Dalhousie's History

Early in the 19th century, George Ramsay, the 9th Earl of Dalhousie, who was Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia at the time, wanted to establish a college that would be open to all, regardless of class or creed. He fulfilled his dream by using the spoils of war: Castine, a small port in Maine, was being used during the War of 1812 as a base by American privateers who harassed shipping along the eastern seaboard.Lord Dalhousie sent a Royal Navy force from Halifax to capture Castine and turn it into a Customs port of entry. When the war ended, the Navy returned to Halifax with the money it had collected as Customs duties Lord Dalhousie invested 7,000 pounds as an endowment for the college and put aside 3,000 pounds for its construction. The earl, whose home, Dalhousie Castle, was near Edinburgh, wanted the new college to be modelled on the university in the Scottish capital and to adhere to the principles of religious toleration. After the college was founded in 1818, Lord Dalhousie was appointed Governor-General of Canada and left Halifax. Without his influence the college faltered, the subject of much religious argument and with a board of governors that showed little interest in its future. The first instruction was not offered until 1838 but the operation was only intermittent, and degrees were not awarded.

Nearly 50 years after its founding the college was reorganized and in 1863 opened with six professors and one tutor. The first degrees -- three -- were awarded in 1866. The student body in that year consisted of 28 students working for degrees, and 28 occasional students. The original site of the college was on Grand Parade, in downtown Halifax, where City Hall stands. In 1886, the university moved to the Forrest Building and spread gradually to the Studley campus.

In this century, and particularly in the last 40 years, Dalhousie grew steadily. As the number of buildings and programs increased, so too did the numbers of students and teaching and support staff; today, Dalhousie has more than 14,000 students, 1799 faculty and 1684 non-academic employees. Without the help of private benefactors, however, progress would have been much less. For example, George Munro's gifts included endowment for several chairs and made possible the establishment of the Faculty of Law; without his help, which came at a critical time, Dalhousie might not have survived. Lady Beaverbrook, formerly Lady Dunn, has made through the Sir James Dunn Foundation a number of large contributions; and a large bequest by Dorothy Killam, widow of Izaak Walton Killam, made possible major developments in research and graduate studies.

Dalhousie has long been recognized for its excellence in the humanities, the sciences, the professions and in research, as well as in cultural and related activities Now, nearly 135 years after the first degrees were awarded to a handful of students, Dalhousie has developed into an institution of international renown. It has played a crucial role in Nova Scotia higher education. Building on a strong undergraduate base, Dalhousie has established internationally recognized programs of graduate and professional studies. The scope of its research is far-reaching, as is its public and community service. And, while pursuing excellence in all undertakings, it is today building and maintaining distinctive strengths in broad areas of emphasis, concentrating initially on Ocean Studies and on Health Studies.