The University of Northern British Columbia is a small, research-intensive university. The main campus is located in Prince George, British Columbia. UNBC also has regional campuses in northern British Columbia in Prince Rupert, Terrace, Quesnel, and Fort St. John. The enabling legislation is the University of Northern British Columbia Act 1996. In the 2019-20 academic year, 3,570 students were enrolled at UNBC. In 2015 and, 2016 UNBC was ranked as the number one university of its size in Canada in the Primarily Undergraduate category by Maclean's Magazine. As of 2019, UNBC was ranked in the top three in its category for 12 straight years. In 2007, the university obtained the trademark for "Canada's Green University". Because of its northern latitude, UNBC is a member of the University of the Arctic.
History
The British Columbia legislature passed Bill 40, which formally established the university, on June 22, 1990. The university was established in response to a grass-roots movement spearheaded by the Interior University Society. UNBC offered a limited number of courses in rented office space in 1992 and 1993 but was opened officially by Queen Elizabeth II, with 1,500 students in 1994 upon the completion of the main Prince George campus after two years of construction. The university gained attention with the introduction of the , a collaboration between UBC and UNBC. Through this collaboration, several academic physicians have been attracted to the city, which has led to an emerging academic medical community. For example, the introduction of the BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North has attracted academic oncologists, such as Dr. Robert Olson.
Organization and administration
The governance was modeled on the provincial University of Toronto Act 1906, which established a bicameral system of university government comprising a Senate, responsible for academic policy, and a Board of Governors, which exercises exclusive control over financial policy and having formal authority in all other matters. The President, appointed by the board, was to provide a link between the two bodies and to perform institutional leadership.
Campus
The Prince George campus is located on Cranbrook Hill, overlooking the city of Prince George from the west, and is widely renowned for its innovative architecture. The award-winning , designed by , was the world’s tallest modern all-timber structure upon completion and serves as a facility for the research and education on the uses of wood. The separate buildings are linked by an agora that is partially below ground level. It is the efficient heating system connected to all the core campus buildings that permits UNBC to pursue its goal of heating the university by the gasification of clean-burning, renewable wood pellets collected from the waste of pine trees killed by the mountain pine beetle epidemic. The buildings at UNBC are designed to represent the northern landscape. The Canfor Winter Garden area has a flowing blue staircase below a ceiling of wooden lattices, representing the west coast rain forests. The cafeteria has a lighthouse design that represents the rugged coastline of northern British Columbia. Another structural feature, a pair of triangular glass peaks, represents mountains and functions as skylights above the UNBC Bookstore. On October 13, 2010, UNBC was co-awarded the Campus Sustainability Leadership Award by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education for its bio-energy project, which targets a reduction in fossil fuel use by supplying 85% of the heating needs at UNBC.
The UNBC motto, 'En cha huná, directly translates as "He/she also lives" in the Nak'azdli dialect of the Indigenous language Dakelh. It is interpreted in English as "respecting all forms of life."
Student life
The Northern Undergraduate Student Society, known colloquially as NUGSS, represents the undergraduate student body at the University of Northern British Columbia. A non-profit organization, NUGSS serves and represents all undergraduate students at all UNBC campuses. The Society governs student-led organizations on campus, provides the health and dental plan, advocates for student needs in local transit, and hosts various events. Annual NUGSS events include Backyard BBQ, Jump Back to NYE, and Final Affair. The , represents about 750 full-time and part-time graduate students. It was founded in the year of 1997, less than a decade after UNBC was founded. Every year NBCGSS holds events like winter/semi formals, a ski trip and a summer trip. NBCGSS is a member of the . The UNBC First Nations Centre provides support services for indigenous students, including bringing in elders, counselling, and events such as talking circles and sweat lodges. The Northern Pride Centre Society or offers a safe space, support, and resources to the LGBT and ally community, including a new Positive Space Campaign designed by UNBC students.
Student media
Over the Edge, a bi-weekly student newspaper. Established in 1994.
