University of Western Ontario - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The University of Western Ontario (commonly referred as Western or UWO) is a public

Public university

A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...

research university

University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

located in London

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The university's main campus covers 455 hectares (1,124.3 acre) of land, with the Thames River

Thames River (Ontario)

The Thames River is located in southwestern Ontario, Canada.The Thames flows west through southwestern Ontario, through the cities of Woodstock, London and Chatham to Lighthouse Cove on Lake St. Clair...

cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and schools. Western administers a wide variety of academic programs between twelve faculties, professional schools and three affiliated university college

University college

The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...

s.

The university was founded as the The Western University of London Ontario, a demonimational school of the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

, by Bishop Isaac Hellmuth

Isaac Hellmuth

Isaac Hellmuth , second Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Huron, was the founder of Huron University College and the University of Western Ontario, one of Canada's leading universities...

and the Anglican Diocese of Huron

Anglican Diocese of Huron

The Diocese of Huron is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada. The diocese comprises just over 31,000 square kilometres of the extreme south-western portion of the civil province of Ontario, sandwiched between Lake Huron and Lake Erie...

. The university became secular in 1908 and was given its present name in 1923. The university has over 23,000 undergraduate and over 5,000 graduate students. More than 220,000 alumni and former students of Western can be found in over 100 countries around the world. The Western varsity athletic teams are known as the Western Ontario Mustangs

Western Ontario Mustangs

The Western Ontario Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada...

, and are members of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport

Canadian Interuniversity Sport

Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...

History

The university was founded on March 7, 1878 by Bishop Isaac Hellmuth(1817-1901) of the Anglican Diocese of Huron as "The Western University of London Ontario." It incorporated Huron University College

Huron University College

Huron University College, referred to locally as Huron College is one of the affiliated colleges of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario....

, which had been founded in 1863. The first four faculties were Arts, Divinity, Law and Medicine, and there were originally only 15 students when classes began in 1881. The first of these students graduated in 1883. The Western University of London was eventually made non-denominational in 1908.
In 1916, the current site of the University was purchased from the Kingsmill family, and in 1923 the Western University of London was renamed The University of Western Ontario. The first two buildings constructed at the new site were the Arts Building (now University College) and the Natural Science Building (now the Physics and Astronomy Building). These were built in a neo-Gothic or "Collegiate Gothic" style, and classes on the present site of the school began in 1924. The University College tower, one of the most distinctive features of the University, was named the Middlesex Memorial Tower in honour of the men from Middlesex County

Middlesex County, Ontario

Middlesex County is a primarily rural county in Southwestern Ontario. Landlocked, the county is bordered by Huron and Perth counties on the north, Oxford County on the east, Elgin County on the south, and Chatham-Kent and Lambton County on the west.The seat is the city of London, although the city...

who had fought in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. Western later became affiliated with St. Peter's College seminary of London, Ontario

London, Ontario

in 1939, and it eventually became King's College, an arts faculty.

Although enrolment was relatively small for many years, the University began to increase greatly in size after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

and by the 1970s, 10% of university students in Ontario were enrolled at Western. The University saw the addition of a number of new faculties in the post-war period, such as the Faculty of Graduate Studies

Graduate school

A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...

(1947), the School of Business Administration (now the Richard Ivey School of Business

Richard Ivey School of Business

The Richard Ivey School of Business is located on the University of Western Ontario campus in London, Ontario, Canada, and is consistently rated as the top business school in Canada. It is offered, along with a range of other programs, by the University of Western Ontario, but is managed separately...

) (1949), the Faculty of Engineering Science (now the Faculty of Engineering) (1957), the Faculty of Law

Western Law School

Western Law is a public law school located at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1959, its first Dean was former Supreme Court of Canada justice, the Honourable Ivan Cleveland Rand, who saw the school as developing "in the minds of its students the habit of...

(1959), and Althouse College

Althouse College of Education

Althouse College of Education is a teacher's college at University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.-History:Althouse College was established at University of Western Ontario on April 16, 1963. It was originally created to train educators at the secondary level...

for education students (now the Faculty of Education) (1963) and the Faculty of Music (1968).

Campus

The University of Western Ontario is situated in the city of London, Ontario, located in the southwestern end of the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The majority of the campus is surrounded by residential neighbourhoods, with the Thames River

Thames River (Ontario)

bisecting the eastern portion of the campus. Western Road is the major transportation artery of the university, going north to south. While the campus covers 455 hectares (1,124.3 acre), the majority of the teaching facilities are centered within the core approximately 169.3 hectares (418.3 acre).

Sustainability

Campus sustainability at Western is managed by the President's Advisory Committee on Environment & Sustainability. The committee's mandate includes incorporating sustainability into our academic programming, engaging in research across the disciplines into issues of environmental sustainability, utilizing ecological landscaping methods and preserving green space and building and renovating facilities in accordance with energy efficiency and sustainability principles Along with the other members of the Council of Ontario Universities

Council of Ontario Universities

The Council of Ontario Universities builds awareness of the university sector’s contributions to the social, economic and cultural well-being of the province and the country, as well as the issues that impact the sector’s ability to maximize these contributions...

, Western had signed a pledge in 2009 known as Ontario Universities Committed to a Greener World, with the objective of transforming its campus into a model of environmental responsibility. Western is also a signatory of the Talloires Declaration

Talloires Declaration

The Talloires Declaration is a declaration for sustainability, created for and by presidents of institutions of higher learning. Jean Mayer, Tufts University president, convened a conference of 22 universities in 1990 in Talloires, France...

, a sustainability declaration created for presidents of higher education. The university campus received a B- grade from the Sustainable Endowments Institute on its College Sustainability Report Card for 2011.

Administration

The governance of the university is conducted through the Board of Governors and the Senate. The Senate was the university's first governing body, created in the university's founding document, An Act to Incorporate the Western University of London, Ontario, 1878. The Board of Governors was later established in An Act to amend the Act to incorporate the Western University of London, Ontario, 1892. The Board is responsible for the for the overall management of the university, including financial matters. Ex officio governors of the Board include the university's chancellor, president, the mayor of London, the warden of Middlesex County

Middlesex County, Ontario

and the secretary of the Board of Governors. The Board also consists of 26 other governors, either appointed or elected by the various members of the university's community and the surrounding commuity, including elected representatives from the student body.

The Senate is responsible for the university's academic policies. The Senate consists of 20 ex officio positions in the Senate granted to the chancellor, the president, the vice-presidents of the university, the senior dean of each faculty, the university librarian and the secretary of the senate. The secretary of the senate is a non-voting ex officio member. The Senate also consists of 46 elected members from the university's faculty, 18 members from the student population, and 9 members from the Western's affiliated colleges, including their principals. The Senate also consists of 9 other members from around the university community. In total, there are 103 members of the Senate, 102 of which may vote and 10-13 official observers of the Senate.

The president and vice-chancellor acts as the chief executive officer of the university who is accountable to the Board of Governors and the Senate, and supervises and directs the academic and administrative work of the university and of its teaching and non-teaching staff. Amit Chakma

Amit Chakma

Amit Chakma is the tenth president of the University of Western Ontario.Born in southeastern Bangladesh and a member of the Chakma ethnic minority, he moved away from his tribe to study chemical engineering at Algerian Petroleum Institute in Algeria. In 1977 he graduated at the top of his class....

is the tenth president of the university, serving the post since 1 July 2009. The chancellor of the university acts as the honourary and symbolic head of the university. The position of chancellor is a four year, non-renewable term. The current chancellor of the university is John Thompson

John Thompson (TD banker)

John M. Thompson is the non-executive Chairman of the Board of Toronto-Dominion Bank Financial Corporation . He has held the position of Director at TDBFC since 1988 and has been chairman of the board since 2003....

, who held the position since 2008.

Programs at the university is divided amongst 12 faculties and schools, including Althouse College of Education

Althouse College of Education

, Don Wright Faculty of Music

Don Wright Faculty of Music

The Don Wright Faculty of Music is the music school of The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. 550 undergraduate students and 125 graduate students were enrolled in 2009-2010. More than 100 nationally and internationally renowned musicians and scholars teach at the Faculty,...

, Richard Ivey School of Business

Richard Ivey School of Business

, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is the medical school of the University of Western Ontario, and is one of 17 medical schools in Canada and one of six in Ontario....

and Western Law School

Western Law School

. The university also is affiliated with three university colleges, Brescia University College

Brescia University College

Brescia University College is a Catholic liberal arts college for women located in London, Ontario, Canada. Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario, Brescia is the only university-level women's college in Canada...

, Huron University College

Huron University College

Huron University College, referred to locally as Huron College is one of the affiliated colleges of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario....

and King's University College

King's University College (University of Western Ontario)

This article refers to the King's College in London, Ontario. For the King's College in London, England, see King's College LondonKing's University College is a Catholic, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the University of Western Ontario.-History:It was founded as the "College of...

Academic profile

Western is a publicly-funded research university, and a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

- See also :* G13 * Association of Commonwealth Universities...

. The full-time undergraduate programs comprise the majority of the school's enrolment, made up of 23,690 full time, part time undergraduate students and concurrent education students. The graduate student population is 5,297, including full time students, part time students and post-graduate medical residents. The university conferred 4,504 bachelor degrees, 207 doctoral degrees, 1,427 master degrees, and 1,180 second entry professional degrees in 2008–2009. Students may apply for financial aid such as the Ontario Student Assistance Program

Ontario Student Assistance Program

The Ontario Student Assistance Program is a financial aid program delivered by the government of Ontario, Canada, for post-secondary education students...

and Canada Student Loans and Grants

Student loans in Canada

Student loans in Canada help post-secondary students pay for their education in Canada. The federal government funds the Canada Student Loan Program and the provinces may fund their own programs or run in parallel with the CSLP...

through the federal and provincial governments. The financial aid provided may come in the form of loans, grants, bursaries, scholarships, fellowships, debt reduction, interest relief, and work programs.

Admission requirements at Western differs depending upon the education system in which the applicant has originated from, due to the lack of uniformity in marking schemes. The acceptance rate at Western fell from 66% in 2005 to 58% in 2010. The secondary school average for full-time first-year students at Western was 86.8%,

Reputation

The University of Western Ontario has ranked as one of Canada's top universities. According to the 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities

Academic Ranking of World Universities

The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...

(ARWU) rankings, the university ranked 201-300 in the world and 9-18 in Canada. The 2011 QS World University Rankings

QS World University Rankings

The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....

ranked the university 157th in the world. In terms of national rankings, Maclean's ranked Western 9th in their 2011 Medical Doctoral university rankings. Western was ranked in spite of having opted out—along with several other universities in Canada—of participating in Maclean's graduate survey since 2006.

Several of Western's programs were also ranked in individual rankings. Social sciences at Western was ranked 96th in the world in the 2010 QS World University Rankings. In 2011, the ARWU similarly ranked social science at Western 76-100 in the world. Western Law School was also ranked 9th nationally in Maclean's 2011 rankings for common law

Common law

Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...

schools in Canada. Western's Richard Ivey School of Business has also ranked well internationally. In 2010, Bloomberg Businessweek had ranked the Ivey as the 6th best business school outside of the United States and second in Canada. In 2011, the Financial Times

Financial Times

The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....

had also ranked Ivey 46th in its 2011 global MBA ranking, placing second nationally.

Research

Western has four primary fields of research in which it currently operates: life sciences and the human condition, culture analysis and values, the human and physical environments, and social trends, public policy, and economic activity. In Research Infosource's 2011 ranking of Canada's 50 top research universities, Western was ranked 10th, with a sponsored research income of $$221.236 million, averaging $155,600 per faculty member. The federal government is the largest source of funding providing 46% of Western's research budget

Funding of science

Through history, the systems of economic support for scientists and their work have been important determinants of the character and pace of scientific research. The ancient foundations of the sciences were driven by practical and religious concerns and or the pursuit of philosophy more generally...

, primarily through grants. Private corporations contribute 10% of Western's research budget. The Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan

Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan

Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan was founded in May 2005. HEEACT applied for ISO certification in July 2008 and received certification on February 4, 2009...

(HEEACT), an organization which also evaluates universities based on their scientific paper's performances, ranked Western 184th in the world and 9th nationally in its 2011 rankings. Western was also ranked 87th in the world within the field of social sciences in HEEACT's 2011 rankings.

Research regarding the human brain

Human brain

The human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times larger than the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. Estimates for the number of neurons in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion...

has also become a major focus at the university. The Centre for Brain and Mind was created to provide a focus for research in cognitive neuroscience at Western. and the Centre recently discovered that the blind may echolocate by using the visual cortex

Visual cortex

The visual cortex of the brain is the part of the cerebral cortex responsible for processing visual information. It is located in the occipital lobe, in the back of the brain....

of the brain. Another recent study at Western has suggested that people deaf from birth may be able to reassign the area of their brain used for hearing to boost their sight.

Student life

The two main student unions

Students' union

A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...

on administrative and policy issues is the University Students' Council

University Students' Council

The University Students' Council represents all undergraduate students at the University of Western Ontario, located in London, Ontario, Canada. The USC is a member of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance.-External links:*...

for all undergraduate students and the Society of Graduate Students for graduate students. The University Students' Council recognizes more than 180 student organizations and clubs, in which more than 19,500 people are a member. These clubs and organizations cover a wide range of interests such as academics, culture, religion, social issues, and recreation. The oldest accredited club at Western is The University of Western Ontario Debating Society, which was first established in 1896.

Ther UWO has a number of student residences: Alumni House; Elgin Hall; Delaware Hall; Essex Hall; Medway Hall; Perth Hall; Saugeen-Maitland Hall;
Huron University College has the following residences: Benson House; Brough Hall; Cronyn House; Hellmuth Hall; Henderson House; O'Neil, Ridley Hall Residence; The Southwest Residence; Young House; and London Hall. Brescia College has one residence: Ursaline Hall. King's University College has the following residences: King's Alumni Court; Wemple Building (Portions of the upper two floors are reserved for residence space, the rest of the building contains classrooms, cafeteria, administrative offices etc.) ; Town Houses #1-10.

There are a number of fraternities and sororities

Fraternities and sororities

Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...

existing throughout the student community. There are currently five sororities at Western, Alpha Gamma Delta

Alpha Gamma Delta

Alpha Gamma Delta is an international women's fraternity, who are mainly sluts, founded in 1904 at Syracuse University. The Fraternity promotes academic excellence, philanthropic giving, ongoing leadership and personal development, and a spirit of loving sisterhood. Also known as "Alpha Gam" and...

, Alpha Omicron Pi

Alpha Omicron Pi

Alpha Omicron Pi is an international women's fraternity promoting friendship for a lifetime, inspiring academic excellence and lifelong learning, and developing leadership skills through service to the Fraternity and community. ΑΟΠ was founded on January 2, 1897 at Barnard College on the campus...

, Alpha Phi

Alpha Phi

Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha...

, Kappa Alpha Theta

Kappa Alpha Theta

Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...

and Pi Beta Phi

Pi Beta Phi

Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...

. There are also six fraternities existing at Western, Alpha Epsilon Pi

Alpha Epsilon Pi

Alpha Epsilon Pi , the Global Jewish college fraternity, has 155 active chapters in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Israel with a membership of over 9,000 undergraduates...

, Phi Gamma Delta

Phi Gamma Delta

The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...

, Delta Upsilon

Delta Upsilon

Delta Upsilon is the sixth oldest international, all-male, college Greek-letter organization, and is the oldest non-secret fraternity in North America...

, Pi Kappa Alpha

Pi Kappa Alpha

Pi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...

, Lambda Chi Alpha

Lambda Chi Alpha

Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...

and Sigma Chi

Sigma Chi

Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...

. The fraternities and sororities that exist within the student community of Western are not recognized or accredited by the University Students' Council.

Performances

The Don Wright Faculty of Music

Don Wright Faculty of Music

offers over 300 concert performances of various styles throughout the year, most of which are open to the public. The UWO Symphony Orchestra and the UWO Chamber Orchestra perform regularly under conductor Geoffrey Moull

Geoffrey Moull

Geoffrey Moull is a professional conductor and pianist.- Education :Geoffrey Moull was born in London, Ontario, Canada and studied conducting with Kirill Kondrashin, Sergiu Celibidache and Martin Stephani...

. UWOpera, under the direction of Theodore Baerg, performs a wide variety of repertoire ranging from operetta to full operatic works in the Paul Davenport Theatre (refurbished and renamed in 2009 from Talbot Theatre). UWO is presently planning the construction of a new Concert Hall with 1100-1400 seats, which would include amenities and equipment suitable for major orchestral, operatic and choral events. Theatre Western produces a season that includes an annual musical revue of modern and classic Broadway

Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

, Purple Shorts (Western's One-Act Play

One act play

A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. In recent years the 10-minute play known as "flash drama" has emerged as a popular sub-genre of the one-act play, especially in writing competitions...

Festival,) and a major musical production each spring. Recent productions include West Side Story, Cabaret, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The Faculty of Education typically puts on a major production every year. Past years have included such shows as Hair, Into The Woods, Chess, Seussical and Urinetown. 2010's production will be Jason Robert Brown's '13'. The Huron Underground Drama Society (or "HUDS") is a student run drama group that puts on several shows per year. Their plays or skits are usually completely student written, and are well known for their edgy comedic content.

Media

The university's student population operates a number of media outlets throughout the campus environmennt. The Gazette

UWO Gazette

The Gazette is the student newspaper at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. The Gazette is the only daily student newspaper in Canada, publishing Tuesday through Friday. It is owned and published by the University Students' Council.- History :The Gazette began in 1906 as a...

is a student newspaper

Student newspaper

A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....

which has been in publication since 1906. The University Students' Council also own and operates a campus radio

Campus radio

Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...

station CHRW-FM

CHRW-FM

CHRW-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 94.9 FM in London, Ontario. It is licensed as a community-based campus radio station by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission...

(94.9 FM). The first campus radio to operate at Western was in 1971, although the present day station CHRW-FM, was not established until 1979, one year after the closure of the Western's first campus radio station. The University Students' Council had previously operated a closed-circuit television station, known as tvWestern.ca. The television station began broadcasting in 1994. The television station was discontinued by the student union in 2010 after being cut from its operating budget.

Athletics

Athletics at Western is managed by Sports & Recreation Services, a division of the Faculty of Health Sciences. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics

Ontario University Athletics

Ontario University Athletics is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases about those programs and events to the public...

conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport

Canadian Interuniversity Sport

. The varsity teams are known as the Western Ontario Mustangs

Western Ontario Mustangs

The Western Ontario Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada...

. As is mandatory for all members of Canadian Interuniversity Sport, Western does not provide full-ride athletic scholarships.

The university has a number of athletic facilities open to both their varsity teams as well as to their students. TD Waterhouse Stadium

TD Waterhouse Stadium

TD Waterhouse Stadium is an 8,000-seat Canadian football stadium located at 100 Philip Aziz Avenue on the campus of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. It was built in 2000 at a cost of approximately $10.5-million and replaced J.W...

has been the main stadium of the university since it opened in 2000, with a seating capacity for over 8,000 spectators. The stadium is home to the university's varsity football team, and has hosted a number of events including the World Lacrosse Championships and the Canada Games

Canada Games

The Canada Games is a high-level multi-sport event with a National Artists Program held every two years in Canada, alternating between the Canada Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games. Athletes are strictly amateur only, and represent their province or territory.The Games were first held in 1967...

. The Thompson Recreation & Athletic Centre which houses a number of athletic venues, including an ice rink, tennis facilities and a track, is home to the varsity ice hockey teams and the varsity track and field teams. Another athletic facility at the university is Alumni Hall, which is a multipurpose venue for sports such as basketball, volleyball and other indoor events.

Intramural sport leagues and tournaments have a high level of participation at Western. Opportunities are offered at multiple skill levels and across a variety of sports to service a range of interest and ability. Sports offered include traditional sports like volleyball, basketball and soccer, as well as less traditional events like dodgeball and inner tube water polo. Western also hosts secondary school football games at their TD waterhouse stadium.

Notable people

As of November 2007, the University of Western Ontario has over 220,000 alumni residing in over 100 countries. Throughout Western's history, faculty, alumni, and former students have played prominent roles in many different fields and have won the Nobel Prize

Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...

, Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...

and other awards such as the Rhodes Scholarship. Former faculty member Frederick Banting

Frederick Banting

Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE, MC, FRS, FRSC was a Canadian medical scientist, doctor and Nobel laureate noted as one of the main discoverers of insulin....

received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...

for his discovery of insulin. Two graduates from Western have also travelled in space, namely Bjarni Tryggvason and Roberta Bondar

Roberta Bondar

Roberta Bondar,is OC, O.Ont, FRCP, FRSC is Canada's first female astronaut and the first neurologist in space. Following more than a decade as NASA's head of space medicine, Bondar became a consultant and speaker in the business, scientific and medical communities.-Education:Roberta Bondar had...

.

Many former students have gained local and national prominence for serving in government, such as James Bartleman, who served as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...

from 2002 to 2007. Western's alumni also include a number of provincial premiers, including former premiers of Ontario

Premier of Ontario

The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...

John Robarts

John Parmenter Robarts, PC, CC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and statesman, and the 17th Premier of Ontario.-Early life:...

and David Peterson

David Peterson

David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....

, and the former premier of Alberta

Premier of Alberta

The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...

, Don Getty

Don Getty

Donald Ross Getty, OC, AOE is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 11th Premier of Alberta between 1985 and 1992. A member of the Progressive Conservatives, he served as Energy Minister and Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister in the government of Peter Lougheed before...

. A number of graduates have also served prominent positions on the international level. Examples include Glenn Stevens

Glenn Stevens

Glenn Robert Stevens is an Australian economist and the current Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia.-Early life and education:...

, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia

Reserve Bank of Australia

The Reserve Bank of Australia came into being on 14 January 1960 as Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority, when the Reserve Bank Act 1959 removed the central banking functions from the Commonwealth Bank to it....

and Margaret Chan

Margaret Chan

Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, OBE JP is the Director-General of the World Health Organization . Chan was elected by the Executive Board of the WHO on 8 November 2006, and was endorsed in a special meeting of the World Health Assembly on the following day...

, the Director-General of the World Health Organization

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...

.

A significant number of prominent business leaders have also studied at Western. Examples include Thomas H. Bailey

Thomas H. Bailey

Thomas H. Bailey is an American financier, noted for founding Denver based Janus Capital Group, one of the largest mutual fund institutions in the United States. Bailey is a billionaire, with a 2006 estimated net worth of $1.2 billion. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree from...

, founder and former chairman of Janus Capital Group

Janus Capital Group

Janus Capital Group, Inc. is a publicly owned investment firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It provides growth and risk-managed investment strategies and manages equity, fixed income, money market, as well as balanced mutual funds....

, Geoff Beattie

Geoff Beattie

W. Geoff Beattie is a Canadian business executive. He is currently President of The Woodbridge Company, the Chairman of CTVglobemedia Inc. and Deputy Chairman of Thomson Reuters. He also serves as a director of Royal Bank of Canada as well as a member of the Corporate Governance Committee and Human...

, president of The Woodbridge Company

The Woodbridge Company

The Woodbridge Company Limited is a Canadian private holding company and the principal and controlling shareholder of Thomson Reuters...

and chairmain of CTVglobemedia

CTVglobemedia

CTVglobemedia , was one of Canada's largest private media companies. Its operations include newspaper publishing , television broadcasting and production , radio broadcasting , and their respective Internet properties.Originally established by BCE and the Thomson family in 2001 combining CTV Inc.,...

, George Cope

George Cope

George A. Cope is the CEO of BCE/Bell Canada, achieving that position aged 47 as part of the thirty five billion dollar leveraged buyout led by Providence Equity and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund in 2008. He led a competitor, Telus Mobility, before becoming President at Bell in 2005. He...

, president and CEO of Bell Canada Enterprise

Bell Canada

Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...

, Edward Rogers III

Edward Rogers III

Edward Samuel Rogers III is, as of 2009, deputy chairman of Rogers Communications.Edward Rogers was appointed Deputy Chairman of Rogers Communications on September 15th, 2009...

, deputy chairman of Rogers Communications

Rogers Communications

Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...

, and former president of Rogers Cable

Rogers Cable

Rogers Cable Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, in Manitoba, Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.The...

, Arkadi Kuhlmann

Arkadi Kuhlmann

Arkadi Kuhlmann is a chairman and president at Ing Direct. He graduated from the University of Western Ontario.- External links :* * * * *...

, chairman of ING Direct, Rob McEwen

Rob McEwen

Rob McEwen, CC is a Canadian businessman. He is the Chairman and CEO of US Gold Corporation and Minera Andes Inc., Chairman of Lexam VG Gold Inc. and was the founder and former Chairman and CEO of Goldcorp Inc., which is the world’s second largest gold producer based on market capitalization...

, chairman and CEO of US Gold Corporation

US Gold Corporation

US Gold Corporation explores for gold and silver in the Americas and is advancing its El Gallo Project in Mexico and its Gold Bar Project in Nevada towards production....

, Minera Andes

Minera Andes

- Company Overview :Minera Andes Inc is a producer of gold and silver and an explorer of gold, silver and copper in Argentina. Rob McEwen is the company's CEO and largest shareholder .The company has three significant assets in Argentina:...

and the founder, chairman and former CEO of Goldcorp Inc., John Thompson

John Thompson (TD banker)

, former chairman of Toronto-Dominion Bank

Toronto-Dominion Bank

The Toronto-Dominion Bank , is the second-largest bank in Canada by market capitalization and based on assets. It is also the sixth largest bank in North America. Commonly known as TD and operating as TD Bank Group, the bank was created in 1955 through the merger of the Bank of Toronto and the...

and chancellor of Western, Prem Watsa

Prem Watsa

Prem Watsa was born in 1950 in Hyderabad, India and is the founder, chairman, and chief executive of Fairfax Financial Holdings, based in Toronto, Ontario....

, chairman, CEO of Fairfax Financial, Lee Seng Wee

Lee Seng Wee

Lee Seng Wee is a billionaire from Singapore, having a net worth of US$1.9 billion in 2004. He is the son of Lee Kong Chian. He studied at the University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario, where he received a Master's degree...

, former chairman of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation

The Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited , abbreviated as OCBC Bank , is a publicly listed financial services organisation with its head office in Singapore. OCBC Bank is one of Singapore's leading local banks, with group assets of more than 224 billion SGD. It has one of the highest bank...

, Galen Weston

Galen Weston

Willard Gordon Galen Weston, OC, OOnt , is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He is the Chairman and President of George Weston Limited...

, chairman and president of George Weston Limited

George Weston Limited

George Weston Limited , often referred to as Weston or Weston's, is Canada's largest food processing and distribution company. Founded by George Weston in 1882, the company today consists of Weston Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary, and Loblaw Companies Limited, the country's largest supermarket...

External links

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