Brock University
Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bears the name of Maj.-General Sir Isaac Brock, who was responsible for defending Upper Canada against the United States during the War of 1812.
Brock offers a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including professional degrees. Brock was ranked third among Canadian universities in the undergraduate category for research publication output and impact indicators in 2008. Brock University is the only school in Canada and internationally to offer the MICA program. Brock University's Department of Health Sciences offers the only undergraduate degree in Public Health in Canada. At the graduate level, Brock offers 49 programs, including nine PhD programs.
Brock's co-op program is Canada's fifth-largest, and the third largest in Ontario as of 2011. Graduates enjoy one of the highest employment rates of all Ontario universities at 97.2 percent.
Brock has 12 Canada Research Chairs and nine faculty members who have received the 3M Teaching Fellowship Award, the only national award that recognizes teaching excellence and educational leadership.
History
In 1963 the Brock University Founders' Committee, chaired by Arthur Schmon and co-chaired by William B Gunning, offered Dr. James A. Gibson the invitation to become the founding president.Brock University was established by the passage of the Brock University Act by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1964. When the university first opened in September 1964, classes were held at the St. Paul Street United Church in downtown St. Catharines for 13 weeks until the Glenridge Campus was completely renovated.
Brock's Glenridge campus was officially opened on October 19, 1964 with Gibson as the university's founding president. In 1996 Brock University honoured Gibson by naming the university library in his honour.
Richard L. Hearn was appointed the university's inaugural chancellor in 1967. Canadian Cree actress Shirley Cheechoo was Chancellor from 2015 to 2020.
Brock University is named after Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, who commanded the British and Canadian forces during the War of 1812. Although the British and Canadian forces went on to win, Brock lost his life during the Battle of Queenston Heights in 1812, fought from the present-day site of the campus. His last words are said to have been Surgite! — now used as the university's motto. For his contribution to Canada, Brock was voted the 28th Greatest Canadian in a 2004 poll, conducted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Main campus and residences
Isaac Brock Plaza
Using a blend of new construction and major upgrades of existing space, the project will grow Goodman School of Business from its current 50,526 sq. ft. to 76,758 sq. ft.A feature will be the two-storey glass “engagement atrium” at the west end of the complex.
Taro Hall's nine current classrooms will be extensively renovated with new floors, ceilings, furniture, accessibility, lighting and technology, and all existing offices and spaces will either be enlarged or renovated with new flooring and fixtures.
Arthur Schmon Tower
The Arthur Schmon Tower was built in 1968 and houses the administrative offices for the university. Schmon was the primary force behind getting a university established in the Niagara peninsula and was the chairman of the Brock University Founders' Committee, formed in 1962. The Schmon Tower, along with the surrounding Thistle Complex, are characterized by their distinctive brutalist architecture.The Schmon Tower also houses the James A. Gibson Library, named for founding president of the university James Alexander Gibson, which serves as the academic library for the university and is a member of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries. The main floor of the library consists of the Matheson Learning Commons which includes computer workstations, study rooms, multimedia classrooms, and the library's circulation and information desk.
Welch Hall
Welch Hall is home to Brock's Faculty of Education, the Instructional Resource Centre, as well as the David S. Howes Theatre. It recently underwent an expansion, designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects and costing in excess of $8 million, which added additional lecture halls and administrative offices as well as upgrades to Welch Hall's facilities.Mackenzie Chown Complex
Designed by Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama, who also served as Chancellor of Brock, the Mackenzie Chown Complex primarily contains seminar rooms and science laboratories. The Mackenzie Chown Complex also houses the Pond Inlet convention space and the Map, Data & GIS Library. It was named for Mackenzie Chown, a former mayor of St. Catharines who served as chairman of the Brock Board of Trustees and chairman of the fundraising committee for a new science laboratory building to be added to the Complex.Plaza Building
Completed in 2007, and designed by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects, the Plaza Building contains the Faculty of Social Sciences, as well as computer facilities, seminar rooms, and the new Brock Campus Bookstore. The Campus Store occupies the first floor.The third floor houses seminar rooms and computer labs, as well as the Department of Political Science and its offices. The fourth floor houses additional seminar and computer rooms, as well as the Department of Economics and its offices. The fifth and sixth floors of this building are restricted access and can be entered only via security card verification. These two restricted floors are home to the Jack & Nora Walker Canadian Centre for Lifespan Development Research.
Walker Complex
The Walker Complex contains an athletic complex and academic offices. Constructed in 1973 and designed by Moffit, Moffit & Kinoshita Architects, the building has had a number of additions, including a major expansion in 2002 by Moriyama & Teshima Architects. The Eleanor Misener Aquatic Centre, an Olympic size competitive swimming pool features a depth adjustable hydraulic floor in shallow end, a movable bulkhead, 5m diving tower, two 1m springboards and two 3m springboards, two Tarzan ropes, and a whirlpool. The Zone, a facility, includes over 60 pieces of cardio equipment as well as strength training equipment. Fitness and dance studios are located on the upper level along with classrooms. The lower level includes the Ian D. Beddis Gymnasium, which is equipped with drop down curtains that can divide the large space into four separate gymnasia. Each area has one basketball, one volleyball and three badminton courts that will accommodate recreational activities and intramural sports. Convocation is held in this space twice per year. It is in area with a ceiling height of. The Beddis gymnasium has a 200m suspended track with a rubberized surface. The Bob Davis gymnasium is home to the Brock Badgers basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams. The Leo Leblanc Rowing Centre is the training facility for the Badger varsity rowing teams and the St. Catharines Rowing Club. An eight-person tank allows rowers to simulate on-water training.Cairns Complex
The Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Research Complex was completed in 2012. Designed by architectsAlliance, Toronto, Canada with lab design by Payette Associates of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, this building contains the University's most advanced research laboratories. It is intended to advance Canada's science and technology infrastructure and position Brock as a leader in human health and biosciences. CFHBRC researchers, who include six Canada Research Chairs, conduct research in areas such as cancer treatments, infectious diseases, biotechnology and green chemistry.The facility houses the BioLinc business incubator to forge partnerships between research and industry, and stimulate an economic cluster in advanced health studies and biomanufacturing in the Niagara Region. The complex is also home to the Niagara Campus of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.
The CFHBRC was developed based on principles of sustainability and quality environments, following the Canadian Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system. Construction of the CFHBRC began in August 2009, and it officially opened in September 2012.
Rankin Family Pavilion
Established in 2019 and funded by LINC and the Rankin family - this new building is Brock's latest and grandest change.Residences
Brock's St. Catharines on-campus residence system can accommodate up to 2,777 students. There are eight residence buildings that can be categorized in three ways. The majority of residents are first-year students. There is a sizable population of upper-year students who live in residence, typically in the Brock Suites designated areas. All residence students have access to two dining halls which are operated by Aramark under the Fresh Food Company brand. The residence dining halls are located in the DeCew and Lowenberger buildings.- DeCew is the oldest of the residences; it was built in 1969 and designed by architect John Andrews in association with St. Catharines architects Salter Fleming Secord. DeCew contains 411 beds in a traditional residence style building. DeCew is undergoing a major multi-phase renovation beginning in Spring 2019.
- Gordon and Betty Vallee Residence, commonly referred to as "Vallee", is a semi-suite residence built in 1995. All of the rooms are single rooms with a washroom shared between two students.
- Quarry View Residence opened in the fall of 2003. It contains 250 single-room beds and 40 double room beds divided into three- or four-person units. Quarry View is a townhouse-style residence where students have a common living area and a full-size kitchen.
- Arnie Lowenberger Residence is a semi-suite style residence similar to Vallee and Earp residences, however a double room and a single room share an adjoining bathroom. The residence is named for Dr. Arnie Lowenberger, Athletic Director and Dean of Physical Education. He was also the first Director of Residences at Brock University.
- Village Residence contains 888 beds. It was originally opened in 1989 and expanded in 1993, 1998, and 2002. It is a townhouse style residence.
- Alan Earp Residence was officially opened in 2001, and is home to 255 students. The building was designed by Moriyama and Teshima Architects. The building is very similar to Vallee Residence, in that all of its rooms are single rooms with a washroom shared between two students.
The Brock Centre for the Arts is located on campus and features two large theatres, The Sean O'Sullivan and The David S. Howes. The centre presents some figures in Canadian arts and entertainment, academics, and politics, and attracts general audiences from the Niagara Region.