II--The University

II--The University

The University of Guelph combines a tradition dating back 120 years with a progressive outlook that has made it one of Canada's leading research institutions. Our roots go back to the Ontario Agricultural College, Ontario Veterinary College and Macdonald Institute. The three colleges were the basis of the new university, established in 1964, and remain essential components of a much expanded and diversified institution that now includes physical and biological sciences, arts, social sciences, and family and consumer studies.

Our 330 hectare (817 acre) campus combines traditional stone and brick buildings, dating to the last century, with contemporary concrete and glass. The Arboretum provides jogging trails and an attractive area for nature study. Major academic and administrative buildings are arranged along converging brick walkways, with residences forming the boundaries.

The campus is located in Guelph, a historic city of 93,500 people, with convenient access to larger centres like Toronto and Hamilton.

The University of Guelph provides residence accommodation for 4,600 undergraduates. We also guarantee residence accommodation to first year students who enter in September and who apply for residence before the deadline. Students live in single gender or co-ed residences that range from single rooms to apartments for up to 12 people. Townhouses for student families are located in a wooded area within a 10 minute walk of the campus and are convenient to shopping.

Our students enjoy the benefits of a three-semester system that gives them the choice to study one, two or three semesters each year.

The University of Guelph is co-educational, non-denominational and provincially supported.

Our research funding this year is over $81 million, with about half that sum coming from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs.

In the University's aims document, Toward 2000: Challenges and Responses, a commitment is made to teaching, research and service in the community. The university must exercise a moral concern for all its members, the document says, "and for the effects of the institution's actions on society and the environment." It must also "maintain a collegial atmosphere in which free and open debate on major issues can contribute to their resolution."