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Article - Brescia University College

Brescia University College (Locally known as "BUC" or "Brescia"), is a Catholic liberal arts college for women located in London, Ontario, Canada. Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario, Brescia is Canada's only women's university, receiving approximately 1,100 full- and part-time undergraduate students per year.

Brescia was founded in 1919 by the Ursuline Sisters - women of faith who are committed to social justice, community service, and the development of women - but is open to women of all faiths.

According to Common University Data Ontario 2013, the school awarded 16 master's degrees, 230 bachelor's degrees, and 2 undergraduate certificates in 2012. Its most popular program is Foods and Nutrition, with about half of all full-time students enrolled in that program in 2012.

University mission

According to the school's website:

Mission

"Brescia University College is a student-centred community that educates women to think critically and to participate actively in society, preparing graduates to lead with wisdom, justice and compassion in a changing world."

Values

The school has nine core values that have shaped its mission and continue to guide the College forward:

• Brescia values women and their potential for leadership in society.
• Brescia values pedagogical initiatives that encourage women’s learning styles and enable them to develop their voices, confidence and leadership skills.
• Brescia values creative, holistic education.
• Brescia values academic excellence.
• Brescia values experiential learning.
• Brescia values the celebration of the spiritual dimension of the human person.
• Brescia values the building of community in participative and collaborative ways.
• Brescia values the struggle to raise social awareness and to promote social change.
• Brescia values the physical environment that enhances the spiritual search for truth and beauty.

History

Brescia University College was founded as Ursuline College in 1919 by the Ursuline Religious of the Diocese of London. The Ursuline Sisters are women of faith committed to social justice, community service, and the development of women. Their vision and values continue to help shape the policies and procedures at Canada’s only women’s university.

Originally, Brescia was located at 556 Wellington Street London, Ontario in a converted house downtown near Victoria Park. It was founded as a Roman Catholic affiliate of the Western University.

The Ursuline Sisters worked together with Bishop Michael Francis Fallon, and the then University of Western Ontario, to work out an affiliate agreement. The agreement allowed Ursuline College to register female students who would receive their university degrees from Western (now commonly referred to by staff, faculty, and students as "Main campus").

The Ursuline Sisters named the Roman Catholic college after the Italian city of Brescia where their religious institute was founded. Seven young women, with tuition each of $50, comprised the first class of students. Mother Clare Gaukler, the Ursuline Superior General, purchased land near the new Western location and, in 1923, construction began on what is now Brescia University College (1285 Western Road London, Ontario). Brescia Hall, built by contractor Joseph Michael Piggot, was the first building constructed and was later renamed "Ursuline Hall". Classes began on the new campus in fall 1925. In 1963 Ursuline College became "Brescia College", and has been known as "Brescia University College" since 2001.

Diversity has been an important mission for the college. In the early days, women came from the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia to study at Brescia. Today, Brescia welcomes and embraces women of all ethnic backgrounds and faiths from around the world.

The education offered by Brescia in the early years was a Liberal Arts education with a focus on English, French, Spanish, Philosophy, History, Classics, and Religious Knowledge. Brescia students took courses in Science, Mathematics, Political Economy and similar subjects at Western. Some of the Brescia courses (e.g., Philosophy) were variants of Western courses, modified somewhat so that the content would be appropriate for Catholic women. Ursuline sisters who had been awarded MA and PhD degrees by Canadian, US and European universities constituted the majority of the teaching staff at Brescia for the first few decades.

After the 1950's, lay faculty became increasingly important for the college since the variety of academic programs and courses offered was expanding. The Home Economics program was begun in 1936, eventually becoming today’s Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences. The growth of Social Science disciplines in the 1960’s and 1970’s brought new teaching staff to the campus.

By 1961 there were more than 200 students registered at Brescia. By 1982, the number of full time students had reached 400 and ten years later there were 779 full time students. After a few years of declining enrollment and increased focus on recruitment and strengthening of academic standards, numbers began to climb to an average of roughly 1,100 students per year.

Administration

In 1919, Ursuline College was founded, with its first classes taking place at Brescia Hall, located in downtown London on Wellington Road. In 1926, Ursuline College was relocated to its present location at 1285 Western Road with the opening of what is now known as Ursuline Hall. Throughout this period and up until 1999, Brescia College was owned and governed by the Ursuline Sisters of the Chatham Union.

In 1999 “Brescia College” was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation under the laws of Ontario. As part of this process, Brescia’s first lay Council of Trustees was established as the chief governing body of the College and Brescia’s first non-Ursuline Principal, Dr. Theresa Topic, was installed.

Since 2014, Brescia’s chief governing body has been known as the Board of Trustees, operating with six standing committees and ad hoc committees as needed. The Board consists of up to 16 elected Trustees, including: Ursuline Sisters, the Alumnae Association President, and 12 individual Trustees from the community at large. The Board is also supported by nine non-voting Trustees, ranging from: the Principal and Academic Dean, the Chair of Brescia’s Foundation Board, the President of the Student's Council, and a variety of representatives of the faculty, staff and senior leadership.

Academic profile

In 2012 the school awarded 16 master's degrees, 230 bachelor's degrees, and 2 undergraduate certificates in. Its most popular program is Foods and Nutrition, with about half of all full-time students enrolled in that program in 2012.

Research

According to the school's site, research at Brescia is diverse and extends across academic divisions, including: arts and humanities, food and nutritional sciences, social sciences, sociology and family studies. Brescia's faculty and students conduct a variety of research projects ranging from single studies to more comprehensive, multi-year programs. Additionally, faculty have established partnerships with researchers in Canada and across the globe, currently holding, or have held, grants from several sponsors.

Programs

The range of academic programs and courses offered at Brescia has changed over the decades, beginning its first graduate program in September 2007. Additionally, student services continue to be introduced, and facilities have been updated in recent years with the addition of the South Wing, the Beryl Ivey Library, and Clare Hall.

• Bachelor of Arts (English, French, Psychology, Sociology, Family Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Community Development, Political Science,and Dimensions of Leadership)
• Bachelor of Management & Organizational Studies
• Bachelor of Science (Foods & Nutrition)
• Bachelor of Arts (Human Ecology)
• Bachelor of Science (Human Ecology)
• Master of Foods and Nutritional Sciences
• Certificate in Community Development
• Certificate in Religious Education

The Honours Bachelors of Science in Foods and Nutrition at Brescia is accredited by Dietitians of Canada. This means people who graduate with this degree are eligible to apply for dietetic internship placements, including one at Brescia. The Master of Science of Foods and Nutritional Sciences programme is divided into two streams. The internship stream, which combines a masters degree and an internship, awards successful students with an MSc. At this level, students and can write the exam needed to become a registered dietitian. The second stream is for people who are already a Registered Dietitian in Canada.

Brescia also offers a Pre-University Year programme. According to the Brescia website, the Preliminary Year is a one-year university preparatory programme taught by university professors on campus, and is co-educational.

The College also offers and English as a Second Language programme called CultureWorks.

The Preliminary Year programme and the Masters of Science are co-education; all undergraduate programs are women-only. However, all courses are accessible to UWO students, male or female, including students from Western's two other affiliated university colleges, Huron University College and King's University College.

Campus life

Student Life Center

• Professional Mentoring Program: connect real-world experiences with classroom learning.
• Career Development

Circle Women’s Centre

The Circle is a women's network that supports activist groups and sponsors special events.

Brescia University College Student's Council

According to their site, The Brescia University College Students’ Council (BUCSC) is the representative body of the Student Assembly. Its mission is to address student needs, build community, and facilitate the involvement of all students in every aspect of college life.

As one of its administrative duties, the BUCSC oversees all student-run clubs at Brescia which renew their ratification each September. As of 2015, the school currently has 10 academic clubs:

• Brescia Multicultural Club: The goals of the Brescia Multicultural Club (BMC) are to unite the various cultures at Brescia and to showcase the strength of our international community. This is an interest club and grants students the opportunity to develop friendships, learn about the world and explore different groups through social events, presentations, and cooking workshops.
• Brescia Psychology Association: As a member of the Brescia Psychology Association (BPA), students are encouraged to become socially and academically involved with their peers, professors and other professionals in the field of psychology. Members have access to additional opportunities allowing them interact and develop friendships with each other as well as upper year students who can guide and assist planning for academic careers.
• Canadian Association of Foodservice Professionals: CAFP's mission is to promote professional and personal development, and facilitate communication leading to excellence in our industry. Activities focus on networking and education, offering benefit to individual Professional and student members, and ultimately all foodservice industry stakeholders.
• Food and Nutrition Journal Club
• FRESH (Food Resources and Education for Student Health): FRESH, Food Resources and Education for Student Health, is a comprehensive peer nutrition education program created by and for university students. Using multiple strategies designed to increase awareness, improve knowledge, build skills, and influence the campus food environment, FRESH offers experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students to educate their peers about all aspects of food and nutrition. FRESH exists to engage students and community partners through a variety of strategies that address all aspects of the food system to improve the food and nutrition environment of the university community. <ref?http://freshu.ca/</ref>
• Nutrition Initiatives for Kids
• Students' Human Ecology Association: The Students’ Human Ecology Association (SHEA) aims to promote the personal and professional development of all Brescia & Western University students with an interest in nutrition, dietetics, food science and technology, human ecology and family studies. SHEA participates in an annual national student conference, organizes professional development workshops and events, provides volunteering opportunities which are directly related to students' career interests, leadership opportunities within the Executive Team, networking with professionals at the local, provincial and national levels, and social activities.
• The Social Focus Club: The Social Focus Club’s (SFC) mission is to assist sociology, family studies, and community development students to expand their knowledge and excel in their studies by providing networking experiences and opportunities for students to explore and understand current social issues.
• The PINK Ties: The PINK Ties is Brescia's Professional Development Network. Its mission is to help Brescia students accomplish their personal and professional goals by providing opportunities to make connections with experienced professionals and gain valuable career skills. As a member, students are a part of a diverse network of career-oriented students, working alumnae, and community professionals.
• The Brescia English Society

Buildings

James Carlisle Pennington designed Brescia Hall (1924–25) for the Ursuline Sisters, near Western Road at Sarnia Road, on the campus of the University of Western Ontario.

The Mother St. James memorial building is now the main building on campus, completed in 1963. It houses classrooms, offices, student services, the business office, the Beryl Ivey Library and computer lab, the Mother St. James Memorial Auditorium, a coffee shop and the Circle Women’s Centre.

Ursuline Hall was the residence for 170 full-time students, with a cafeteria (Castle Café), offices, food laboratories, conference rooms, and some classrooms. In September 2013, Brescia opened its new residence building and dining pavilion, Clare Hall, which houses just over 300 students and features a new eatery called "The Mercato".

Advertising Controversy

Early into the 2010/2011 academic year, a new advertising campaign sparked controversy for the University College. The campaign, known as Bresia Bold, was meant to call attention to Bresia's unique position as the only university-level women's college in Canada through edgy, (quasi-)feminist marketing. A sign, displaying a former Brescia student and the message: "Her mind is as sharp as her heels", was the source of said controversy. Amidst claims that it "enforced gender stereotypes", "heteronormativity", and "focus[ed] on appearances rather than substance", the advertisement was removed from Brescia's campus.

Notable alumnae

• Margaret Chan - Director General of the World Health Organization (BA 1973)
• Beryl Ivey, CM - Philanthropist (BA 1947)

See also

Books

• Murray Llewellyn Barr A century of medicine at Western: a centennial history of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Western Ontario (London: University of Western Ontario, 1977), ISBN 0-919534-00-7
• John R. W. Gwynne-Timothy Western's first century (London: University of Western Ontario, 1978)
• Ruth Davis Talman 'The beginnings and development of the University of Western Ontario, 1878-1924.' (MA Thesis, University of Western Ontario, 1925)
• Available from the Beryl Ivey Library are Emeritus Professor of History Dr. Patricia Skidmore's books Brescia College 1919-1979 and The History of Brescia

External links

• The Official Website
• Financial Aid Website
• Housing and Residence Website
• Special Needs Website
• The Ursuline entry in The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Brescia University College

• Works by An anonomous Ursuline at Project Gutenberg

Category:University of Western Ontario Category:Educational institutions established in 1919 Category:Women's universities and colleges in Canada Category:Buildings and structures in London, Ontario Category:Roman Catholic universities and colleges in Canada Category:1919 establishments in Ontario