UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

As universities go, UBC is not old. But for a young country it is! The first 'true' university opened in 1915 and was housed in [The University of] McGill BC’s old buildings (called the 'Fairview Shacks') at 12th and Oak, Vancouver. B.C.

In 1922 it officially re-located; this was called The Great Trek. All 1200 UBC students marched from the Fairview campus to the site of the still unbuilt campus in Point Grey (the current campus which is on a peninsula looking over to the Coast Range mountains above Vancouver), demanding that the government provide the money needed for construction. This was done.

In 1925: "First classes at the new Point Grey campus" says the official record.

Excuse me, but:

School of Nursing:

In 1919 the newly approved School of Nursing was established. It was part of the Faculty of Applied Science (ie Engineering) as there was no other administrative home deemed suitable for this emerging new form of science. (And this continued to be the case during my time in the 60s. Great fun ... playing football with the Engineers and contributing to the entertainment at the Engineers Balls.)

After one year of Arts and Science, one embarked on a 4 year degree programme. Five years! (That was in the early 60s. It has been cut by one year now.) Oh well, we are well versed in Organic Chemistry, English Literature, Sociology (3 years!) And 23 of us emerged in 1967 with a Registered Nurse qualification and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing ... and no regrets.

Does this sound middle-aged? Those were the days when a degree meant something!

Forty Years Later:

Gathering and Sharing:
So it was Ladies Who Lunch! A third of the class gathered to join other years at a luncheon in lovely Cecil Green House. Conclusion: we are all wearing well. (And the class of 1957 - 10 years older than us - looked terrific! )

A former high school teacher said to me once: "Didn't you go off and do a rather hard course at UBC?" That intrigued me because I (?we) certainly felt that to be so! Indeed, it continues to amazes me that I ever tread that path in the first place let alone successfully emerged at the end!

Legacy:

Now we have Google. Historical material can be gathered and accessed. The joy of a discovery:

Legacy: History of Nursing Education at the University of British Columbia, 1919-1994 Glennis Zilm and Ethel Warbinek, UBC Press.

It tells the story of nursing education at the University of British Columbia from the inception of the program in 1919 to its 75th anniversary in 1994. UBC was the first university in Canada -- indeed in the British Empire -- to offer a nursing degree.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Photograph of Legacy and the text were obtained from their website www.nursing.ubc.ca/About_Us/History/ which is here.
Aerial photograph of UBC campus was taken from the Annual Report 2005-06 here.