Premier Campbell, Minister Coell, your Worships,
Chiefs of the traditional territories, students,
employees, and all our community friends, I am
delighted that you could come to Capilano for this
historic announcement.
I would like to recognize and thank the many
supporters of Capilano that helped bring about this
change in designation, and to thank the Premier and
the Minister for their understanding and sharing of
that vision. The support of all our MLAs, our mayors
and chiefs and our chambers of commerce has been
unwavering. The response to our community petition
is humbling. Student support remains fantastic.
Thank you all
Mr Premier, Minister Coell, this decision is the right
one!
Capilano College is now entering its 40th year of
operation, and the world has changed dramatically
since that day in the fall of 1968 when 784 students
began their studies in high schools and church
basements across north and west Vancouver. Since
1968, by all measures, the world has become more
complex. Globalization has increased the
expectation and desire of students for more
advanced education and the competitive environment
has made such attainment an economic imperative.

In 1987, the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development in recognition of the changes that
had occurred, and were occurring at an increasing
rate, published a paper Universities Under Scrutiny.
This paper outlined the changes that would have to
occur in post secondary, education, including the
argument that
…advanced degrees are now expected
for many middle-level positions which in
the past required only a school-leaving
certificate.
As a result, in 1991 Capilano College included in its
strategic directions the objective of granting four year
degrees in specialized areas of study - with the clear
understanding that our values would remain those of
an institution where teaching is paramount and that
the granting of such degrees would be but one of the
missions of the institution.
Capilano soon thereafter began collaborative degrees
with the Open University of BC and became their
largest institutional partner. By 1997, Capilano
offered four degrees in this collaborative
arrangement. In 2002, the province expanded
degree-granting opportunities introducing the Degree
Authorization Act which greatly expanded the range
of institutions authorized to grant degrees. Capilano
took the lead in arguing that colleges also needed to

be able to grant degrees in this new, more open,
paradigm. In 2003 Capilano was the first college to
offer degrees in its own name.
Why this history lesson at this time? Because it is
important to understand that when the Campus 2020
report was released, almost exactly one year ago, it
proposed new institutions that:
 are teaching-intensive
 serve the regions of the province with
“developmental, vocational and undergraduate
education”;
 are called universities “in the recognition that
university status opens up opportunities for
community development”;
This type of institution described Capilano, its
programs and its direction that have been established
over 17 years.
Our strong campaign to be included as one of these
new universities was not a result of discovering this
new idea, it was a result of a long held and well
established direction and set of values. We will
maintain those values as a teaching and learning
university.
And that is why this decision is the right one!

I applaud the province for taking the initiative to
establish these new, and different, teaching and
learning focused universities. I am very pleased that
Capilano will be among them.
As the world comes to our region in 2010, our
opportunity for tourism, outdoor recreation and
business programs to take advantage of this change
is obvious.
Maybe not so obvious, but equally exciting, is the
opportunity for our creative and performing arts
programs, especially film, to make significant
contributions to the local economies and the local
communities.
And there are more innovative programs to come that
will meet the changing demands of the region we
serve.
We are excited at the possibilities. We know there is
a lot of work ahead. And we can hardly wait to get
going.
Our mission is to enable student success. Being
known as Capilano University will help us continue to
do that.
Thank you again, to everyone.