General Information
Canadian University College (CUC), located in Lacombe, Alberta, is a Christian university offering over 20 fully accredited undergraduate degree diploma and certificate programs. CUC is accredited through the Alberta Campus Alberta Quality Council. CUC is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church; although a significant number of students come from an SDA background, all students who are interested in living and studying in a Christian context are welcome to apply. A student-teacher ratio of 10-1, with just over 400 students, contributes to a warm, family-like atmosphere on campus. CUC strives for academic excellence; three out of every four professors holds a PhD.

Affiliated with CUC and operating on the same campus, are Parkview Adventist Academy (a grades 10-12 boarding school), Loma Linda University's Marital and Family Therapy Master's Degree program, and La Sierra University Extended Campus Program offering a Master of Arts degree from its own School of Education.

History of CUC
Canadian University College traces its roots back to 1907 when the first Alberta Seventh-day Adventist secondary school was established at Leduc. In 1909 the present location (three kilometres northwest of Lacombe, Alberta) was chosen. This site overlooks miles of surrounding countryside and includes the college campus and many acres of farm land.

The original plan was to develop a combined medical and educational institution. However, the establishment of a medical centre was never realized at Lacombe.

In 1909 a four-storey 'barn-like' building was built for classrooms, auditiorium, kitchen dining room laundry and men's residence. With an enrolment of 81, there was an immediate housing problem. Some of the women students lived in a small laundry building, while others who were less sensitive to cold, shared a tent until a dormitory was completed for them in early 1910. All students had to bring their own straw tick.

In the next two years a dormitory for men, and an administration building accomodating classrooms and offices, were constructed. The 'barn' was converted into a 'real barn' for dairy cows!

In accordance with SDA philosophy, training of hand and mind were a part of education. Therefore, each student was required to assist with the work of the school. The original buildings were erected principally by the teachers and students. Over the years other lines of work available on campus for students ranged from making brooms, upholstered furniture and puffed wheat, to printing and bookbinding.

In 1914 water was piped into the women's dormitory, and the first bathtub was installed. Each student was allowed one bath per week, on a schedule! Oil lamps were replaced by electric lights in 1917, and by the summer of 1918 a steam plant for heating the buildings was partially completed. Natural gas was installed in 1947.

The school suffered a a major loss on May 28, 1930 when an arsonist set a fire which destroyed three major buildings. Within the same year two large buildings of more durable construction were erected and the school continued to operate.

Three large barns and a milk processing plant were built in the 1940s. In succeeding years some of the buildings that have been added include: laundry, church school, church, printing press, cafeteria, library, two dormitories, a physical education complex, furniture factory, dairy facilities, residences. The space originally occupied by the three large barns is now occupied by the newest campus building -- the C$3.8 million Chan Shun Science Centre, completed in 1993. In 1993-1995, an eight-unit apartment complex for married students and a strip mall were constructed.

Along with the expansion of the physical plant of the school was the advancement of its curriculum. In 1919, the Board of Trustees authorized the establishment of Canadian Junior College. This was followed in 1947 with the development of a four-year program in theology.

In 1971, the college entered into an affiliation agreement with the University of Alberta, initially to cover first-year courses, and later to include the second year. An relationship was established in 1979 with Union College of Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, which resulted in the offering of several baccalaureate degree programs through a Partner Campus Agreement. In 1991, 1995, and 1996 the Government of Alberta authorized the college to offer three- and four-year degree programs. [Adapted from material written by Edith Fitch HS '50, and Myrna Tetz CUC '53.]

Canadian University College 5415 College Ave. Lacombe, AB, Canada T4L 2E5 Main Phone: 403-782-3381 Toll Free: 800-661-8129 Main Fax: 403-782-3170

Canadian University College Web Site www.cauc.ca