| Royal Roads University | |
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| Motto | Living Our Learning |
| Established | 1940 Royal Roads Military College converted into Royal Roads University 1995 |
| Type | Public university |
| Endowment | $50 million |
| Chancellor | Peter Robinson |
| President | Dr. Allan R. Cahoon |
| Provost | Dr. Thomas Chase[1] |
| Faculty | 400 full-time, plus 400 associate faculty |
| Students | 2,772 |
| Location |  Victoria, British Columbia, Canada48°26′04″N 123°28′22″W / 48.43444°N 123.47278°WCoordinates: 48°26′04″N 123°28′22″W / 48.43444°N 123.47278°W |
| Campus | urban |
| Colours | White & blue |
| Affiliations | AUCC, IAU, CVU, CBIE |
| Website | www.royalroads.ca |
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Royal Roads University is a public university located in Victoria, British Columbia and is designed for students who are working professionals.[2]
Contents |
The university's main building, Hatley Castle, was completed in 1908 for coal and rail baron James Dunsmuir, who was Lieutenant Governor and Premier of British Columbia during the first decade of the 1900s. At the outbreak of World War II, plans were made for King George VI, his wife Queen Elizabeth, and their two daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, to reside in Canada. Hatley Castle was purchased by the federal government in 1940 for use as the King's royal palace,[3] however, it was decided that having the Royal Family leave the UK at a time of war would be too big a blow to morale, and the family stayed in London.
After the death of Dunsmuir and then his widow Laura, the family sold the estate to the federal government in 1940 to be used by the military. HMCS Royal Roads (named after an offshore naval anchorage) was commissioned in December 1940 to train reserve officers for service in World War II.[4]
The institution had several names before it eventually became Royal Roads Military College in 1968 (achieving full degree-granting status in 1975). In 1995, the military college was closed and the land and facilities leased by the government of British Columbia then converted into Royal Roads University the same year.[5] Royal Roads University maintains strong ties with the Canadian Armed Forces.[6]
Many of the academic staff stayed on when the university went public in 1995 and some still remain.[7] Hatley Castle in the centre of the campus houses a small Canadian Military museum. Royal Road's graduate programs are targeted towards military personnel and other public servants.[6] The alumni of Royal Roads Military College are considered alumni of Royal Roads University and are always invited by the university to participate in alumni events and the alumni network. Bob Skene, Royal Roads University Chancellor from 2003-2006 stated "As a national institution of higher learning, I believe we should be adopting and honouring our military legacy as an institution with 66 years of history".[8]
The museum is located in the lower level of Hatley Castle, on the campus of the Royal Roads University and former campus of the Royal Roads Military College. The Museum mandate is to collect, conserve, research and display material relating to the history of the Royal Roads Military College, its former cadets and its site.
The Royal Roads Military College Museum is a member of the Canadian Museums Association and the Organization of Military Museums of Canada Inc. The Royal Roads Museum is an accredited museum within the Canadian Forces Museum System.[9] The museum has formed a cooperating association of friends of the museum to assist with projects.[10]
Royal Roads University offers applied and professional programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The various programs are primarily offered on-line, with some on-campus residency experiences offered. Programs are delivered in three formats: i) on-site with 100% face to face learning, ii) blended, with part of the program taught in a face-to-face residency and the balance on-line; and iii) completely on-line. Residency based programs range from one to three weeks, and are often held on-campus, but select programs host their residencies in unique locations around the world.[11] Mature students are welcome, and credits are available for prior life experience.
Royal Roads is the home to the Centre for Non-Timber Resources (CNTR), Centre for Teaching and Educational Technologies (CTET), Centre for Health Leadership and Research (CHLR), and The Todd Thomas Institute for Values-Based Leadership.[12] It is also the future home of the Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre and will house Bateman's artwork. It will also house the Canadian Centre for Environmental Education (CCEE)--a current partnership between Royal Roads and ECO Canada [13]
The Royal Roads University Student Association represents students at the University.
| Building | Year | Significance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Building | 1900s | The original Tudor-style dairy and cattle barns were converted into laboratories and classrooms for physics and oceanography. The building was refurbished in 1998 into research and computer laboratories[14] | |
| Hatley Castle | 1908 | Administrative centre of Royal Roads University and drawing room where classes are held. From 1941 until 1943 when Grant Block was completed, the Castle served as dormitory and mess hall for cadets and staff officers at Royal Roads Military College. Registry of Historic Places of Canada [15] |
 |
| Mews Conference Centre | 1912 | James Dunsmuir's stables and garage later converted to classrooms, dormitory, social centre and conference centre. Registry of Historic Places of Canada [16] | |
| sports complex | 1942 | gymnasium, weight room, fitness studio, squash courts, outdoor tennis courts *Registry of Historic Places of Canada [17] | |
| Grant Building | 1943 | main academic building, laboratories, cafeteria, and offices named for first Commanding Officer of HMCS Royal Roads, Captain John Moreau Grant. The building was recently renovated. Registry of Historic Places of Canada [18] | |
| Nixon Building | 1955 | Opened in 1955 by The Princess Royal ([[Her Royal Highness The Princess Mary, The Princess Royal and The Countess of Harewood (Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary Lascelles, née Windsor; 25 April 1897 – 28 March 1965) was a member of The British Royal Family the third child and only daughter of Their Majesties King George V and Queen Mary]]) and was named after the Commanding Officer of the Royal Naval College of Canada when it was re-established in Esquimalt in 1918.[19] | |
| Swimming pool | 1959 | two-storey, white concrete building composed of horizontal cubic volumes Registry of Historic Places of Canada Currently empty and unused[20] | |
| Arbutus Building | academic classrooms, administrative offices, a computer lab, and a canteen[21] | ||
| Gate House | (or White House) an administrative centre[22] | ||
| Boat House | 1989 | In 2007 renovations to the Boathouse were completed and the space became the new home of Royal Roads University Foundation. The Go Rowing and Paddling Association of Canada also runs rowing activities out of this building.[23] | |
| Millward Wing (of the Nixon Building) | 1991 | Offices, dormitories, named for former Commandant Air Vice Marshall James Bert Millward DFC (Bar), GdG(F), CD, RCAF 1949-52 the 4th Commandant of RRMC.[24] |
The campus and surrounding grounds of Royal Roads University are situated at Hatley Park National Historic Site. Royal Roads leases the land from the Department of National Defence for $1 per year and assumes all stewardship responsibilities related to the site including the cost of site management, operations, the protection, preservation and restoration of heritage assets, which include all buildings on the site as well as many heritage gardens and educating the public about the site's historic and natural attributes.
The grounds, a mix of landscaped gardens and natural woodland, still go by the name of Hatley Park which the Dunsmuirs gave their estate (it is not a designated park). Hatley Castle and its surroundings have made appearances in numerous movies and TV series programs such as Smallville where it serves as the Luthor Mansion, and the second and third X-Men films where the university is transformed into Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
Visitors to the 565 acre Hatley Park can tour the extensive walking trails, as well as the Hatley Castle museum. The museum is free to enter, and contains historic, local memorabilia as well as a gift shop. Tours of the castle itself are available (schedule is seasonal) and access to the heritage gardens (approx 20 acres) have a visitor fee that helps offset the cost of preserving the site.
In a visit to the university in August 2009 Prime Minister Stephan Harper stated: "There is surely no more beautiful campus in Canada than Lord Dunsmuir’s magnificent castle and the majestic forest and gardens of the Hatley Park National Historic Site. But beneath the Edwardian grandeur of Royal Roads lies a cutting-edge modern university".[25]
Based on the 2008 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Royal Roads University was ranked 1st for an active and collaborative learning experience, 2nd for level of academic challenge, 4th for senior year student satisfaction, 5th for supportive campus environment, 28th for student-faculty interaction, and 37th for enriching educational experience. See MacLean's and Royal Roads media release.
In 2008 the Globe and Mail Canadian University Report
gave Royal Roads grades in particular categories along with 55
other universities. The grades are based on the Globe and Mail
student satisfaction survey. Royal Roads was one of the 14
universities in the under 4000 students assessment pool and
received the following grades:[26]
A: Class sizes; and campus atmosphere.
A-: Student-Faculty interaction, Ease of course
registration, Student services, Libraries; and Campus
technology.
B+: Quality of Education, Quality of Teaching,
Recreation/Athletics, Buildings and facilities; and Academic
reputation.
B: Courses availability/variety.
C+: Career preparation.
C-: Extracurricular activities.
D: Food Service, Student Residence; and Campus
Pubs/Bars.
B+: Overall Average of Student Satisfaction
In the 2009 Globe and Mail Canadian University Report Royal Roads received and overall average of A-. [27] For a detailed break down of grades see past footnote.
The BCom and MBA programs at Royal Roads were ranked by Corporate Knights Magazine in July 2007. The Royal Roads BCom program placed 28th out of the 47 BCom programs in Canada. The MBA placed 20th out of 35 MBA programs.[28]. In 2008 Corporate Knights Magazine dropped the Bcom ranking from 28th to 36th out of 47 Bcom programs in the country.[29] The MBA program dropped from 20th to 31st with the assessment pool for the ranking growing from 35 to 38 MBA programs.[29] In 2009 Corporate Knights Magazine ranked the Bcom 25th overall out of 47 universities and 4th in the Small Sized Business School category.[30] The MBA ranked 22 overall out of 35 universities and 4th in the Small Sized Business School category. It should be noted that Corporate Knights magazine bases its rankings on "the integration of environmental and social issues into university and college programmes."[30]
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