Royal Roads University
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Royal Roads University (RRU) is a public university located in Colwood, a suburb of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is the only public university in Canada devoted exclusively to offering applied and professional programs, at both the Undergraduate and Graduate degree level. Located on the site of the former Royal Roads Military College, RRU has one of the largest MBA programs in Canada.
Campus and grounds
The campus and surrounding grounds of RRU are situated in Hatley Park, which is a National Historic Site. Royal Roads leases the land from the Department of National Defense for $1 per year and assumes all stewardship responsibilities related to the site including the cost of site management, operations, restoration and public education.
Originally used by the Coast Salish, the land was developed for agriculture by European immigrants and their descendents. In 1906, the coal magnate and politician James Dunsmuir purchased the land to build an estate. The Canadian government acquired the buildings and grounds from his descendents in 1940 to serve as a Naval Training Establishment, which came to be known as Royal Roads Military College. In 1995, the military college was closed and the land and facilities leased by the government of British Columbia. The site was converted into the university the same year.
The university overlooks Royal Roads, from which the university takes its name. This body of water forms the entrance into Esquimalt Harbour from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, lying to the east of the facility. The grounds still go by the name of Hatley Park, a mix of landscaped gardens and natural woodland. Hatley Castle and its surroundings have made appearances in numerous movies and TV series programs such as Smallville where it serves as the Luthor Mansion, and has also provided the venue for plays and concerts. It is featured in all three X-Men films as Professor Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters.
Admission Fees and Development Controversy
Citing maintenance costs, in June 2006 Royal Roads University started charging admission fees to its grounds at Hatley Park. After a public outcry, it scaled back the new fees to $8 for adults from the original cost of $12 per adult. According to an [article] published in a local newspaper, the University also has "plans underway to build a hotel in a private-public partnership, and there is a vision for commercial and retail development, even a subdivision."
An advocacy group, [Save Hatley Park], formed in response to the threat of commercialization at Hatley Park. This group seeks a better solution that involves the community rather than excluding them from these public lands.
External links
| B.C. universities |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Public universities | |||
| UBC | UNBC | Royal Roads | Simon Fraser | Thompson Rivers | Victoria | |||
| Private universities | |||
| Canada West | Fairleigh Dickinson | Quest | Trinity Western | |||
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