History
Vancouver Island University was founded in 1969 as Malaspina College, named after Captain Alexandro Malaspina, who explored Vancouver Island. Following a 1988 government initiative designed to increase access to degree programs in British Columbia, five community colleges in BC were granted authority to offer baccalaureate degrees, and these five institutions — Malaspina, Fraser Valley, Kwantlen, Cariboo and Okanagan — were renamed university colleges. Initially, they offered degrees through one or another of the three provincial universities.
Malaspina College had regional campuses in Nanaimo, Duncan, and Powell River by 1990. In 1995 they were awarded the authority to offer degrees in their own right. In 1995, the province of British Columbia enacted legislation changing the institution's name to Malaspina University-College and allowing it to begin granting academic degrees and college diplomas. Malaspina University-College's Arms and Badge were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on May 20, 1995.
Malaspina University-College was upgraded to a university under an amendment of the University Act and officially began operation as Vancouver Island University on September 1, 2008.
International students: 817.96 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) 2007-2008.
Vancouver Island University's first president was Dr. Carleton Opgaard. The first chancellor was Shawn Atleo, who in 2009 became the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
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