The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. It is a mid-to-large Canadian research university with strong environmental science, law, and Indigenous studies strengths, located in a coastal, nature-rich campus setting that emphasizes applied learning and sustainability.
Established in 1903 as Victoria College, the institution was initially an affiliated college of McGill University until 1915. From 1921 to 1963, it functioned as an affiliate of the University of British Columbia. In 1963, the institution was re-organized into an independent university.
The University of Victoria offers a range of graduate programs across multiple disciplines, including sciences, social sciences, humanities, and professional fields. Admission to many graduate programs is competitive and typically requires strong academic standing and supporting application materials.
History The University of Victoria is the oldest post-secondary institution in British Columbia. First established in 1903 as Victoria College, an affiliated college of McGill University, it gained full autonomy and degree-granting status through a charter on July 1, 1963.
Between 1903 and 1915, Victoria College offered first- and second-year McGill courses in the arts and sciences. 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, 1903–1908; and S.J. Willis, 1908–1915.
In 1915, the opening of the University of British Columbia, established by Act of Legislature in 1908, obliged the college to suspend operations in higher education in Victoria. In 1920, as a result of local demands, Victoria College began the second stage of its development, reborn in affiliation with the University of British Columbia. Though still administered by the Victoria School Board, the college was now completely separate from Victoria High School, moving in 1921 into Craigdarroch Castle. Over the next two decades, under Principals E.B. Paul and P.H. Elliott, Victoria College provided courses in first- and second-year arts and sciences. It was also during this period that future author Pierre Berton edited and served as principal cartoonist for the student newsletter, The Microscope. Between 1921 and 1944, enrolment at Victoria College seldom exceeded 250. However, in 1945, 128 servicemen returning from World War II pushed enrolment up to 400, and 600 in 1946.
The final stage was between the years 1945 and 1963. It saw the transition from two-year college to university, under Principals J.M. Ewing and W.H. Hickman. During this period, the college was governed by the Victoria College Council, representative of the parent University of British Columbia, the Greater Victoria School Board, and the provincial Department of Education. In 1946, the college was forced by postwar enrolment to move from Craigdarroch to the Lansdowne campus of the Provincial Normal School, the current location of Camosun College's Lansdowne Campus. The Normal School joined Victoria College in 1956 as its Faculty of Education. Late in this transitional period (through the cooperation of the Department of National Defence and the Hudson's Bay Company) the 284-acre (1.1 km2)now 385-acre (1.6 km2)campus at Gordon Head was acquired. In 1961 the college, still in affiliation with UBC, awarded its first bachelor's degrees.
In the early part of this century, professional education expanded beyond the traditional fields of theology, law and medicine. Graduate training based on the German-inspired American model of specialized coursework and the completion of a research thesis was introduced. 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.
The university gained its full autonomy in 1963 as the University of Victoria. The University Act of 1963 vested administrative authority in a chancellor elected by the convocation of the university, a board of governors, and a president appointed by the board; academic authority was given to the senate which was representative both of the faculties and of the convocation.
The university's Arms were registered on February 20, 1961 by the College of Arms in London and recogized since July 1, 1963 as the official emblem of the University of Victoria. The Arms were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on April 3, 2001. The historical traditions of the university are reflected in the coat of arms, its academic regalia, and its house flag. The BA hood is solid red, recalling the early affiliation with McGill, along with the martlets in the coat of arms. The BSc hood, of gold, and the BEd hood, of blue, show the colours of the University of British Columbia. Blue and gold have been retained as the official colours. The motto at the top of the Arms, in Hebrew characters, is "Let there be Light"; the motto at the bottom, in Latin, is "A Multitude of the Wise is the Health of the World."
Department of Political Science Chilly Climate Report On May 11, 1992, the Department of Political Science created the committee to Make the Department More Supportive to Women as a response to concerns regarding the experiences of graduate and undergraduate students. The committee was made up of five female undergraduate students and Dr. Somer Brodribb, an untenured professor working in the department. Later, this committee was unofficially called the "Chilly Climate" or Climate Committee within the department. "Chilly Climate" is a term used by the Project on the Status and Education of Women. A preliminary report published by the Climate Committee to the Department of Political Science on March 23, 1993, which looked at the experience of both faculty and students at the University of Victoria issued recommendations that, in their eyes, would make the department more hospitable to female students while also highlighting the experiences of female students which the committee found troubling. These recommendations included the establishment of a committee for addressing issues that were raised in the report, the creation of formal policies addressing race and gender discrimination, and workshops for faculty on race and gender issues in the classroom environment. Notably, the preliminary report also highlighted the importance of including classroom content from feminist perspectives and more texts authored by female scholars.
In response to this report, tenured professors of the political science department Robert Bedeski, Colin Bennett, Ron Cheffins, Warren Magusson, Terry Morley, Norman Ruff, Rob Walker, and Jeremy Wilson challenged what they perceived to be slander from Dr. Brodribb, who chaired the committee. They requested that Dr. Brodribb allow an investigation into the allegations of sexist behaviour in the Chilly Climate report. Dr. Bodribb refused, stating that this went against the agreement her committee made with the women interviewed and could expose them to further discrimination. If the evidence was not handed over the tenured professors requested a complete withdrawal of the statements made in the Chilly Climate report and an apology that would be distributed to all those who saw the report. They also mentioned seeking further action if Dr. Brodribb did neither of these things. To review documents related to the report, one can go to the University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections.
A review committee was established by University of Victoria President David Strong, requesting advice from lawyers Beth Bilson and Thomas R. Berger to assist in evaluating the climate of the political science department. They published a report in August 1993, which included recommendations that Strong later endorsed.
Campus and grounds
The campus is situated 6km north-east of downtown Victoria and is spread over 403 acres. UVic also has an offsite study centre at the Jeanne S. Simpson Field Studies Resource Center in Lake Cowichan. Despite its name, no part of the university's main campus is located in the City of Victoria proper, instead split between the municipalities of Saanich and Oak Bay. The campus is several hundred feet from the Pacific Ocean at Cadboro Bay. The six-hectare Queenswood campus was acquired from the Sisters of St. Ann and converted into a national laboratory. The Legacy Art Gallery on Yates Street and a proposed redevelopment on Broad Street make up the properties owned by the university in downtown Victoria.
The University of Victoria's campus was designed in part by American architectural firm Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons, which had previously completed major buildings at Stanford University and UC Berkeley. The principles and concept of the original design are still being followed, with the academic portions of the campus located inside the Ring Road, forming a perfect circle in diameter.
The following is a list of prominent buildings on the University of Victoria campus:
Bob Wright CentreHome to the School of Earth & Ocean Sciences, the Department of Chemistry, and the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling & Analysis (CCCMA). Also features the Department of Astronomy dome and telescopes, lecture theatres, offices, meeting rooms, labs, and SciCafe dining outlet. Business and Economics BuildingBesides the obvious, the Business and Economics building also houses the offices of senior university administrators and contains a student computing facility. Centre of Accessible Learning "CAL" Facilitates academic accommodations for students with accessible needs and extra support with professors, as well as full serve note taking services which is fee based, and a Learning Assistance Program that helps navigate courses and assist with time management and planning for individual needs Campus Security ServicesSecurity Officers patrol and respond to Campus needs, provide first aid, and maintain a safe campus. The office also contains parking services, emergency planning, and lost & found.
Campus Services BuildingIncludes Career Services, the UVic Bookstore, the Computer Store, the Centre for Accessible Learning, and a Starbucks. Located near Campus bookstore and Bus loop.
CARSA BuildingCARSA is the Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities on the UVic campus. It houses the UVic Vikes athletics and recreation programs, as well as offices, labs and a machine shop for CanAssist, which develops customized technologies, programs and services for people living with disabilities. Čeqʷəŋín ʔéʔləŋ (Cheko’nien House) Completed in 2023, Čeqʷəŋín ʔéʔləŋ combines student residences and a primary dining facility (The Cove) for students. The building has an Indigenous name to acknowledge the Songhees and Esquimalt nations.