Established 1974 Publication Pearson Times Phone +1 250-391-2411 Founded 1974 | Principal Désirée McGraw Website www.pearsoncollege.ca Province British Columbia Total enrollment 200 (2010) | |
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Address 650 Pearson College Dr Metchosin BC V9C 4H7 Pearson College Dr, Victoria, BC V9C 4H7, Canada Motto Making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future Notable alumni Similar Armand Hammer United W, United World College o, United World College o, UWC Red Cross Nordic, Carleton University Profiles | ||
Apply pearson college uwc
The Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (Pearson College UWC) is one of sixteen United World Colleges (UWC) around the world. It is named after the late Canadian Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pearson, winner of the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize, and an early champion of the College. The mission of the UWC movement and of the school is to "make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future". The college follows the International Baccalaureate curriculum, covering the final year of high school and a pre-university year for up to 100 students a year, hailing from nearly 90 countries.
Contents
- Apply pearson college uwc
- What is pearson college uwc
- History
- Academics and administration
- Admission
- Campus
- Graduates
- Notable alumni
- References
The college was opened in 1974 by Lord Mountbatten, Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chretien, and Charles, Prince of Wales.
The director of the College from 2006 to 2015 was David Hawley, a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and now the Chief Academic Officer of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO). In April 2015, the College announced Hawley's successor, Désirée McGraw, an internationally acclaimed institutional leader, the President of the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation, and a former advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada.
What is pearson college uwc
History
Lester B. Pearson, Nobel Peace Laureate and former Prime Minister of Canada, was the driving force behind the founding of Pearson College. After retiring from public life, Pearson became interested in the United World Colleges movement. At that time, only one United World College existed — Atlantic College in Wales, established in 1962. Pearson visited Atlantic College in 1969 and there, met with students and faculty. He came away convinced that there must be more such colleges around the world and, in particular, one on Canada's west coast. He envisioned that:
“Students will be welcomed without regard to race, religion or politics and we intend to establish scholarships so that the students who attend the College will be from all levels of society and will be genuine representatives of their own peoples. This system … could become a revolutionary force in international education.”
Lester B. Pearson became Honourary Chairman of a committee formed to build what was to be known as the College of the Pacific. He worked tirelessly in the early days of the planning process, but died in December 1972, just as the project was getting underway. Soon after his death, it was decided that the College would be renamed Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific as a living memorial to his legacy. The Hon. John L. Nichol, CC, was chosen as initial Chairman of the Board of Trustees and a major fundraising effort began, with over $4 million raised—83% coming from individuals, corporations and foundations across Canada and around the world, and the remaining 17% from governments around the world. Ground broke on the college's construction on Sep. 25, 1973.
Over the next year, Jack Matthews, the founding director of the College, recruited a faculty of men and women from around the globe, and on Sep. 25, 1974, the inaugural cohort of 100 students arrived. Since then, up to 200 students have attended each year. Pearson College continues to be funded through individuals, alumni, corporations, foundations, select provincial and local governments in Canada and some UWC donors.
Today, some 4,000 students have graduated from Pearson College. Alumni work in a variety of professions in every corner of the world.
Academics and administration
The College's main academic curriculum follows the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme – Pearson was the first school in Canada to adopt the Diploma Program. Students are also required to participate in community-oriented services, cultural activities, and sport events. A highlight of the academic year is the professional dance, music and cultural show, "One World", led by a talented backstage crew and attracting thousands of audience members from Victoria and the surrounding communities.
Admission
Students must be selected by their respective UWC National Committees based on their merit, promise and potential. Each of the more than 140 National Committees makes recommendations for admission to the College independently, and according to their individual selection procedures. Admission is thus extremely competitive, and reaches across a broad spectrum of socioeconomic diversity. Sponsorship for these scholarships comes from a mixture of organisations, governments and private donors.
Campus
The College is located on the shores of Pedder Bay, near Victoria, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. The College provides a suitable location for the study of the environment, due to the surrounding woodlands and the nearby Race Rocks Marine Protected Area, an ecological conservation area maintained by the College.
There are 5 residential houses that house all students of the College and some faculty members. All student houses are mixed gender, with boys on one floor and girls on the other, and students live in shared rooms of 4 to 5 people; meals are served by a single cafeteria.
The College's proximity to Pedder Bay allows a broad range of waterfront program offerings. A fleet of sail boats, kayaks, canoes, and Scuba diving equipment are stored on the docks and in the floating marine biology building.
Graduates
Recent graduates have placed in some of the world's top universities, and some alumni are have become notable leaders in human rights, international development, business, law, science and other fields. The most common university destinations for recent students after graduation were, in order, McGill University, the University of Toronto, and Harvard University. Other schools that frequently matriculate graduates of the program include The University of Oxford, Brown, and Princeton.
Seventeen graduating students have been selected as Loran Scholars, the highest number of any single secondary school. After leaving the college, thirteen students have gone on to win Rhodes Scholarships, the highest per-capita rate of Rhodes Scholars of any secondary school in the world. After graduation, students are eligible to participate in the Shelby Davis Scholarship programme, which funds undergraduate study based on need at select American universities. The 160 students who comprised the graduating classes of 2014 and 2015 were collectively awarded $12.5 million in scholarships.