Mount Allison University

History

Mount Allison University was established in 1839 by a local merchant, Charles Frederick Allison. Mount Allison was a boys' academy owned and operated by the Methodist Church but open to all denominations. It opened in 1843, and a branch institution for girls, known as the Ladies College, was added in 1854. It attained degree-granting status in 1858, at which time it was referred to as Mount Allison College. Teaching began in 1862, and the first two degrees were granted in 1863.

In 1875, the college conferred on Grace Annie Lockhart the first baccalaureate awarded to a woman in the British Empire, and in 1882, it granted to Harriet Starr Stewart the first Bachelor of Arts degree awarded to a woman in Canada. In 1886, the charter of the college was amended and the name became University of Mount Allison College. The word "College" was gradually and unofficially dropped over the years.

Did you know?
Mount Allison Ladies’ College was founded in 1854 as the “female branch” of the Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy. The school’s first preceptress was Mary Electa Adams, who sought to provide women with the opportunity for education. Adams developed a more rigorous curriculum for her students than other institutions were offering to women in the late 19th century.

Education

With a liberal arts and science approach, Mount Allison offers an education that is personalized and interdisciplinary. It counts approximately 2,500 students and a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio, which enhances student-to-student and student-to-professor interactions. Degrees are awarded in Arts, Commerce, Fine Arts, Music and Science, with more than 50 majors and minors to choose from and the flexibility for students to create their own degree. The Faculty of Science is the only faculty to offer graduate studies, with Master's degrees in biology and chemistry.

The University also offers many undergraduate research opportunities, sometimes as early as the second year of studies. Approximately 40% of Science students are directly involved in research, and nearly half of the scientific papers produced by professors are co-authored by an undergraduate student.

Alumni

To date, Mount Allison has produced nearly 60 Rhodes Scholars, the highest number per capita of any Canadian university. It also boasts the second-largest endowment per student in Canada. Alumni include artist Alex Colville; industrialist Wallace McCain; former New Brunswick Lieutenant-Governor Hon. Margaret McCain; CFL football player Eric Lapointe; journalist Ian Hanomansing; Canadian lawyer and businessman Purdy Crawford; senator and former P.E.I. premier Catherine Callbeck; Celtic musicians the Barra MacNeils; industrialist John Bragg; Dr. Byron Jennings, deputy science division head at TRIUMF, Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics; BMO Financial Group vice-chair Hon. Kevin Lynch; and senator and former Nova Scotia premier John Buchanan.

Location

Mount Allison is located in a classic university town, with bookshops, coffee houses, art galleries and theatres. The largely residential student body has access to more than 140 clubs and societies, as well as a vibrant intramural program and more than a dozen varsity and club sports teams, known as the Mounties. Mount Allison's attractive campus consists of 72 acres of historic architecture, modern facilities and well-kept grounds.

Symbols

The University's motto is "Litterae, Religio, Scientia" ("Writing, Divinity, Knowledge") and its colours are garnet and gold.