Campus Saint-Jean
Louis Desrochers has been passionate about bringing together Canadians from the East and the West, anglophone and francophone. He has been actively involved with the Faculté Saint-Jean throughout his time in Edmonton, and all five of his children have been graduates of the institution. While a member of the Board of Governors and later, as Chancellor of the University of Alberta, Desrochers worked to strengthen the ties between Saint-Jean and the University of Alberta. Once Faculté Saint-Jean was created, Desrochers served as chair of its advisory committee.
Original: History Trails
Faculté Saint-Jean: A new Faculty but an old institution
This article describes the history of the Faculté Saint-Jean from its founding class of two students to its merger with the University of Alberta. The late 1970s and early 1980s were years of change for Saint-Jean: it had to adapt to their new status as part of the University of Alberta, and, in 1980, a new Dean, Dr Gamila Morcos, was appointed.
Original: History Trails
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Campus Saint-Jean is the only French-language university-degree program west of Manitoba. The Saint-Jean school was founded in Pincher Creek in 1908 by an Oblate priest as a juniorate, a place to instruct junior members preparing for life in the Oblate order. Three years later, the school moved to its current location overlooking the Mill Creek Ravine, 6 kilometres east of the University of Alberta's main campus. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Collège Saint-Jean grew more affiliated with the University of Alberta, and, in 1976, the Oblate priests officially sold it to the University. In 1977, the Collège changed its name to Faculté Saint-Jean and became a full faculty at the University of Alberta. In October 2005, Saint-Jean was renamed Campus Saint-Jean.
Campus Saint-Jean continues to offer students a unique francophone education. The campus is located on rue Marie-Anne Gaboury (91 Street) in the heart of Edmonton's francophone neighbourhood. The language of communication at the Campus is French, and students are also exposed to cultural events occurring in the city's francophone community.
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During the 2006–2007 school year, there were 627 undergraduate students and 70 graduate students at Campus Saint-Jean. These students receive an excellent quality of education. The classes are small, and numerous scholarships are available to students wishing to pursue their studies in French.
Campus Saint-Jean works closely with the main campus; students frequently take courses at both campuses. A minibus takes students between the two locations. The undergraduate degrees offered at Campus Saint-Jean include:
- Baccalauréat ès arts/Bachelor of Arts (BA)
- Baccalauréat ès sciences/Bachelor of Science (BSc)
- Baccalauréat en Éducation (BEd; Bed/BSc; BEd/AD) / Bachelor of Education or Combined Bachelor of Education
- Baccalauréat bilingue en Administration des affaires (BAA) / Bachelor of Commerce - Bilingual
- Baccalauréat ès sciences de l'environnement de la conservation (BScEnv) / Bachelor of Science in Environmental Conservation Sciences - Bilingual
- Baccalauréat ès scieces en génie / Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BEng)
- Baccalauréat ès sciences infirmières - bilingue (BScInf)/ Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Bilingual
Graduate programs that are offered include:
- Maîtrise en sciences de l'éducation (MEd) / Masters in Education
- Maîtrise en arts en études canadiennes / Masters of Arts in Canadian Studies (MA)
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The Campus Saint-Jean also boasts its own library, the Bibliothèque Saint-Jean, which houses one of the most comprehensive French-language collections in western Canada. In addition to books relevant to the courses taught at Campus Saint-Jean, there are also federal documents and francophone journals. The rare book collection focuses on the francophone history of western Canada and the books of western French-Canadian authors. There are also educational materials in French.
The Résidence Saint-Jean is a unique residence where students are able to improve their French-language skills exponentially by speaking French daily with French speakers from all around the world.
Chorale Saint-Jean is an integral part of the Campus. It has its roots in the beginning of the school and was formally established in 1937 as the Chorale du Juniorat Saint-Jean. Today, students, professors, and members of the francophone community sing in this choir. Chorale Saint-Jean has released two CDs and toured Québec.
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The Canadian Studies Institute/Institut d'études canadiennes is located at the Campus Saint-Jean. This is an ideal location because, as a French-speaking campus under the umbrella of an English-language university, the Campus itself experiences Canada's linguistic duality daily. At the Institute, researchers and professors bring an interdisciplinary approach to Canadian Studies. The Institut pour le patrimoine de la francophonie de l'ouest canadien/The Institute of Western Canadian Francophone Heritage is a partnership between professors at Campus Saint-Jean and members of the francophone community. The Institute makes use of the large archives of documents relating to western Canada's francophone history and strives to preserve and share this heritage with the wider community.
For more information about the Campus Saint-Jean, please visit its website.
| Deans of Campus Saint-Jean | |
| 2005– | Marc Arnal |
| Deans of Faculté Saint-Jean | |
| 1995–2003 | Claudette Tardif |
| 1985–1995 | Jean-Antoine Bour |
| 1980–1985 | Gamilla Morcos |
| 1970–1980 | Frank J. McMahon |