Mount Allison University - History

History

Mount Allison's origins go back to a boys' academy founded in June 1839 by a local Methodist merchant, Charles Frederick Allison. Charles Allison's grandfather had emigrated from Ireland to Canada in the late 18th century because of the after effects of a dinner with the local government tax collector. Wanting to impress the man, the family had set the table with their one valuable possession; silver spoons. After entertaining their guest, the Allisons were informed by the tax collector that if they could afford silver spoons, then they could certainly afford to pay more taxes. The Allisons left Ireland shortly thereafter. The offending spoons are now on display in the main university library.

In June 1839, Charles Allison proposed to the Wesleyan Methodists that a school of elementary and higher learning be built. He offered to purchase a site in Sackville, to erect a suitable building for an academy, and to contribute operating funds of £100 a year for 10 years. This offer was accepted and the Wesleyan Academy for boys subsequently opened in 1843.

Mount Allison University is a United Church-affiliated, but non-sectarian university which was established at Sackville, New Brunswick on January 19, 1843. The university was named after Charles Frederick Allison, in honour of his gift of land and money.

Its origins were steeped in the Methodist faith. It was designed to prepare men for the ministry and to supply education for lay members. The university was chartered on April 14, 1849.

In 1854, a girls' institution (later known as the "Ladies College") was opened to complement the boys' academy.

In 1858 an Act of the New Brunswick Legislature authorized the trustees to establish a degree-conferring institution at Sackville, under the name of the Mount Allison Wesleyan College.

In July 1862, the degree-granting Mount Allison College was organised. The first two students, Howard Sprague and Josiah Wood, graduated in May 1863. Mount Allison was the first university in the British Empire to confer a Bachelor's degree to a woman (Grace Annie Lockhart, B.Sc. 1875). It was also the first university in Canada to grant a Bachelor of Arts to a woman (Harriet Starr Stewart). For nearly a century, Mount Allison functioned as three distinct, mutually enriching parts: the College proper, the Boys' Academy and the Ladies College.

The Corporate name was changed to University of Mount Allison College in 1886.

The university's affiliation was transferred to the United Church of Canada following church union in 1925. Original components of the university included: the Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy for Boys (1840–1958), the Ladies' College (1854–1958), and Mount Allison College. Mount Allison College was established in 1862 with degree-granting powers on behalf of the other two.

The governance was modelled on the provincial University of Toronto Act of 1906 which established a bicameral system of university government consisting of a senate (faculty), responsible for academic policy, and a board of governors (citizens) exercising exclusive control over financial policy and having formal authority in all other matters. The president, appointed by the board, was to provide a link between the 2 bodies and to perform institutional leadership.

Sidney Perry Dumaresq (architect) designed the rear addition to Central Building, 1910.

In the early part of the 20th century, professional education expanded beyond the traditional fields and graduate training based on the German-inspired American model of specialized course work and the completion of a research thesis was introduced.

By 1920, Mount Allison University had three faculties: Arts, Theology, and Engineering. It awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Divinity (BD), and Master of Arts. It had 246 male students and 73 female students, as well as 28 academic staff, all male.

The closure of the School for Girls in 1946 and the Boy's Academy in 1953 coincided with a period of expansion and provided much-needed space for the growing university. In 1958, a period of construction and acquisition of buildings began, easing the strain of overcrowding at the institution. At this time the university board and administration decided to reaffirm the traditional aims of Mount Allison in providing a high-quality undergraduate liberal arts education, along with continuing to offer professional programmes in already-established fields. As such, the university decided not to compete for new professional programs and generally avoided post-graduate course development.

The policy of university education initiated in the 1960s responded to population pressure and the belief that higher education was a key to social justice and economic productivity for individuals and for society. Mount Allison University was established by the Mount Allison University Act, 1993.

Mount Allison University's Arms and Badge were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on November 15, 2007.

Andrew R. Cobb designed several campus buildings including: Memorial Library, 1926–27, demol. 2011; Flemington (Science) Building, 1930–31; Centennial Hall, 1933. The Memorial Library (renamed University Centre in 1970) was constructed in 1927 in the Tudor Revival style. Part of a memorial listed in the Canadian Forces' National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials - № 13002-004 - the memorial also included the original set of brass plaques which are now located in the Wallace McCain Student Centre.