History of Quebec Universities

1968 is the year of universities, host Claude Jean Devereux informs us of the public affairs program Camera 68 on March 26, 1968.

The Quebec government then prepared to put in place a law on higher education in order to better regulate the field and its financing.

In this context, Claude Jean Devereux provides a picture of the universities located in the province and the communities they serve.

How many universities are there? Where are they – and if I may put it this way: who are they?as he says at the beginning.

French universities in Quebec

In the first part of his report, journalist Claude Jean Devereux examines the French language universities in Quebec.

Laval University

Located in Quebec, Laval University became the first French-speaking university in North America in 1852 when it was consecrated by royal charter. Previously, the Petit Séminaire de Québec allowed the French-speaking to perform their classical courses in the old capital.

Laval University became very narrow in Old Quebec, and in 1948 acquired a large piece of land on the plateau Sainte-Foy, where it moved in 1950.

Originally, Laval University had four faculties: Arts, Theology, Medicine, and Law.

In 1968, the Sainte-Foy campus had about twenty suites and an affiliate school very far from each other. Claude Jean Devereux emphasizes in his report a composition that forces students to walk long distances.

The journalist tells us in passing that the University of Montreal was initially a branch of Laval University between 1876 and 1889 before it was considered independent.

In 1968, Laval University also had two study centers outside Quebec, in Chicoutimi and Trois-Rivieres, which enabled it to reach 9,117 students in the province, half of whom came from Quebec.

University of Montreal

Originally located on the corner of Saint-Denis and Sainte-Catherine avenues in downtown Montreal, the University of Montreal separated from Laval University in 1989, and then from the Catholic Church it ran until 1919.

In 1928, the University of Montreal moved to the north side of Mount Royal in a former quarry ceded by the city. However, the twenties, thirties and forties would be marked by financial difficulties for the young university.

During the 1950s, the University of Montreal got back on its feet and gained momentum. In 1968, it had 12,545 full-time students at its 22 affiliated colleges and schools, including Polytechnique and HEC.

The University of Montreal has a mentality Young and ruddy as it should becommentary by journalist Claude Jean Devereux.

So we created A kind of semi-democratic system of administration Which includes representatives of students, professors, alumni and the government, as he described it.

University of Sherbrooke

Claude Jean Devereux then focuses on the newest French-speaking university in Quebec: the University of Sherbrooke, founded in 1954.

The journalist describes the university’s living environment as rather strict. There are not many trees on the campus, which has been installed since 1959 on land in the southwestern suburbs of Sherbrooke and where construction continues.

The University of Sherbrooke is particularly distinguished by its cooperative education format. According to this framework, studies and vocational training courses alternate every four months, explains Claude Jean Devereux.

In 1968, the institution had seven faculties and was preparing to receive the first teaching hospital in the province. 2,675 students attend Université de Sherbrooke, 54% of whom come from the Estrie region and 42% from the rest of Quebec.

English-speaking universities of Quebec

The second part of Claude Jean Devereux’s report paints a picture of English-language universities in Quebec.

In the second part of his report, the journalist focuses on the English language universities in the province.

McGill University

McGill University Oldest, most famous and most famous, announces the journalist. Founded in 1821, it is located in the heart of Montreal, at the foot of the mountain where the original village of Hochelaga once stood, he says. Teaching began there in 1929.

In 1968, McGill was a non-sectarian and private institution, although the Quebec government had a say in its management.

Its twenty colleges and schools are located in old buildings. buildings that meet current needs in one way or anotherClaude Jean Devereux confirms, But that has a certain charm.

McGill University, with 15,151 students, is the largest in Quebec. 73% of its students come from Quebec, 11% from the rest of Canada and 15% from abroad, mostly from the United States and Commonwealth countries.

Only 6% of French-speaking students attended McGill University in 1968.

Sir George Williams University (Concordia University)

Sir George Williams University became Concordia University in 1974 after its merger with Loyola College.

In 1968, he was nicknamed University in overalls Because of its wide view of the evening classes.

The courses offered there repeat at the end of the day, explains journalist Claude Jean Devereux, allowing people of all ages and backgrounds to study while doing the trade.

First located on Drummond Street in Montreal, Sir George Williams University had just moved in 1968 to a large building at the corner of McKay and Maisonneuve Streets.

It has 11,835 students, almost all from the Montreal region and 10% of whom speak French.

Bishop’s University

Finally, journalist Claude Jean Devereux paints a picture of Bishop University located on the banks of the Massaube River in Lenoxville, near Sherbrooke.

The journalist says that Bishop is a small university that is little talked about and little is known about.

” Yet it is a serious institution where studies undoubtedly bear fruit due to its solitude and tranquility. »

Claude Jean Devereux praises the relaxed atmosphere of the typical Anglo-Saxon campus of this university, which he describes as Very friendly and lovable. He gets excited to see the students are still wearing their gowns.

Bishop University in 1968 had three faculties – arts, sciences and theology, and a teacher training school. Most of its 917 students then complete their studies at McGill University, where they can only earn a bachelor’s degree at this institution founded in 1843.

the offer camera 68 This report comes at a time when a new French-speaking university is about to see the light of day. The University of Quebec will open its doors in the fall of 1969 on three campuses: Montreal, Trois-Rivieres, and Chicôtimete.

The challenge is great, because to meet the growing needs in both French-speaking and English-speaking Quebec universities, we would like to recruit 500 new professors each year.

In all of Canada, professors graduate only 600 annually, Claude Jean Devereux concludes in his 1968 report.

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