and a cooperative academic culture, have proven a hit with high achieving high school students. Conservative estimates put the entrance average of first year King's students at 87%, or a strong A in Canadian high school marks. In October 2003, Dr. William Barker was installed as president and vice-chancellor, replacing Dr. Colin Starnes. Dr. Barker and the rest of the university administration have declared that King's has grown as much as it can and should. They describe the coming years as "a time of consolidation", with a focus on retention and development of new programs. The university's growth has changed some King's traditions. Formal meals, with Latin grace and academic gowns, formerly held at regular intervals, were suspended from 2001 until 2003. Only with the arrival of Dr. Barker were they reinstated. They now take place on the first Wednesday of every month. In July 2006, the King's Student Union founded the King's Co-op Bookstore; it stocks every title on the FYP Reading List, as well as all necessary books for King's other courses and a number of Dalhousie courses and general interest fiction and non-fiction. The bookstore is a student-owned

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...

which functions separately from both the student union and the university. King's College administration has not avoided controversy. After the

Sodexo Sodexo (formerly Sodexho Alliance) is a French food services and facilities management company headquartered in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux. It has 522,000 employees as of 2023, operates in 55 countries and serves 100 million custome ...

cleaning staff unionized in 2004, the housekeeping contract was awarded to a different company during the summer. The King's Student Union had been involved in encouraging the workers to unionize in order to improve their working conditions, and there were strenuous objections to the awarding of the new contract. The University of King’s College's arms were registered with the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; ) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for the creation and gran ...

on August 15, 2007.

Academics

Since 1972, King's has been offering its Foundation Year Program (FYP) for undergraduate students, an intensive survey course of history, philosophy, and literature in the Western tradition. The core texts program has been described by the

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Universities Canada () is an organization that represents Canada's universities. It is a non-profit national organization that coordinates university policies, guidance and direction. Formed in 1911, as the Association of Universities and Colleg ...

as having "a national reputation for excellence as an alternative first-year of undergraduate studies", and is regarded as a prototype for similar

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 ...

programs elsewhere. The Canadian news magazine

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

likewise reflected this view in a discussion of small, specialized undergraduate programs in Canada, expressing "it's unlikely that any of the other programs would exist if not for the Foundation Year at King's". In 2008 and 2009, the FYP program was ranked first in Canada by the National Survey of Student Engagement. King's students take the FYP in their first year, then choose a specific degree program to pursue in their final three years. Furthermore, the college offers First-Year Interest Groups (FIGs), which are small study groups meant to supplement student learning in the FYP as well as the individual’s academic interests; these are open to students from any program and generally consist of tutorials, study sessions, and social events. Because of King’s affiliation with Dalhousie, it is common for students at King's to take some classes for their major and/or minor through Dalhousie University. With the exception of the journalism program, King's students graduate with joint degrees from both institutions. King's students are also eligible to complete these degrees in any subject from Dalhousie's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences or Faculty of Science. The specialized ''Contemporary Studies Program'' (CSP), the ''Early Modern Studies Program'' (EMSP), and the ''History of Science and Technology Program'' (HOST) are offered jointly with

as combined honours degrees requiring a second honours discipline. If the students decide to do a King's subject as their primary honours subject, they are required to write an honours thesis, varying in length from program to program. A Bachelor of Journalism program is offered as either a four-year honours degree or an intensive one-year program to students already holding a bachelor's degree. King's College and Dalhousie University also jointly offer a 10-month Master of Journalism program and a two-year limited residency Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Nonfiction program.

Student life

Traditions

Once every two months, formal meals are held. Students wearing traditional academic gowns are led into the meal hall by a bagpiper. Once they have found their seat, a Latin grace is said. Afterwards, the catered meal begins. These meals were formerly held at regular intervals, but were suspended from 2001 until 2003. They were reinstated during the presidency of William Barker at his behest. The UKing's Literary Society (formerly the Haliburton Society), a student-run literary society, has hosted discussions concerning poetry and prose since 1884. The society remains the longest-standing university literary society throughout the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. The society took its original name from the Canadian politician

Thomas Chandler Haliburton Thomas Chandler Haliburton (17 December 1796 – 27 August 1865) was a Nova Scotian politician, judge, and author who was the first international best-selling fiction author from what is now Canada, and who served as a Conservative Member of P ...

. It adopted its current name in 2020, as a result of a long-standing controversy over Haliburton's pro-slavery views.

Residence

The residences are built in the Georgian style typical of the original campus. Each "bay", as the original residences were termed in Windsor, is modelled on the system of 'staircases' at England's

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. Each has also been named with a seemingly ironic moniker: North Pole Bay sits atop the university's boiler rooms, and is arguably the warmest location on campus; Chapel Bay is named after the campus chapel, but is located the furthest distance from it; Radical Bay originally housed the refined, quiet divinity students; Middle Bay, which was named for its location as it is between Chapel and Radical, is named ironically as being the only non-ironic name; in addition, there is Cochran Bay, named after the first president of the College, William Cochran, and is the closest to the campus chapel. Often residence-wide parties, known as 'bay parties,' occurred, but were cancelled in 2003. However, there was a brief revival during the 2005-2006 school year, with both Radical Bay and Cochran Bay hosting several highly successful events. In place of this tradition, each Bay now organizes a themed-event on campus during different times of the school year. Another consequence of increased enrolment has been a more unbalanced composition of the residences. Traditionally, students from all years of study have lived in residence, but increasingly, very few upper year students continue to live on campus, thus making way for more first years. In 2006, Alexandra Hall, traditionally the all-women's residence, was made co-ed for the first time with rooms in the basement alternating between male and female occupants as well as one wing of the first floor becoming all-male. In addition, two of the five bays were re-converted to co-ed living spaces in 2006.

Tuition

The current Arts tuition for a full, 15-credit hour semester at the University of King's College is $3,541.20 CAD. This cost is subject to change from semester to semester. A single, 3-credit hour course in Winter 2023 was reimbursed to students at the cost of $819.75 CAD. There are separate fees for student services, residence, and meal plans. Some of these are not required to be paid by all students. The following table are the Fall 2023/2024 costs for a domestic student taken from the Dalhousie Online portal 'Student Records - Account Detail by Term." International students pay higher prices, with one student paying a sum total of $35,348.14 for the Fall 2022/Winter 2023 Semester while living in the North Pole Bay residence.

Annual events

Alex Fountain Memorial Lecture

Since 2011, an annual memorial lecture is given by an individual chosen each year by the student body. After a nomination process at the beginning of the winter semester, a long list of twenty is narrowed to a short list of ten by student election. The short list is then prioritized by a student committee, which includes the program directors and president. The lecture is free, open to the public, and concludes in a question and answer period. Previous lecturers and lectures include

Michaëlle Jean Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian former journalist who served as the 27th governor general of Canada from 2005 to 2010. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person to hold this office. Jean was the Organisation i ...

on 'Building Social Change Locally and Globally', Charles Taylor on 'Is Democracy in Danger?',

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer and essayist. Ondaatje's literary career began with his poetry in 1967, publishing ''The Dainty Monsters'', and then in 1970 the critically a ...

on 'Mongrel art: A discussion of literature and its neighbours', Jan Zwicky on 'What Meaning Is and Why It Matters', and Tanya Tagaq on 'Climate, culture, and collaboration', as well as Canadian author Joseph Boyden. The event is held in memorial after Alex Fountain, a student who died by suicide on 22 August 2009 at the age of 20. His family donated $1 million to the mental health program at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, as well as additional contributions to other mental health programs at Dalhousie University, the IWK Health Centre and Capital Health. In addition, they founded the lecture series.

Athletics

King's is a member of the Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association (ACAA). The Varsity athletics teams at the University of King's College are named the Blue Devils. Sporting teams include men's and women's basketball, soccer, badminton and rugby, and women's volleyball.

People

List of presidents

* William Cochran (1789–1804) * Thomas Cox (1804–1805) * Charles Porter (1805–1836) * George McCawley (1836–1875) * John Dart (1875–1885) * Isaac Brock (1885–1889) * Charles E. Willets (1889–1904) *

Ian Hannah Ian Campbell Hannah (16 December 1874 – 7 July 1944) was a British academic, writer and Conservative Party politician. Background He was born in Chichester, the eldest son of Rev. Prebendary John Julius Hannah, the Vicar of Brighton and later ...

(1904–1906) * C. J. Boulden (1906–1909) * T. W. Powell (1909–1914) * Charles E. Willets (Acting President, 1914–1916) * T. S. Boyle (1916–1924) * A. H. Moore (1924–1937) * A. Stanley Walker (1937–1953) * H. L. Puxley (1954–1963) * H. D. Smith (1963–1969) * F. Hilton Page (Acting President, 1969–1970) * J. Graham Morgan (1970–1977) * John Godfrey (1977–1987) * Marion G. Fry (1987–1993) * Colin Starnes (1993–2003) * William Barker (2003–2011) * Anne Leavitt (2011–2012) * George Cooper (2012–2016) * William Lahey (2016–present)

Notable current and former faculty

* Michael Bishop - Author of ''The Endless Theory of Days'' and Scholar of French Contemporary. Director of Editions VVV Editions * George Bain - Director of the School of Journalism, 1979–85 * Robert D. Crouse - Chair of Classics department at Dalhousie, co-founder of

Dionysius The name Dionysius (; ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; ) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name of the Greek god, Dionysus, parallel ...

* Sir Charles G. D. Roberts - prominent member of the group known as the Confederation Poets *

Henry How Henry How (11 July 1828 – 28 September 1879) was a British-Canadian chemist, geologist and mineralogist. Career In 1847, How and August Wilhelm von Hofmann were co-workers at the Royal College in London. How was a professor of chemistry and ...

- Chemist and mineralogist, described two minerals new to science:

howlite Howlite, a calcium borosilicate hydroxide ( Ca2 B5 Si O9(O H)5), is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits.

and mordenite * Dean Jobb - Associate Professor of Journalism, former reporter and editor for

The Chronicle Herald ''The Chronicle Herald'' is a broadsheet newspaper published in Halifax, Nova Scotia, owned by Postmedia Network. History Early years Founded in 1874 as ''The Morning Herald'', the paper quickly became one of Halifax's main newspapers. The same ...

* Kim Kierans - Vice president (2010–2017), former director of the King's School of Journalism, and writer/editor for CBC Radio One * Stephen Kimber - Rogers Communications Chair in Journalism, prominent journalist and columnist for '' The Daily News'' * Daniel Brandes - Director of the Foundation Year Program, and author of ''Nietzsche, Arendt, and the Promise of the Future'' and ''Fackenheim on Self-Making, Divine and Human'' * Gordon McOuat - former Director of the History of Science and Technology Program * Susan Newhook - Assistant Professor of Journalism and researcher, reporter and editor for CBC from 1980 to 1998 * Samuel Henry Prince - Founder of the Dalhousie School of Social Work, and author of ''Catastrophe and Social Change''. *

Stephen Snobelen Stephen Snobelen is a professor of the history of science and technology at the University of King's College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His current teaching and research interests are History of science (History of science#Renaissance, Early Modern an ...

- Director of the History of Science and Technology Program; Featured in BBC documentary ''Newton: The Dark Heretic'' * Walter Stewart - Director of the School of Journalism * Kelly Toughill - Director of the King's School of Journalism and former Deputy Executive Editor of the Toronto Star * Fred Vallance-Jones - Associate Professor of Journalism and former Investigative reporter at The Hamilton Spectator and CBC Radio * Laura Penny - Author of '' Your Call Is Important To Us: The Truth About Bullshit'' and ''More Money Than Brains: Why School Sucks, College is Crap, and Idiots Think They're Right''

Notable alumni

* Rich Aucoin - Canadian indie rock musician * Kathryn Borel - writer, editor, radio producer *

Margaret Sibella Brown Margaret Sibella Brown (March 2, 1866November 16, 1961) was a Canadian amateur bryologist specializing in mosses and liverworts native to Nova Scotia. Early in her career she was involved with gathering supplies of sphagnum moss to be used as s ...

- bryologist * William Johnston Almon * Matthew Murphy of The Super Friendz - influential Canadian rock band of the 90s * James "Calbert" Best - journalist and Canadian Diplomat * Frederick Borden - Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence from 1896–1911 * Ben Caplan - folk musician * Amor de Cosmos (1825–1897) - Premier of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, 1872-1874 * Darrell Dexter - Nova Scotia Premier, 2009–2013 * Jay Ferguson and

Patrick Pentland John Patrick Thomas Pentland (born 20 September 1969) is an Irish-born rock guitarist and a member of the Canadian rock band Sloan. All four members of Sloan write, produce, and sing their own songs, but Pentland primarily plays lead guitar for m ...

of Sloan * Lionel Avard Forsyth - president of the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation * Simon Gibbons - Canada's first

Inuk Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labr ...

priest * Trevor Greene - writer, journalist, Canadian veteran wounded in the war in Afghanistan and subject of the documentary ''Peace Warrior'' * Darren Greer - winner of the 2015 Thomas Head Raddall Award for his novel ''Just Beneath My Skin'' *

- author *

John Hamm John Frederick Hamm (born April 8, 1938) is a Canadian physician and politician, who served as the 25th premier of Nova Scotia from 1999 to 2006. Education Hamm, a graduate of the University of King's College and Dalhousie University, was a ...

- Nova Scotia Premier, 1999–2006 * William Hulme (1788–1855) - soldier * Sir John Eardley Inglis (1814–1862), in charge of the British forces at the

Siege of Lucknow The siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defence of the British The Residency, Lucknow, Residency within the city of Lucknow from rebel sepoys (Indian soldiers in the British East India Company's Army) during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After ...

* Martine L. Jacquot - author, journalist and academic * Amber MacArthur - internet media personality * Julianne MacLean - novel writer *

Russell MacLellan Russell Gregoire MacLellan (born January 16, 1940) is a Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Nova Scotia from 1997 to 1999. Federal politics He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1979 federal election ...

- Nova Scotia Premier, 1997–1999 * Stephen Blackwood - founding President of

Ralston College Ralston College is a private unaccredited liberal arts college in Savannah, Georgia. It describes itself as being dedicated to "freedom of thought and speech", and is associated with prominent conservative figures, with Stephen Blackwood as pr ...

* Stephen Marche - author of '' Raymond & Hannah'' * David McGuffin - CBC Africa correspondent * H. R. Milner - lawyer and businessman; Chancellor from 1957 to 1963 *

Stephanie Nolen Stephanie Nolen (born September 3, 1971, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian journalist and writer. She is currently the Global Health Reporter for The New York Times. From 2013 to 2019, she was the Latin America bureau chief for The Globe and Mai ...

- Africa correspondent for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' and author of '' 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa'' * Roland Ritchie - Justice of the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; , ) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants eac ...

* Cuthbert Aikman Simpson - Dean of Christ Church and

Regius Professor A Regius Professor is a university Professor (highest academic rank), professor who has, or originally had, Monarchy of the United Kingdom, royal patronage or appointment. They are a unique feature of academia in the United Kingdom and Republic ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

* Johanna Skibsrud - author of ''The Sentimentalists'', 2010

Scotiabank Giller Prize The Giller Prize (known as the Scotiabank Giller Prize from 2005-2023) is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried c ...

winner * Thomas Suther - Bishop of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

* Miriam Toews - winner, 2004 Governor General's Award for Fiction for her novel '' A Complicated Kindness'' * Patrick Graham -

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

* Al Tuck - folksinger * Augustus Welsford - one of two soldiers whose heroic deaths at the Siege of Sevastopol during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

are marked by the Welsford-Parker Monument in Halifax's Old Burying Ground * Millefiore Clarkes - PEI filmmaker

References

External links

*
King's Student Union

King's College National Historic Site of Canada
{{Authority control 1789 establishments in Nova Scotia History of Halifax, Nova Scotia Kings Educational institutions established in 1789