Higher education in Nova Scotia (also referred to as post-secondary education) refers to education provided by higher education institutions. In Canada, education is the responsibility of the provinces and there is no Canadian federal ministry governing education. Nova Scotia has a population of one million people, but is home to ten public universities and the Nova Scotia Community College, which offers programs at 13 locations.
Locations and affiliations Six of the 10 universities – Atlantic School of Theology, Dalhousie University, Mount Saint Vincent University, the NSCAD University, Saint Mary's University, and the University of King's College – are located in the Halifax Regional Municipality, which is the capital of Nova Scotia and the largest urban area in the Atlantic Canada region. The oldest university in the province is the University of King's College, established in 1789, and the newest university is Cape Breton University, established in 1974. In 2012–2013, Nova Scotia had 45,504 full-time and 9,510 part-time students enrolled in the province's colleges and universities.
Several universities in Nova Scotia have strong religious connections. The University of King's College, first founded in Windsor, holds the distinction of being the first college with university powers in British North America, at a time when Upper Canada had no government of its own. It has always remained under the control of the Church of England. Dalhousie University, first known as Dalhousie College, was established in Halifax in 1820 with the help of the Presbyterian Church, and Acadia University was founded by Baptists. Catholics formed both Saint Mary's University and Saint Francis Xavier University.
Governance of the higher education system The governing body for higher education in Nova Scotia is the Ministry of Labour and Advanced Education, of which Kelly Regan is Minister of Labour and Advanced Education.
The Higher Education Branch of this body "supports the development of a highly qualified workforce to meet labour market demand as well as the cultivation of knowledgeable, engaged citizens." Under the Higher Education Branch, there are four divisions which support this mission: Post-Secondary Disability Services Division Private Career Colleges Division Student Assistance Office Universities and Colleges Division
The Post-Secondary Disability Services Division (PSDS) "assists students with permanent disabilities in achieving individual success in their post-secondary studies by reducing or removing educational-related barriers through the provision of grants, services and equipment."
The Private Career Colleges Division "works with private career colleges to ensure that Nova Scotians have access to training opportunities that respond to labour market needs and lead to employment."
The Student Assistance Office "provides an opportunity for all academically qualified Nova Scotians to have equity of access to quality post-secondary education and training. The program provides needs-based assistance to students who would be unable to attend post-secondary study because their family resources were not sufficient to cover their educational costs."
The mandates of the Division of Universities and Colleges of the Ministry of Labour and Advanced Education are as follows
develops and manages funding agreements between the province and the public post-secondary institutions analyzes reports and publications to inform the Minister on policy issues conducts Nova Scotia-based higher education research through the Minister's Post-Secondary Education Research Advisory Panel represents the province at a regional and national level regarding post-secondary education issues.
Institutional governance Universities are autonomous entities incorporated by legislative Acts. Canadian higher education institutions have a common bicameral model of institutional governance including a corporate Board of Governors responsible for the institution's financial and administrative matters and a Senate with responsibilities for academic matters. The specific composition and authority of these two bodies are specified in the individual institutional Charters.Jones, G.A. (1997). A Brief Introduction to Higher Education in Canada. in Jones, G. (ed.) Higher Education in Canada: Different Systems, Different Perspectives. New York: Garland, p.4
History
Kings College (1789)
In 1789, the University of King's College was founded by Anglican United Empire Loyalists in Windsor, Nova Scotia. It is Canada's first chartered university and the oldest English-speaking university in the Commonwealth outside of the United Kingdom. At the outset, King's College discouraged non-Anglicans from attending with Protestant and Catholic colleges emerging as a result. The first universities were intended primarily to preserve British traditions against American republicanism. Secondly, they were to educate clergymen.Harris, R.S. (1976) A History of Higher Education in Canada 1663-1960. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 27. King's College would be granted its Royal Charter from King George III to grant degrees in 1802 and the first student graduated in 1807. The King's College, however, did not have a long lifespan and crumbled as a result of the war which gained America her independence from Britain. This college was later re-instated as Columbia University.
In 1920 the college burned down, and its future was uncertain. The Carnegie Foundation of New York offered the College a grant on the condition that the new King's College would be built in Halifax and would merge into a division of Dalhousie under the Arts and Sciences program. Additionally, the students and professors of both Universities would share campuses and work as a collaborative unit.University of King's College. (n.d.). History. Retrieved on November 24, 2010 from
During the period of 1941–1945, this college undertook the task of training subjects for the Royal Canadian Navy, under, King George III, and the students were displaced to another facility in Halifax. This arrangement continued until 1971 when the King's Faculty of Divinity merged with the ecumenical Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax. But, over the next year, two national Canadian programs emerged: In 1972 the Foundation Year Programme was introduced, and in 1978 the first School of Journalism to grant degrees on the Atlantic coast of Canada was established.
Saint Mary's University (1802)
Saint Mary's University was the first English speaking Roman Catholic university to be established in Canada. It was founded in 1802 by two Irish priests, Reverends Dease and O'Brien. Peter McGuigan, The Intrigues of Archbishop John T McNally and the Rise of Saint Mary's University, Fernwood publishing 2010. On March 29, 1841, an act of the Legislature incorporated Saint Mary's which enabled degree-granting privileges for eleven years, and the act included a four-year annual grant of $1,622; then it received permanent power to confer degrees in 1852.Saint Mary's University Archives. (n.d.). Digital Decades: 1802-1929. Retrieved on July 05, 2008 from
Closed in 1883 by Archbishop Cornelius O'Brien due to lack of provincial funding, Saint Mary's would re-open as a high school in 1903, mainly due to the efforts of the same Archbishop of Halifax, Archbishop O'Brien. Saint Mary's University again became degree granting in 1918 after the 1913 arrival of the Irish Christian Brothers at this Saint Mary's College. In 1940 a Jesuit leadership was established (McGuigan), and in 1970 the institution went public.
Dalhousie University (1818)
Dalhousie University was founded in 1818 by Lord Dalhousie, who modeled the university on the University of Edinburgh, although instruction would not actually begin until 1838. Unfortunately, five years later, the university's first principal died and the university would remain closed until 1863, when it opened with six professors and one tutor. The Dalhousie University Act (1963) includes a suggestion of denominational representation on the Board of Governors in proportion to support of endowed chairs. By relying on private contributions, Dalhousie managed to avoid most of the instability of government grants and bureaucratic infighting.
Dalhousie University degrees were not awarded until 1866. There were only 28 students who were in the degree program during this period and another 28 who were casual students. The school was consumed with financial difficulties, and it wasn't until 1879 that a wealthy New York publisher with Nova Scotian ancestry made a donation of over 8 million dollars and saved the university.
During the 1900s the school expanded and on April 1, 1997, it merged with the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS) and added a Faculty of Computer Science. Despite the merger it retained its name.Dalhousie University. (n.d.). History and Tradition. Retrieved on November 24, 2010 from In 2012, the University absorbed the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, which is now the University's Faculty of Agriculture. The campus remains at its original location just outside the town of Truro, and is now referred to as Dalhousie's Agricultural Campus. This merger added an additional 1, 000 students to Dalhousie's student population.
Dalhousie continues to expand and construction crews can be observed on its Studley campus. Some of its recently built facilities include: Goldberg Computer Science Building (1999), the Marion McCain Arts and Social Science Building (2001), the Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building (2005), the Mona Campbell Building (2010), the Ocean Services Building (2013) and LeMarchant Place opened in 2014. It boasts 100,000 graduates, and its milestone was achieved 140 years after it granted its first two Bachelor of Arts degrees to Joseph Henry Chase and Robert Shaw in 1866. In 1896 it was also the first university to award a law degree to a black man, James Robinson Johnston.
Acadia University (1838)
After founding Horton Academy in the town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia in 1828, the same Baptist Education Society of Nova Scotia created Queen's College in 1838. The first students began in 1839 and 1843 saw four graduates emerge. It would be renamed Acadia College and receive its charter in 1841, finally becoming a full university in 1891. Acadia University also had an impact on the women's movement here in Canada, in 1884 Clara Belle Marshall (Raymond) was given the privilege to help lead the way for women's pursuit of university education in Canada by becoming one of the first few women to receive an undergraduate degree. Additionally, Acadia University was the first University to grant a degree to an African Canadian, by the name of Edwin Borden. The university is also well known for being one of the first post-secondary institutions. In 1996, the school introduced the use of computers into the learning environment of students and instructors.
St. Francis Xavier University (1853)
St Francis Xavier College was a Roman Catholic institution founded in 1853 in Arichat, Cape Breton, and moved to Antigonish in 1855. In 1866, it gained university status and was renamed St Francis Xavier University and awarded its first degrees in 1868. In 1883, its ladies' institution, Mount St Bernard Academy, was founded and in 1894, it was affiliated with St Francis as Mount St Bernard College becoming in 1897 the first co-educational Catholic university in North America to grant degrees to women.