Department and Faculty Growth
; "Strathcona Hospital under construction")
Dr Tory and Premier Rutherford were comfortable allies in forming and securing the University’s future. The Conservative party, particularly Calgary opposition member R.B. Bennett, pounced at the opportunity to weaken or topple Rutherford’s Liberal party. The Alberta and Great Waterways Railway scandal led to Rutherford’s 1910 resignation. Without Rutherford’s official position as premier, the potential of a backlash against Tory and the University was large. The Liberals remained in power and chose Arthur Sifton to replace Rutherford. Sifton and the Liberal party maintained power in the 1913 provincial election.
; "University of Alberta, Strathcona Block Plan for General Building Scheme")
Tory had to contend with the hard-to-read Premier Sifton, nicknamed “The Sphinx” because of his immobile facial features. Tory was not certain how much financial support and goodwill the University would receive under the party’s new leadership. Sifton’s position was confirmed when he passed the 1910 University Act, which improved the University’s financial position and governance model. By 1911, the University’s library had a 6,000-volume collection.
In many respects, 1912 marked an overall turning point for the University. The 1910 University Act had established a strong governance model that would last for decades; a Committee on Student Affairs strengthened students’ self-governance; student enrollment and staff positions were growing; and finances were improved. According to John MacDonald’s book The History of the University of Alberta, 1908–1958, the University’s operating budget jumped from approximately $34,000 in 1910–1911 to approximately $120,000 by 1912–1913.
; "The first Staff Houses located in the University Circle")
The University’s 1912 development was punctuated by its first-ever Convocation ceremony which celebrated the graduation of the University’s first class.
Naturally, with the University’s growth, other departments, schools, and faculties evolved. For example, the Faculty of Law had its beginnings in 1912 when candidates were recommended for the degree of Bachelor of Law. However, the Faculty of Law did not receive full faculty status until JD Weir was appointed as its first Dean in 1926.
; "Arts Building, South Laboratory and Power Plant")
The Department of Extension was set up in 1912 with Albert Ottewell taking charge of its activities. It became established as a faculty in 1975. The mission of the Department of Extension was to reach out to Albertans to find out what the University could do for them beyond classrooms and laboratories. As Extension’s first director, Ottewell travelled Alberta with his magic lantern, slides, and a travelling library. Extension visits became very popular.
By 1913, the Faculty of Applied Science (re-named Engineering in 1948) offered courses in Municipal and Civil Engineering, as well as Mining and Electrical Engineering.
A preliminary three-year program in Medicine also began in 1913. Anatomy, Physiology, Bacteriology, and Pharmacology were the Faculty of Medicine’s first departments. The Faculty of Medicine became associated with the Provincial Laboratory of Public Health when the first professor of bacteriology was appointed as provincial bacteriologist and later director of the provincial laboratory. In 1914, the nucleus of the present University Hospital was erected.
Until the University’s grand Arts Building was opened in 1915, Athabasca, Assiniboia, and Pembina Halls housed administration, the library, living quarters for staff and students, and teaching quarters. In 1915, the Faculty of Agriculture was founded with the appointment of Dean E.A. Howes. In 1916 the School of Accountancy was established within the Faculty of Arts and Science.
In 1915, another building opened that had an ever-changing title. Some people called it the Double Lab or North and South Labs, while others referred to it as the Power Plant.
The Double Lab/Power Plant, in its various forms and eras, housed Engineering, Medicine and laboratories, a tar extraction plant, Ultrasonic Plant experiments, and the Department of Extension.
The Department of Household Economics was established 1918.
During 1919–1920, the Alberta Research Council was established to study the economic life of the province.