University Canada West

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Coordinates: 48°26′14.61″N 123°21′34.66″W / 48.4373917°N 123.3596278°W / 48.4373917; -123.3596278

University Canada West
Motto	Tenttanda Via Est (The way must be tried)
Established	2005
Type	Private
Chancellor	Dr. Myer Horowitz [1]
President	Dr. Verna Magee Shepherd
Provost	Dr. Bob Rogerson
Location	Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Campus	Urban
Colors	Green      and Red
Affiliations	[AAC&U, IAU, CIS
Website	UCan.ca

University Canada West (UCAN, Officially LearningWise Education Inc.^[2]) is a private for profit^[3] university in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, approved by the Degree Quality Assessment Board.^[4] The university's first president was David Strong, who retired in 2009. Dr. Verna Magee Shepherd, who was the former vice-president of British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), is currently the acting president of the university.

Contents 1 Academics 1.1 Undergraduate 1.2 Graduate 1.3 Expected future program 2 Authorization 3 Campuses 4 Tuition 5 Criticism 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Academics

UCAN offers Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Arts and MBA degrees, with seven specialty options in total. University Canada West offers entrance requirements for students with a GPA of 60% or higher ^[5], and gives credit for previous studies and work experience in the Degree Completion and MBA programs. The academic year is organized into four ten-week terms, but will change in September 2009 to five eight-week terms. Students will be able to complete four courses of 40 contact hours each in each term. Degree Completion and MBA programs can be completed on campus or online. ^[6] University Canada West participates in the British Columbia Credit Transfer system.^[7].

[edit] Undergraduate

• Bachelor of Commerce, General Studies (BCom)
• Bachelor of Commerce Technology Management (BCom)
• Bachelor of Arts Media and Communications (B.A.)
• Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communications

The university follows a system of five terms in a year, by which students can finish their degree in two years instead of four years in other traditional universities.

[edit] Graduate

• Master of Business Administration (MBA)

[edit] Expected future program

• Law, Education, Fine Arts, and Psychology^[8]

[edit] Authorization

UCAN is approved by the province of British Columbia through the Degree Quality Assessment Board ^[9] which is the regulatory body overseeing degree granting in the province of British Columbia.

[edit] Campuses

• Victoria campus: The university's campus is located at 950 Kings Road
• Vancouver campus:located on the second floor and the ground floor of 1111 Melville Street
• Singapore campus:co-operation with Kaplan's Asia Pacific Management Institute

The classes as compared to normal public universities are small, due to which students can concentrate efficiently on their studies. The Victoria campus is the main campus which is a building of two floors with a huge ground. The victoria campus also has facilities for students such as gym, library, computer labs, hall etc. The Vancouver campus is situated between the busy corporate world of Vancouver in the downtown, where the students can gain knowledge and experience from the city's business world.The Vancouver campus also has a computer lab and a small library with vast range of business books. University Canada West also provides library cards of the University of British Columbia, by which the students can go to UBC's library and refer to their books. The university also arranges homestay programmes for international students through EMINATA GROUP.

[edit] Tuition

Tuition for a full undergraduate degree program at UCAN is higher than similar programs at public universities due to the fact that it is not publicly subsidized.

[edit] Criticism

"A university should offer a wide range of instructional programs backed up by an extensive research mandate," said Norma Wieland, president of the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of B.C. "From the information that has been made available to date, David Strong's institution is nowhere close to meeting that goal."^[10]

"The fundamental problem here is that it is impossible for the general public to know what they are getting with this institution," said Robert Clift, executive director of CUFA/BC. "The public universities operate in an atmosphere of openness and accountability, but Strong has been able to conceal the details of his plans and yet still get government approval."

"At this point, it looks like faculty at University Canada West will have no formal authority in academic decision-making," Clift said. "There will be an advisory body, but it appears the final decisions about academic programs will be made by the corporate board of governors."

CUFA/BC believes that if UCW or other private institutions end up offering lower grade degree programs that it will reflect badly on the province's public institutions.

"Even though enrollment at these private institutions will be tiny compared to the total enrollment at public degree-granting institutions," Clift said, "they have the capacity to generate a lot of ill will for everybody if things go wrong."^[11]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• University Canada West
• Learning Wise Inc. - Company that operates UCW

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