Canada
University of Guelph
University of Guelph
Canada
Canada
Canada
The University of Guelph (U of G or Guelph) is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald Institute (1903), and the Ontario Veterinary College (1922), and has since grown to an institution of over 30,000 students from more than 140 countries (including those at the Humber campus, Ridgetown campus, off-campus degree enrolments, diploma enrolments, and part-time students) and employs 823 full-time faculty (academic staff) as of 2025. It offers 94 undergraduate degrees, 48 graduate programs, and 6 associate degrees in many different disciplines.
The university conducts significant research and offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. According to the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, the university has the highest research index for Hospitality and Tourism Management in Canada.
The faculty at the University of Guelph holds 31 Canada Research Chair positions in the natural sciences, engineering, health sciences, and social sciences. Academic achievements include the first scientific validation of water on Mars, alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) on board the Curiosity rover, and the Barcode of Life project for species identification.
The University of Guelph traces its origins back to when the Ontario government bought 200 hectares (500 acres) of farmland from Frederick William Stone and opened the Ontario School of Agriculture on May 1, 1874, which was renamed the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) in 1880. The Experimental Farm has been part of the original project along with the museum of agriculture and horticulture. Its first building was Moreton Lodge, located where Johnston Hall now stands, which included classrooms, residences, a library, and a dining room. In 1874, the school started an apiculture department, teaching students about bees and beekeeping, in a dedicated building. In more recent years, the program has continued at the Honey Bee Research Centre in the arboretum, conducting research on honeybee health, offering apiculture and beekeeping courses, and providing "many other educational experiences", including informative videos for beekeepers.
The Macdonald Institute was established in 1903 to house women's home economics programs, nature studies, and some domestic art and science. It was named after its financier, Sir William Macdonald, who worked to promote domestic sciences in rural Canada, and founded Macdonald College and McGill University College of British Columbia. The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), founded in Mimico in 1862, was moved to Guelph in 1922. Economist John Kenneth Galbraith was an undergraduate at the college (graduating in 1931). In 1919, the Ontario Agricultural College aimed to recruit "farm boys" through a low-cost, two-year program ($20.00 per year) and "the lowest possible rate" for room and board.
The Ontario Legislature amalgamated the three colleges into a single body, the University of Guelph, on May 8, 1964. The University of Guelph Act also brought about the Board of Governors to oversee administrative operations and financial management, and the Senate to address academic concerns. The non-denominational graduate and undergraduate institution was, and remains, known especially for its agricultural and veterinary programs.
Wellington College was established shortly after the University of Guelph Act and, five years later, was split into three colleges: the College of Arts (COA), which exists in the present day; the College of Physical Science; and the College of Social Science. The Macdonald Institute would also be renamed the College of Family and Consumer Studies during the split. After this split, the University of Guelph started reorganizing into its present-day form, starting from the establishment of the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) in 1971. The College of Physical Science would merge with the OAC's School of Engineering in 1989, creating the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS). The College of Social Science and the College of Family and Consumer Studies were joined to create the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS) in 1998. Finally, the College of Management and Economics (CME) was established in 2006 through the segregation of business, management, and economics degrees and courses.
The University of Guelph's main campus lies in Guelph, Ontario, residing on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee territory. The campus, approximately a 1 hour drive west of Toronto, is 412 hectares, including a 12-hectare Research Park and a 165-hectare arboretum.
The university's oldest buildings date back to the 19th century, with the oldest building on campus being Alumni House, built in 1879. Visible from much of the campus is Johnston Hall, a signature symbol of the university and one of its most recognizable landmarks. Built in 1931 as the new home for the Ontario Agricultural College's administration, it was constructed on the site of the torn-down Moreton Lodge, which had been built in the early 1870s. The portico from the original building, preserved after its demolition, remains on Johnston Green.
Campus safety at the main campus is the responsibility of the Campus Safety Office, which includes Special Constables, Dispatchers, Fire Prevention Officers, and the First Response Team.
The Ontario Agricultural College had a network of campuses and research stations throughout Ontario which were operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. At one time, courses were offered in English in Guelph, Kemptville and Ridgetown, and in French at Campus d'Alfred near Ottawa. From 1889 to 1961, this college published the OAC Review, a magazine for and by students, covering everything from political and social events to photographs from around campus.
In 2014, the University of Guelph announced that academic programmes at the Alfred and Kemptville campuses would close after the existing students completed their studies. In early 2017, the University of Guelph website clearly indicated that this institution was no longer offering programs at either location.
The OAC operates in Guelph and at the Ridgetown campus in Ridgetown, Ontario, at the former Ridgetown College of Agricultural Technology, on over 180 hectares (450 acres) of land. It does not offer degree programs in this location; instead, the focus is on technology transfer, with two- and three-year diploma programs. Specialties are agriculture, veterinary technology, environmental management, and horticulture. This location also offers one-year certificate programs in performance horse handling and veterinary office administration. There is also an apprenticeship program for Dairy Herdsperson (new for 2017).
The University of Guelph-Humber is a satellite campus created in 2002 by a partnership between the University of Guelph and Humber College. Located on Humber's North Campus in Toronto, it offers seven four-year academic programs that grant an honours degree from the University of Guelph and a college diploma from Humber College.
Guelph-Waterloo Centre for Graduate Work in Chemistry and Biochemistry (GWC2) is one of Canada's largest and most successful graduate schools.
Guelph-Waterloo Physics Institute (GWPI) is a joint graduate program offered by the Departments of Physics at the University of Waterloo and Guelph.
The University of Guelph is composed of eight colleges, delivering leading teaching and research across a range of disciplines:
The War Memorial Hall was erected in 1924 of stone-cut limestone by the Ontario Agriculture College; the landmark building was designed by architect Harry Reginald Coales as a lecture hall or theatre to honour students who had enlisted and died in the First World War. Two bronze tablets in the Memorial Chapel remember the alums who died in the First World War and in the Second World War.
Rozanski Hall (2003) is in the heart of the campus. Equipped with electronic whiteboards, laptop sound, picture, and wireless internet, and high-luminance video/data projectors, Rozanski Hall accommodates over 1,500 students in several lecture halls.
The Summerlee Science Complex (2006) is a classroom and research complex built with the assistance of the Province of Ontario's Super Build program primarily for student learning and scientific research.
In 2024, the Summerlee Science Complex atrium was renamed Waasamowin, which means "to be bathed in light", in support of efforts to Indigenize science at U of G and support and retain Indigenous students in STEM. Waasamowin is one of the favourite gathering spaces for students, faculty, and staff, and can accommodate a gathering of 200 students. The complex is also home to U of G's Advanced Analysis Centre (AAC), which is a group of research laboratories and is a modern, centralized, and highly serviced space for large-scale advanced analytical laboratories and provides an unequalled range of capabilities for research and advanced education at the interface of the physical and biological sciences.
Originally built in the 1940s and expanded in the 1950s, the W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre was upgraded and expanded in the fall of 2016 to meet the university and community's needs. After a student referendum in 2010, students chose to contribute $45 million to the innovation of the W.F Mitchell Athletic Centre. One of the major focuses of the new building was being able to accommodate the growth in Guelph's population since the 1950s. The new 170,000-square-foot Athletic Centre serves as an all-purpose building, supporting students, athletes, and the public through a variety of new spaces, including a 22,000-square-foot fitness room, multiple gymnasiums, and a rock-climbing wall. It also includes multiple swimming pools, a jogging track, and a variety of fitness programs.
Canadian Space Agency
The CSA supports current research and innovation for space instruments, primarily the APXS found on the Mars rovers and the Mars Science Laboratory. Other initiatives include developing air filters for crewed spacecraft and researching changes in astronauts' skin sensitivity and balance in space.
RIM
The university holds a partnership with Research In Motion (RIM) through the Center for Mobile Education and Research, the chair for Women in Science and Engineering and the financial and educational support RIM extends to the University of Guelph.
Huawei
The university receives research funding from Huawei but has not disclosed the details of the funding.
Career fair at Bingeman's Park
A collaborative effort between the University of Waterloo, the University of Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Conestoga College, the Partnerships for Employment Career Fair is the largest in the country.
Collaboration with the Government of Ontario
The Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance is a partnership between the University of Guelph and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness that conducts research, provides laboratory services and supports student training for the agri-food sector.
Emperor Investments – Alumni of the John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise business incubator
The University of Guelph's John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise business incubator provided funds, space, and mentorship to Emperor Investments, which has developed an automated investment platform that focuses on personalized pure-equity investment portfolios for small investors.
The university's Student Organization Policy officially governs the student government on campus. This document, created in 2005 and revised in 2026, provides the basis for accrediting student groups on campus. The student groups listed as Primary Student Organizations under the policy are:
Each of the above PSOs is accredited and thus accountable for many of the campus's clubs and student groups. The CSA accredits the most student groups, with approximately 200 accredited today. Generally, CSA-accredited groups are special-interest groups (such as Curtain Call Productions, a musical theatre club), political groups (such as the Guelph Young Liberals) or religious groups (such as the Muslim Students' Association). The College Governments (CASU, CBSSC, LSA, CCMPSSC, EngSoc, CSAHS-SA, SFOAC, and the CVSA) accredit academically focused groups. In contrast, IHC accredits 14 groups (including the temporary residence Gordon Hall for 2022–2027) as hall councils, one for each residence hall on campus.
Across campus, members of the Residence Student Government, known as Interhall Council, contribute to the programming in each hall. This group of 62 elected members works with students within their halls and is also responsible for facilitating a hall council for hall members to attend. During the 2011/2012 year, a council was struck at the West Residence Family Housing units and the temporary Brock House residence, bringing the total number of councils to 14. Interhall Council also serves as a liaison among students, Student Housing Services, the University Administration, and other on-campus organizations.
The governance of the University of Guelph is a bicameral system consisting of the Senate and the Board of Governors. The Senate consists of faculty, students, administrative staff, librarians, and alums. It is responsible for academic policies and programming, including admission requirements, program creation/modification/deletion, examinations, and academic misconduct. The Board of Governors consists of a combination of government-appointed representatives, faculty, staff, alums, and students. It is responsible for the university's general business and administration, including finance, capital planning, human resources, and ancillary services.
The university is represented in the Ontario University Athletics and U Sports by the Guelph Gryphons. The school colors are red, black, and yellow or gold. UofG's mascot is a Gryphon named Gryph. There are 19 intramural teams, 20 varsity teams, and 22 sports clubs. OUA only sports include baseball (men), figure skating (men & women), golf, Nordic skiing, rowing, and rugby union (men). Currently, 7 out of every 10 Guelph students participate in athletics, recreation, or fitness programming.
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Улс: Canada