Université de Saint-Boniface

Joseph-Norbert Provencher,
Collège founder

Msgr. Alexandre-Antonin Taché (President 1854-1860)

Collège, prior to the 1922 fire

Students playing hockey, c. 1962

The first permanent structure, built in 1855

With its origins dating back to 1818 and established by Father Norbert Provencher (1787–1853), Université de Saint-Boniface is Western Canada's oldest post-secondary educational institution. It had its humble beginnings as a small school where Latin was taught to the boys of the French-speaking Red River Colony.[3]

The school continued to grow, and in 1855, Msgr. Alexandre-Antonin Taché (1823–1894) oversaw the construction of Collège de Saint-Boniface, a two-story building on the corner of Taché Avenue and Masson Street.

From 1866 to 1870, under the guidance of Bishop George Dugas, Collège reorganized its programs to consolidate the instruction of Latin, Greek and philosophy into a classical curriculum.

Incorporated in 1871,[4] Collège was one of the first official institutions of the new province of Manitoba, which had joined Canadian Confederation the year before. In 1877, together with the Anglican St. John's College and the Presbyterian Manitoba College, it helped establish the University of Manitoba.[5] Collège served both francophone and anglophone Catholic students. Around the same time, Manitoba saw a major influx of French-speaking newcomers from Quebec as well as France, Switzerland and Belgium. In 1880, increased enrolment led to the construction of a larger building on the site of what is now Provencher Park. Annual enrolment at that time was around 300 students.[6]

In 1890, French lost its official language status in Manitoba, and in 1916, the Thornton Act strictly prohibited French-language instruction in the province's public schools. As a private institution, Collège remained in operation and even encouraged public schools to defy the government ban. French-language teaching continued clandestinely.

On November 25, 1922, a major fire started in a music room in the basement and the blaze completely destroyed the building,[7] including all of its records and the 40,000-volume library; it also claimed ten victims. In response to this tragedy, Msgr. Arthur Béliveau, Archbishop of St. Boniface, donated the seminary (Le Petit Séminaire) on Avenue de la Cathédrale, the present location of USB. The English-speaking Jesuits founded their own college (St. Paul's College) in 1925, and USB became a francophone institution, although it offered business courses in English until 1941.[8]

The 1960s were marked by three major changes: the arrival of women in the classroom (1959), the beginnings of continuing education (including conversational French and French as a second language classes) and the institution's transition to a secular administration (1969).

In 1975, Collège began to offer technical and professional programs, which led to the creation of the École technique et professionnelle in 1989. In 1983, high school classes were transferred to Collège Louis-Riel and Collège began to focus solely on post-secondary education.

The institution officially became the Université de Saint-Boniface in September 2011, following passage of the Université de Saint-Boniface Act.

Despite its new university status, USB continues to be affiliated with the University of Manitoba, which it helped establish in 1877. Enshrined in the Université de Saint-Boniface Act, the affiliation with the University of Manitoba has valuable benefits for USB staff and students, and USB was committed to preserving this special 135-year-old relationship. University degrees continue to be conferred by the University of Manitoba. However, graduates of the technical and professional programs of the École technique et professionnelle (ETP) or École des sciences infirmières et des études de la santé (ESIES) receive their diploma or certificate from Université de Saint-Boniface.

A pivotal hub of French-language education and of Manitoba's francophone community, USB now welcomes students from around the world.

Université de Saint-Boniface

Located on 200 Avenue de la Cathedrale which is in the heart of Winnipeg's green and quiet St. Boniface neighbourhood, Université de Saint Boniface is a stone's throw away from cafés, restaurants and shopping. It is also close to the St. Boniface Hospital, the St. Boniface Cathedral, and the meandering Red River. Pedestrians can walk across the striking Esplanade Riel to Winnipeg's downtown core or the large public market at The Forks.

With its Tyndall stone façade, the main USB building houses two gymnasiums, the Sportex fitness centre, a library, a chapel, the Étienne Gaboury student centre, the campus radio station, an amphitheatre, computer facilities, a performance hall and an art gallery.

The brand new Pavillon Marcel-A.-Desautels health sciences building opened its doors in 2011.

Université de Saint-Boniface offers both university and technical and professional programs as well as continuing education courses.[10]

The research conducted at Université de Saint-Boniface garners international recognition and focuses especially on areas closely related to the university, such as health and Francophone and Métis identity.

Founded in 1985, USB's Research Centre is home to the Centre d’études Franco-canadiennes de l’Ouest (CEFCO), Presses universitaires de Saint-Boniface (PUSB), and the Canadian Research Chair on Migrations, Transfers and Francophone Communities (CRC-MTCF).[12] It has in the past also held the Canada Research Chair on Métis Identity (CRCMI) chaired by Dr. Denis Gagnon from 2004 to 2014,[13] as well as the Community-University Research Alliance on Francophone Identities in Western Canada (ARUC-IFO) chaired by Dr. Len Rivard from 2007 to 2013.[13]

The Government of Canada sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists over 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation. Université de Saint-Boniface scholarships for Aboriginal, First Nations and Métis students include: Louis Riel Scholarships; Louis Riel Institute Bursaries[14]

The purposes and powers of Université de Saint-Boniface are set out in the Université de Saint-Boniface Act,[15] the most recent version of which is dated June 2011. Its bilateral governance structure consists of the Board of Governors and the Senate. A number of ad hoc committees are also in place.

Louis Riel

A number of USB graduates went on to pursue exceptional careers or made a major impact in some other way. Its alumni include prominent judges, lawyers, visionary bishops and archbishops, true pioneers of radio and television, Stanley Cup hockey champions, a renowned architect and a world-famous singer. Another famous USB alumnus was, of course, Louis Riel, the Métis leader who negotiated the terms under which the province of Manitoba entered Canadian Confederation in 1870.

The Presses universitaires de Saint-Boniface (PUSB) university press was established in 1990. It publishes the research findings of Université de Saint-Boniface faculty as well as the work of the Centre d’études Franco-canadiennes de l’Ouest (CEFCO) and the Cahiers franco-canadiens de l’Ouest.[19]

To date, PUSB has published works on educational integration, translation, grammar, cultural production, inter-linguistic and socio-cultural relations, and francophone education in a minority setting.

The literary works of Gabrielle Roy and Roger Léveillé have also been published at PUSB.