Cariboo College to Thompson Rivers Unversity Time Line: A Chronological History of Major Events

1970: Cariboo College opens at the Kamloops Indian Residential School with 30 faculty serving 367 full-time and 200 part-time students, adopting the motto, "Quansem Ilep," meaning "to strive ahead" in Chinook. Jack Harrison appointed Principal of Cariboo College. A, C and 1st floor of B blocks in the Old Main building under construction.

1971: Cariboo College moves to present McGill Rd. site. 40 faculty and two lab demos serve 382 full-time and 245 part-time students. Student Society President Doug Hopp and others draft a constitution. Buildings open on campus include: A, B, and C Blocks, Cafeteria, facilities and faculty annex. Province gives continuing education mandate to Cariboo College.

1972: Cook, Welder, Electronics, Electrical, Carpentry and Automotive, Small Engine and Heavy Duty Mechanics Vocational Training programs begin in "Vocational Wing" (B and C Blocks). Nursing courses offered.

1973: Cariboo offers courses in Merritt. New programs offered include: Bookkeeping and Accounting, Criminology, Direct Care Worker, Drafting. 1974: Cariboo employs 90 faculty serving 1,105 full-time and 655 part-time students. Gymnasium under construction. Student Society approves formation of fraternity called the "Ragnorokian Society."

1974: BC Vocational School and Cariboo College "meld." Gymnasium under construction. Women's Basketball team wins Totem Conference finals.

1975: Cariboo employs 100 faculty to serve 1,081 full-time and 1,054 part-time students. New library building under construction. Student Society pulls out of National Union of Students and join B.C. Student's Federation. Cariboo sponsors cross-Canada field trip, a credit course (Geography 230). Student Society President Hap Watson and others pass constitution. First issue of The Caribooster published.

1976: 109 full-time faculty serve 1,268 full-time and 1,330 part-time students. New library and new gymnasium open at Cariboo. Student's Advisory Council (SAC) supports college-based newspaper, 210 Express. Cariboo College Women's Centre established. Cultural Events Committee established. SAC recognizes name change of Cariboo College Anti-Calendar Association to the 1976 Student Review of Instructors and Courses: 25% of faculty do not allow the forms to be distributed in their classes. SAC participates in Overlander Raft Race and holds ICBC Protest Rally.

1977: 158 full-time and 86 part-time employees serve 1,656 full-time and 1,699 part-time students.

1978: Cariboo designated as a College under Colleges and Institutes Act. 86 part-time and 161 full-time employees serve 1,540 full-time and 2,245 part-time students. New Science Building planned and under construction. Cariboo Bookstore expands. Cariboo College Student Society officially incorporated as a society. Cariboo College students hold first Shine-A-Rama. Cariboo Chronicle established. Cariboo study tour to Seattle to view Treasures of Tutankhamen.

1979: 87 part-time and 169 full-time employees serve 1,585 full-time and 2,730 part-time students. Charles Brewster becomes president of Cariboo College. Cariboo study tour to view solar eclipse at Yakima, Washington observatory. Cariboo establishes Women's Access Centre. Cariboo hosts B.C. Winter Games Events. Gym renovations and field construction start. Cariboo Student Society sponsors a "Handicapped Awareness Day," wheeling local VIPs around campus in wheelchairs to demonstrate accessibility problems.

1980: 130 part-time and 184 full-time employees serve 1,772 full-time and 1,156 part-time students. New Science Building opens. First Nations students establish "Native Indian Students Group." Cariboo Student Society joins the National Union of Students. Cariboo establishes B.C.'s only Respiratory Technician program. Bookstore expands. Study tours to Princeton, Egypt and Mexico.

1981: 94 part-time and 186 full-time employees serve 1,756 full-time and 893 part-time students. New Visual Arts building opened. Study tours to Greece and Turkey, China and Mt. St. Helens. UBC and Cariboo College co-sponsor the Hat Creek Symposium. Labour dispute causes staff walkout at Cariboo College.

1982: 137 part-time and 205 full-time employees serve 1,958 full-time and 974 part-time students. Cariboo introduces 2-Year Associate Diplomas in Arts and Sciences. B.C. Festival of the Arts events hosted by Cariboo College. Animal Health Technology Small Animal Clinic opens. Cariboo Student Society creates four $400. bursaries. Campus newspaper The Beacon established.

1983: 126 part-time and 215 full-time employees serve 2,003 full-time and 1,698 part-time students. Cariboo Management Centre opens at former Allan Matthews School. First grads from CSOM, CAD, Respiratory Technology and Animal Health Technology. Cariboo spends more than $100,000 to make campus more wheelchair accessible. Construction begins on Meat cutting Facility. Cariboo receives special funding to establish support services for disabled students. Cariboo Foundation established. Cariboo Student Society makes executive meetings non-smoking. Cariboo College students form debating teams for inter-college competitions. Faculty hold four-day "Operation Solidarity" strike protesting government cutbacks.

1984: 149 part-time and 170 full-time employees serve 2,002 full-time and 1,609 part-time students. Meat cutting facility opens. Jim Bann and Helen Keir made honorary Cariboo College Board members. First graduates from CSOM and CADD programs. Student newspaper El No Se established. Williams Lake Campus opened.

1985: 183 full-time and 167 part-time employees serve 1,663 full-time and 1,648 part-time students. CAST program begins. Theatre courses and Digital Art and Design offered for the first time. Cariboo College Dining Room opens. LIBCAT established. Williams Lake campus moves to 55,000 square-foot Hodgeson Road facility. Cariboo College sends two representatives to Victoria for a Protest March of Educational Cut-Backs.

1986: 126 part-time and 164 full-time employees serve 1,822 full-time and 1,758 part-time students attend Cariboo College. Jim Wright becomes Cariboo College President. Bookstore moves to "B" block. Cariboo Student Society sponsors eight $500 bursaries. City of Kamloops declares week of November 16-22 "College Week" in recognition of Cariboo College's contributions to the economic, social, cultural, recreational and educational development of Kamloops.

1987: 104 part-time and 171 full-time employees serve 2,335 full-time and 1,749 part-time students enrol at Cariboo. Rick Hansen visits Cariboo College. Food Training Building renovated. Cariboo College establishes designated smoking areas.

1988: 176 part-time and 183 full-time employees serve 2,779 full-time and 1,349 part-time students. Clock Tower construction begins. Construction begins on student residences. Canadian astronaut Steve McLean visits Cariboo as part of College Week '88. Hillside Stadium built.

1989: 191 part-time and 224 full-time employees serve 2,925 full-time and 1,850 part-time students. Cariboo offers 5 degree programs, including the newly implemented Business Studies degree and four other Bachelor's degrees in Education, Science, Arts and Nursing. Arts and Education building under construction. Co-op Education introduced. Clock Tower Building completed. Bookstore expansion in A Block and second-floor addition to B Block are completed.

1990: 259 full-time and 124 part-time employees serve 3,047 full-time and 2,205 part-time students. A sixth degree program is added (Bachelor of Social Work). Library and Science buildings expanded. UCC-based literary journal, Textual Studies in Canada, founded.

1991: 266 part-time and 310 full-time employees serve 3,850 full-time and 2,723 part-time students. First joint university degrees awarded. Arts and Education building opened. Bachelor of Natural Resource Science degree program planned. Science building and Library extensions opened. UCC's Computer Access Centre on Victoria Street opened.

1992: 684 employees serve 4,045 full-time and 3,426 part-time students. UCC adopts new logo. Campus Activity Centre under construction. Canada Games Pool under construction. Bachelor of Natural Resource Science degree brings UCC degree total to seven. English and Psychology majors offered. Adventure Travel Guide and Events & Conventions Management programs begin. First Bachelor of Social Work degrees granted. Campus paper-recycling program started. Second phase of Arts and Education Building construction begins.

1993: 830 employees serve 4,722 full-time and 2,794 part-time students. Campus Activity Centre opens. UCC hosts Canada Summer Games events and athlete's village. Second phase of Arts and Education building opened. New campus daycare facility opened. Canada Games Pool and Hillside Stadium track house opened. Williams Lake campus extension opens. Ashcroft Centre opens. Wells Gray Education and Research Centre opens. Bookstore relocates to Campus Activity Centre; UCC Chorus established.

1994: Faculty expanded to 326. New Trades and Technology Centre planned and funded. Merritt Centre built. Lillooet Centre opens. UCC Model United Nations Team wins Best Delegation at North American Model UN competition in Toronto; 1995: UCC introduces interactive television for regional programming. Students across Canada hold mass rallies protesting the federal government's plan to cut educational transfer payments to the provinces.

1996: Campus Ring Road established. UCC undergoes internal and external review. UCC hosts BC Festival of the Arts and BCCAA Men's Basketball playoffs. UCC's 1000th degree granted. UCC opens Student Job Centre. UCC hosts Career Fair '96, which draws 4000 high school students from across the province.

1997: UCC Bachelor of Tourism Management degree and Bachelor of Technology in Applied Computing Science degree programs offered for the first time. President Jim Wright resigns, VP Instruction Neil Russell appointed Interim President. Trades and Technology Centre officially opens. UCC admitted to Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). Williams Lake Campus building shifts, with all programs forced to vacate.

1998: UCC Bachelor of Journalism degree offered for the first time. Dr. Roger Barnsley hired as President. Retrofit of C Block completed. UCC Employment Centre holds Employment Expo. UCC Alumni Association introduces a mentorship program. First UCC B.A. degrees awarded. Men's soccer team wins the first-ever National Championship title for UCC. UCC initiates Strategic Planning process.

1999: Honorary degrees awarded for the first time: 1999 recipients: Hon. Len Marchand and Nancy Greene Raine. Campus ring road converts to two-way to allow for improved on-campus bus service. First BC Theatre Conference held at UCC. Women's soccer team wins Provincial and National Championships. First UCC Bachelor of Technology in Applied Computing Science and Bachelor of Tourism Management degree students graduate. UCC student radio station established. Engineering Design & Drafting Technology program achieves its third professional accreditation. Bachelor of Health Science degree in Respiratory Therapy and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs established in affiliation with Open Learning Agency. UCC completes first official externally funded project in Nepal. UCC offers Computer Systems: Operations and Management diploma program at three technical institutes in Malaysia. UCC's 100-Mile House Skills and Education Centre becomes BC's first Distance Learning Support Centre. UCC and School District #73 open three new Career-Technical centres at high schools in Kamloops. Weekend University program implemented in Williams Lake in partnership with the University of Northern BC and regional First Nations groups.

2000: UCC creates and dedicates "Pioneer Wall," honouring the contributions of 124 "UCC Pioneers." UCC Strategic Planning exercise results in identification of six key areas. UCC signs memorandum of understanding with Beijing Huijia Private College in China. Student radio station receives society status. UCC's new website launched. UCC Williams Lake campus at Hodgson Road abandoned due to land slippage, and UCC resumes operations in nine locations throughout Williams Lake. UCC and Nicola Valley Institute of Technology break ground for new joint campus in Merritt. UCC introduces Aboriginal Studies certificate program. UCC introduces first honours degree. Government funds new UCC Animal Health Technology program facilities. UCC opens new medical clinic on campus. UCC receives maximum 7-year accreditation for its Nursing program from the Canadian Association of University Schools of Nursing.

2001: UCC's Bachelor of Education degree program rated highest in province by BC College of Teachers. New Child and Youth Care diploma program launched. UCC/Canadian Home Builders Association Training House project wins gold award at Thompson Okanagan Housing Awards. Co-operative Education option created for Physics program. UCC Respiratory Therapy program opens Sleep Clinic. UCC hosts provincial theatre, history and research conferences. UCC receives $1.5 million Research Chairs grant; School of Nursing wins 2001 Association of Canadian Community Colleges Program Excellence Award. 403 degrees in 10 program areas awarded at Convocation.

2002: Black Box Theatre and International Building funded. Animal Health Technology Centre opens; UCC School of Nursing receives five-year approval for BSN program from RNABC. UCC Foundation celebrates 20th anniversary; inaugurates 55-member Foundation Society. BBA co-operative education program begins; New student activity room addition to CAC officially opened, named "Independent Centre"; Some UCC departments and divisions reorganized into Schools: Tourism, Business, Journalism, Nursing, Advanced Technologies and Mathematics, Education, Social Work, Trades and Technology. UCC holds campus-wide Open House & Career Day; first Kamloops weekend university program launched; first class in the Master of Social Work program, a UBC program delivered in collaboration with UCC and OUC graduates; Service Learning course initiated.

2003: Friends of UCC University begin name-change campaign. UCC gains membership in Canadian Interuniversity Sports; "Black Box" theatre completed; Joinery program launched; Astronomy Walk created; UCC assumes BC's only meat-cutting entry-level and apprenticeship training; new Aboriginal Cultural Centre, "The Gathering Place," opened; Study Abroad centre opened; new transit hub opened on campus; UCC hosts international Canadian Studies conference. UCC offers 2nd-year engineering in collaboration with UBC. First Australian Aboriginal Student Attends UCC under UCC/University of Western Sydney Exchange; NVIT becomes primary provider of education and training in Merritt, including continuing education activity formerly provided by UCC's Merritt Centre; first honorary doctorate degrees for service to the community and university awarded to Stella Black and Don Andrews; first UCC Canada Research Chair appointed.

2004: UCC's new status as a full-fledged university announced by government on March 31, which also accorded the assets and responsibilities of the BC Open University to UCC. First lecture in the President's Lecture Series presented; New theatre officially opened, named Actors Workshop Theatre; UCC Chorus celebrates 10th anniversary; UCC launches second cohort of UBC's Master of Science in Nursing program; UCC training house wins Gold Georgie Award for "Best Public-Private Partnership; UCC hosts national CCAA men's basketball championships; UCC creates special summer session for secondary students; UCC hosts New Universities international conference; UCC inaugurates Ambassador scholarship program. Sept. 22, 2004 BC's newest university is named, Thompson Rivers University and Nancy Green-Raine becomes its first Chancellor.

2005: The inaugural convocation of the new university is held March 31, and Prime Minister Paul Martin is its first official visitor the next day. The first masters program is announced, a 16-month MBA. The university bestows its first Professor Emeritus designations. The Centre for the Study of Canada was created on Canada Day.

2006: The 11-storey, 580 room TRU Residence and Conference centre is officially opened by Premier Gordon Campbell. A second $1 million grant under the Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) was awarded to TRU researcher Will Garrett-Petts.
 
2007: Williams Lake becomes the smallest city in Canada to have its own university campus. The BC Centre for Open Learning is officially opened, marking the complete transition of all staff and services from Burnaby at the former Open University to TRU in Kamloops. Three master degrees in environmental science are announced and there is a record number of international student on campus, 1,033 from 65 nations.