Université De Saint-Boniface
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The Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) is a French-language
public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...
located in the St. Boniface neighbourhood of
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
,
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
,
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 ...
. An affiliated institution of the
University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...
, the university offers general and specialized university degree programs as well as technical and professional training. In 2014, 1,368 regular students were enrolled. Its Continuing Education Division, which includes a language school, has also counted over 4,200 enrolments.


History

Université de Saint-Boniface was established by Father Norbert Provencher (1787–1853) in 1818, making it
western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...
's oldest
post-secondary Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
educational institution. It began as a small school where
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
was taught to the boys of the French-speaking
Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hudson's Bay ...
. In 1855, Collège de Saint-Boniface was constructed on the corner of Taché Avenue and Masson Street; this was overseen by Bishop
Alexandre-Antonin Taché Alexandre-Antonin Taché (; 23 July 1823 – 22 June 1894) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest, missionary of the Oblate order, author, and the first Archbishop of Saint Boniface in Manitoba, Canada. Early life Alexandre-Antonin Taché ...
(1823–1894). From 1866 to 1870, under the guidance of Bishop George Dugas, Collège changed its programs to incorporate the instruction of Latin, Greek, and philosophy into a classical curriculum. Incorporated in 1871, Collège was one of the earliest official institutions of the new province of Manitoba, which had joined the
Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...
the year before. In 1877, together with the Anglican St. John's College and the Presbyterian
Manitoba College Manitoba College was a college that existed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from 1871 to 1967, when it became one of the University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba’s founding colleges. It was one of the first institutions of higher learning ...
, it helped establish the
University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...
. Collège served both francophone and anglophone Catholic students. Around the same time, Manitoba saw an influx of French-speaking newcomers from
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
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and
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. In 1880, increased enrolment led to the construction of a larger building on the site of what is now Provencher Park. Annual enrolment was around 300 students at that time. In 1890, French lost official language status in Manitoba, and in 1916, the ''Thornton Act'' prohibited French-language instruction in the province's public schools. As a private institution, Collège remained in operation and encouraged public schools to oppose the government ban. French-language teaching continued in secret. On November 25, 1922, a fire started in a music room in the basement and the blaze destroyed the building, including all of its records and the 40,000-volume library; claiming ten victims. In response to this, Msgr. Arthur Béliveau, Archbishop of St. Boniface, donated the seminary (''Le Petit Séminaire'') on Avenue de la Cathédrale, the present location of USB. English-speaking Jesuits also founded their own college ( St. Paul's College) in 1925, and USB became a francophone institution. However, Collège offered business courses in English until 1941. The 1960s were marked by three major changes: the arrival of women in the classroom (1959), the beginnings of continuing education (including French and French as a second language classes, which sparked controversy), and the institution's transition to secular administration (1969). In 1975, Collège began to offer technical and professional programs, which led to the creation of the École technique et professionnelle (ETP) in 1989. In 1983, high school classes were transferred to Collège Louis-Riel and Collège began to focus solely on post-secondary education. The institution officially became the Université de Saint-Boniface in September 2011 after the passage of the ''Université de Saint-Boniface Act''. Despite its new
status Status (Latin plural: ''statūs''), is a state, condition, or situation, and may refer to: * Status (law) ** Legal status, in law ** Political status, in international law ** Small entity status, in patent law ** Status conference ** Status c ...
as a university, USB continues to be affiliated with the University of Manitoba, which it helped establish in 1877. Enshrined in the ''Université de Saint-Boniface Act'', the university remained affiliated with the University of Manitoba, and USB was committed to preserving this 135-year-old relationship. University degrees continue to be conferred by the University of Manitoba. However, graduates of the technical and professional programs of the ETP or École des sciences infirmières et des études de la santé (ESIES) receive their diploma or certificate from Université de Saint-Boniface. Although a hub of French-language education and of Manitoba's francophone community, USB still accepts students from around the world.


Campus

It is located on 200 Avenue de la Cathedrale, which is central to the St. Boniface neighbourhood. It is also close to the St. Boniface Hospital, the St. Boniface Cathedral, and the Red River. The
Esplanade Riel Esplanade Riel is a pedestrian bridge located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was named in honour of Louis Riel. It is a side-spar cable-stayed bridge which spans the Red River connecting downtown Winnipeg and The Forks historic area with St. Bon ...
leads from the Université to Winnipeg's downtown. The main USB building, built with
Tyndall stone Tyndall Stone is a registered trademark name by Gillis Quarries Ltd. Tyndall Stone is a dolomitic limestone that is quarried from the Selkirk Member of the Ordovician Red River Formation in the vicinity of Garson and Tyndall, Manitoba, ...
, houses two gymnasiums, the Sportex fitness centre, a library, a chapel, the Étienne Gaboury student centre, the campus radio station, an amphitheatre, computer facilities, a performance hall and an art gallery. The new Pavillon Marcel-A.-Desautels health sciences building opened in 2011.


Student residence

The student residence, located at 474 and 480 Aulneau Street in Winnipeg, was acquired in 2005 from the
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest later recognized as a Catholic saint. The congregation wa ...
. In 2014, the building was officially named Résidence-Père-Théophile-Lavoie-O.M.I.


Fitness centre

Sportex, the university's fitness centre, first opened in 1988, offering sport programmes for students, university staff, and the general public.


Programs

Université de Saint-Boniface offers both university and technical and professional programs as well as continuing education courses.


University and college programs


Continuing education

Université de Saint-Boniface's Continuing Education Division has courses in several areas. Its Language School (École de langues) has French and Spanish courses, and produces instructional material for teaching French as a first or additional language. The Continuing Education Division has an annual enrolment of over 4,000 students.


Research

The research conducted at Université de Saint-Boniface is internationally recognised and focuses on areas related to the university, such as health and Francophone and Métis identity. Founded in 1985, USB's Research Centre houses the Centre d’études Franco-canadiennes de l’Ouest (CEFCO), Presses universitaires de Saint-Boniface (PUSB), and the Canadian Research Chair on Migrations, Transfers and Francophone Communities (CRC-MTCF). In the past it has also held the Canada Research Chair on Métis Identity (CRCMI) chaired by Dr. Denis Gagnon from 2004 to 2014, and the Community-University Research Alliance on Francophone Identities in Western Canada (ARUC-IFO) chaired by Dr. Len Rivard from 2007 to 2013.


Scholarships and bursaries

The Canadian government sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists more than 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation. Université de Saint-Boniface scholarships for Aboriginal,
First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
and
Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...
students include: Louis Riel Scholarships; Louis Riel Institute Bursaries.


Administration

The purposes and powers of Université de Saint-Boniface are set out in the ''Université de Saint-Boniface Act'', the most recent version of which is dated June 2011. Its bilateral governance structure consists of the Board of Governors and the Senate. A number of ad hoc committees are also in place.


USB President

Originally from Lévis, a suburb of Québec city, Sophie Bouffard obtained a doctorate in musicology (2011) from the University of Regina and a masters in music (2000) from Université Laval. Soprano opera singer by profession, she has given a number of performances in Canada and abroad. Specialist in the creation of new music, many works have been composed for her. Mrs. Bouffard is the second female president in USB history and is the 45th person to hold the position. She has been the USB president since August 2019.


Past presidents

Source: * Msgr. Norbert Provencher (1818–1853) * Msgr. Alexandre-A. Taché (1854–1860) * R.P. Jean-Marie Le Floch, omi (1860–1862) * R.P. Joseph Lestanc, omi (1862–1865) * R.P. Valentin Végreville, omi (1865–1866) * R.P. Georges Dugas (1866–1869) * R.P. Louis-R. Giroux (1869–1870) * R.P. Théophile Lavoie, omi (1870–1878) * R.P. A.-A. Forget-Despatis (1878–1881) * R.P. A.A. Cherrier (1881–1884) * R.P. François-A. Dugas (1884–1885) * R.P. Hippolyte Lory, s.j. (1885–1890) * R.P. Xavier Renaud, s.j. (1890–1891) * R.P. Henri Hudon, s.j. (1891–1894) * R.P. Rémi Chartier, s.j. (1894–1898) * R.P. Julien Paquin. s.j. (1898–1900) * R.P. Hyacinthe Hudon, s.j. (1990–1903) * R.P. Jacques Dugas, s.j. (1903–1908) * R.P. Télesphore Filiatrault, s.j. (1908–1910) * R.P. Joseph Carrière, s.j. (1910–1911) * R.P. Gustave Jean, s.j. (1911–1912) * R.P. Edouard Lecompte, s.j. (1912–1914) * R.P. Alexandre Gagnieur, s.j. (1914–1915) * R.P. Grégoire Féré, s.j. (1915–1919) * R.P. Henri Bourque, s.j. (1919–1924) * R.P. Joseph Desjardins, s.j. (1924–1930) * R.P. Fernand Faure, s.j. (1930–1933) * R.P. Joseph Béliveau, s.j. (1933–1940) * R.P. Martial Caron, s.j. (1940–1943) * R.P. Louis Mailhot, s.j. (1943–1947) * R.P. Georges Desjardins, s.j. (1947–1951) * R.P. J. d'Auteuil Richard, s.j. (1951–1954) * R.P. Oscar Boily, s.j. (1954–1960) * R.P. Guy Fortier, s.j. (1960–1964) * R.P. Alfred Ducharme, s.j. (1964–1967) * Msgr. Antoine Hacault (1967–1969) * R.P. Stéphane Valiquette, s.j. (1969–1970) * Roger Saint-Denis (1970–1974) * Georges Damphousse (interim) (1974–1975) * Roland Cloutier (1975–1979) * Claude Thibault (1980–1981) * Paul Ruest (1981–2003) *
Raymonde Gagné Raymonde Gagné (; born January 7, 1956) is a Canadian politician and academic who has served as the speaker of the Senate of Canada since May 12, 2023. She was named to the Senate of Canada to represent Manitoba on March 18, 2016. Background P ...
(2003–2014) * Gabor Csepregi (2014–2019)


Board of Governors

The 15-member Board of Governors administers USB affairs. Its duties include managing the institution's assets, appointing senior staff, approving the USB budget, and adding or eliminating programs.


Notable alumni

USB alumni includes judges, lawyers, bishops and archbishops, radio and television personalities, hockey players, architects and singers. A notably famous USB alumnus was
Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis in Canada, Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of ...
, the Métis leader who negotiated the terms under which the province of Manitoba entered Canadian Confederation in 1870. Notable athletes from the university include: * Tony Gingras,
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
champion –
Winnipeg Victorias The Winnipeg Victorias were an amateur senior-level men's amateur ice hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, organized in 1889. They played in the Manitoba Hockey Association (MHA) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Victorias won the ...
(1901 & 1902) *
Clem Loughlin Clement Joseph Loughlin (November 15, 1892 – January 28, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played hockey for the Victoria Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League, and the Det ...
,
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
champion –
Victoria Cougars The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1911 to 1924 under various names, and (after the PCHA's merger with the Western Canada Hockey League) in the W ...
(1925) * Rosario Couture,
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
champion –
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
(1934) * Duke Dutkowski, professional hockey player (
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
) Among entertainment personalities, notable alumni include political journalist Rosemary Barton and singer
Daniel Lavoie Daniel Lavoie (; born Daniel Joseph-Hubert-Gérald Lavoie, March 17, 1949) is a Canadian musician, actor, and singer best known for his song " Ils s'aiment" and the role of Frollo in musical ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He releases albums and pe ...
.


University press

The ''Presses universitaires de Saint-Boniface'' (PUSB)
university press A university press is an academic publishing house specializing in monographs and scholarly journals. They are often an integral component of a large research university. They publish work that has been reviewed by scholars in the field. They pro ...
was established in 1990. It publishes the research findings of Université de Saint-Boniface faculty and the work of the Centre d’études Franco-canadiennes de l’Ouest (CEFCO) and the Cahiers ''franco-canadiens de l’Ouest''. To date, PUSB has published works on educational integration, translation, grammar, cultural production, inter-linguistic and socio-cultural relations, and francophone education in a minority setting. The literary works of
Gabrielle Roy Gabrielle Roy (; March 22, 1909July 13, 1983) was a Canadian author from St. Boniface, Manitoba and one of the major figures in French Canadian literature. Early life Roy was born in 1909 in Saint-Boniface (now part of Winnipeg), Manitoba, an ...
and Roger Léveillé have also been published at PUSB.


See also

* Classical college


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Boniface, Universite de Universities and colleges in Winnipeg French-language universities and colleges in Canada outside Quebec Educational institutions established in 1818 University of Manitoba Catholic universities and colleges in Canada St. Boniface, Winnipeg Municipal Historical Resources of Winnipeg Franco-Manitoban culture