Cape Breton University

"Little X"

CBU traces its roots to 1951 when the St. Francis Xavier University Sydney Campus was opened as a satellite campus of St. Francis Xavier University. Also referred to informally as "St. Francis Xavier Junior College" or "Xavier Junior College" (XJC) and colloquially as "Little X", the St. Francis Xavier University Sydney Campus was situated in Sydney's central business district and saw several buildings opened as a result of growth during its first decade of operation.

While working as librarian at Xavier Junior College, Mother St. Margaret of Scotland (Sister Margaret Beaton) recognized that documents of historical significance to Cape Breton Island were being lost. In 1957 Sister Beaton responded to this challenge and established Cape Bretoniana.

NSEIT & The Merge

The Nova Scotia Eastern Institute of Technology (NSEIT) opened in 1968 on Grand Lake Road (Trunk 4) several kilometres east of the Sydney city limits. This institution focused on business technology and trades and its development was largely enabled by federal and provincial funding at a time when the coal and steel industries in Industrial Cape Breton were facing serious financial challenges.

In the early 1970s, the provincial and federal governments, as well as the local community, recognized the need for developing an institution of higher learning in the economically challenged Industrial Cape Breton region. With assistance from the Cape Breton Development Corporation, St. Francis Xavier University Sydney Campus and NSEIT were merged into the College of Cape Breton (CCB) in June 1974.

From College To University

In 1980, the former NSEIT campus on Grand Lake Road was expanded as the institution consolidated at this location. The Government of Nova Scotia granted CCB a charter for granting university degrees in 1982 which saw the institution rename itself as the University College of Cape Breton (UCCB). UCCB united diverse education streams such as the liberal arts and sciences with technological and vocational diploma programs.

A major expansion was undertaken for the 1987 Canada Winter Games which saw extensive sports facilities built at the campus. During the 1990s over $20 million were spent on several campus expansions that saw residences, a Culture and Heritage Centre, and various academic and research facilities constructed.

In 2004, UCCB undertook several studies on how to better position the institution locally, regionally and nationally. One recommendation arising out of these studies was to rename the institution to remove the reference to "college", in recognition of its transformation over the past two decades into primarily a university level institution. This process led to UCCB transferring its trades and technology programs to the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) which operated its "Marconi Campus" (the former NSEIT) which is co-located on the Grand Lake Road campus.

On September 23, 2004 the university's board of governors voted unanimously to rename the institution Breton University, however the proposed name received opposition from a number of groups in the institution and local community over the removal of the word "Cape" from the proposed new name, thus the name Cape Breton University was adopted instead. The name change became official through the University College of Cape Breton Act (amended) which received Royal Assent on May 19, 2005.

In 2011, CBU's library underwent a $2 million renovation to improve the space and create new seating areas.

Campus

The Culture and Heritage Centre includes the Great Hall, the Art Gallery, the Folklore Department, and the Beaton Institute.

The Beaton Institute, housed at CBU, is the second largest public archive in Nova Scotia. Sister Margaret Beaton of Scotland, recognizing that many documents of significance to Cape Breton were being lost to neglect during her career as librarian at Xavier Junior College, began collecting these documents back in 1957. Preceded by Cape Bretoniana, the Beaton Institute operates as a regional archive from and about Cape Breton Island's history, society, politics, economy, health, people, places, and events. The building is 17,000 square feet and includes a reading room, vault, work room, and several offices and specialized rooms. The collection includes paper records, photographs, film, video, audio materials, books, maps, plans, and microfilms, currently housing 3,000 manuscript collections, 60,000 images, 2,500 sound recordings, 1,500 video cassettes and film reels, 1,500 reference books, 2,000 maps and plans. Materials in the collection reflect the Mi'kmaq, Jewish, Acadian, Ukrainian, African Nova Scotian, Lithuanian, Polish, and Italian communities of Cape Breton, along with a sizable collection of Gaelic materials.

CBU's library is located adjacent to the Campus Center, along with the main cafeteria, Art Gallery 1, and Boardmore Theatre. The library features twelve special collections, apart from the main collection, including a CBU thesis repository, the Bernier LGBT Collection, the Fortress of Louisbourg Collection, and the F.A.C.E. Collection which provides access to the publications and contributions of the CBU faculty. There is also has a collection of Cape Breton Post and Chronicle Herald publications on microfilm, which can be read on the microfilm readers located on the first floor. CBU Library has access to Novanet Search, Novanet Classic, and WorldCat, allowing students to search for publications from libraries all across Nova Scotia and the world. Interlibrary loaning services are available to access publications and journal articles not held in the CBU Library's collection or accessible through CBU's electronic resources.

The university continued to expand with major campus additions initiated in 2009. As a collaborative player, CBU became a lead partner in the establishment of the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex. The $10 million project is a newly opened health and recreation community facility situated on the CBU campus. It provides CBU students and the community with access to a track and field operation and year-round indoor soccer facilities as well as a fitness centre.

CBU is growing in terms or residence and enhanced food services through the construction of Harriss Hall, a new student residence and dining hall, in September 2010, giving the campus a total of four residences. Harriss Hall is also the new location for residence mail services, replacing MacDonald, and holds the office of the Residence Life Coordinator. With this new addition, the residence halls now offer meal service and living space for over 550 students. Recently, each dorm, along with the off-campus students, have been assigned colors and animals to represent them in residence competitions.

The four residences on campus include Cabot Residence, MacDonald Residence, Harriss Hall, and Alumni Hall. MacDonald offers single and double rooms, Harriss offers single suites, Cabot offers four-bedroom apartments, and Alumni offers five-bedroom apartments along with two-bedroom dorms.

The establishment of the Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy & Environment (CSEE) is a major part of CBU’s commitment to growth in research, specifically in efforts to balance needs for new sources of energy and increasing environmental sustainability. With public and private investment, construction on the CSEE began in 2010. Additionally,in 2012, the new Shannon School of Business building opened and became the new home of the Shannon School of Business faculty and programs.

The university has recently completed a three-turbine, 5.4 megawatt wind farm off of the campus, establishing itself as the first university to do so. It is claimed that this wind farm, which was completed for $17.6 million in partnership with Natural Forces Technologies, allows the university to be carbon-neutral in the sense that it produces enough electricity to off-set its CO₂ emissions. The idea was proposed back in 2010 in response to a program paying a premium rate per kilowatt of energy from small-scale green energy facilities. The farm is expected to generate approximately $2.1 million in annual revenue.

Academics

Overview

Cape Breton University serves more than 3,300 full-time and part-time students from local, regional and national locations. CBU is also the academic home of several hundred international students representing more than 50 countries.

In addition to the programs and options listed below, two additional graduate programs are in development (Social Justice and Heritage Management).

Virtually all Cape Breton University degree, diploma and certificate programs offer a transition-to-work component through co-op education, work placements, internships and work-study programs.

Faculties, Programs, & Affiliated Colleges

School of Arts and Social Sciences

Dean: Dr. Arja Vainio-Mattila

Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Arts Community Studies (BACS) degrees in:

Minor only:

Diplomas:

Certificates:

School of Professional Studies

Dean: Dr. Carolin Kreber

Undergraduate Degrees:

Graduate Degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates:

Professional Degrees:

Shannon School of Business

Dean: Dr. George Karaphillis

Masters of Business Administration in Community Economic Development (MBACED) with specializations in:

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with majors in:

Additional concentrations include:

Certificates:

Bacheor of Hospitality and Tourism Management (BHTM) also affiliated with the School of Business.

School of Science and Technology

Dean: Dr. David McCorquodale

Bachelor of Science (Bsc) degrees in:

Minor only:

Bachelor of Science Community Studies (BsCS) degrees with concentrations in:

Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) Transfer Degrees (with Dalhousie) include:

Bachelor of Engineering Technology (BET) Degrees in:

Certificates:

Unama'ki College

Principal: Stephen Augustine, MA

"In 2010, Unama’ki College was founded as an offshoot of the school specializing in Mi’kmaq history, culture and education." As of 2013, "it has some 250 aboriginal students. Its library holds 1,500 books on aboriginal issues and 7,000 documents."

The College includes the following facilities:

The Department of Indigenous Studies offers the following disciplines:

Scholarships and bursaries

CBU offers nine major entrance scholarships based on the student's average from high school. Students with a 90% average or greater are eligible for scholarships ranging in amount from $10,000 (Orpha Thayer-Scott) to $24,000 (Chancellor's) over a four-year period. Other entrance scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,000 a year are also available.

Students taking a minimum of 24 credits are eligible for in-course scholarships the following year depending on their academic performance. Unlike in-course bursaries, which are also available, in-course scholarships do not require an application.

A new Work-Study Bursary Program is also available to provide students with financial need the opportunity for on-campus employment.

The Government of Canada sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists over 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation. Cape Breton University scholarships for Aboriginal, First Nations and Métis students include: Earth Tech/CBCL Award – Entrance Award; Verschuren Family Entrance Scholarship; Wood, Walker Foundation Aboriginal Awards Entrance Scholarship; Bank of Montreal Aboriginal Business Administration Student Scholarship

Research

Dean of Research: Dr. Tanya Brann-Barrett

CBU is a small comprehensive university that performs over $3 million in externally funded research and employed over 65 students as researchers in 2011. The Office of Research and Graduate Studies publishes two annual research publication titled Research Matters, as well as a separate student Research Matters magazine. Research chairs at CBU include:

Additionally, Dr. Bruce Hatcher is the Director of the Bras D'Or Institute.

Projects are funded by all federal granting councils (CFI, NSRIT, AIF projects).

The President's Award for Excellence in Research is an annual award which recognizes members of the CBU Faculty who demonstrate excellence in research and scholarship. From 2012, the winners have been:

Students' Union

The Cape Breton University Students' Union provides services such as the Emergency Bursary Fund, funding and management of societies, health and dental plans, Women’s Centre, Pride and Ally Centre, Capers Helping Capers, The Orange Initiative, The Pit (campus bar), Caper Convenience (store), and free legal service. The CBUSU's main focus is advocacy on behalf of its members, and it is also the largest employer of students on the CBU campus.

Student Representative Council

The SRC is a body of students elected to represent the various demographics of CBU, including the different schools within it. They meet on a regular basis to vote on motions put before the SRC by representatives or CBU students. The current executives are:

President: Roy Karam

Executive Vice-President: Brandon MacDonald

Vice President Finance & Operations: Taylor Burton

Vice President Promotions: Matt Shallo

Clubs and Societies

The CBU Students' Union list includes the following societies:

Newspaper

The Caper Times is a newspaper owned collectively by the students of Cape Breton University and published by the Publishing Board of the Caper Times. It prints 2,000 copies on a fortnightly basis and is distributed on campus and to 25 points across the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and southern Victoria County. The newspaper has been autonomous from the Cape Breton University Students' Union since March 1, 2013. It is a member of the Canadian University Press. The newspaper also publishes an electronic monthly newsletter, CampusLink, which is tailored specifically for Cape Breton University students and faculty. The current Editor-in-Chief is Brooklyn Galbraith.

Athletics

CBU is represented in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) association by the CBU Capers. Men's teams include basketball and soccer, while women's teams include basketball, soccer and volleyball teams. All sports teams wear uniforms with the Caper logo and mascot along with the school color (orange).

Notable alumni

Of the over 15,000+ CBU alumni across the world, some prominent names include: