Cape Breton University Students' Union

Cape Breton University Students earning their degrees in one of the most beautiful places on earth 

Perched on the northeastern tip of Nova Scotia, jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Breton Island is recognized the world over—not least by Condé Nast Traveler and National Geographic Traveler magazines—as one of the most dramatically beautiful places on the planet.
 
For the 3,100 students who attend Cape Breton University, the stunning scenery is just one small part of the package that attracts them to study in what some may consider a remote location.
 
Student Union president Ricky McCarthy tries to explain the mysterious allure of this small but incredibly vital university, located in Sydney. “Students come here because of Cape Breton itself. The culture here is different from the rest of Canada. Life is perceived to be a bit easier, a bit more laid back. People are proud of being from Cape Breton and, of course, we are known for our love of a good time.”
 
A Glace Bay native himself, McCarthy estimates roughly 70 per cent of the students at Cape Breton University are from Cape Breton, with many students travelling daily to classes from nearby towns and villages. Currently, the university residence houses 450 students and when the new residence under construction is complete, a further 125 will be accommodated on campus. “There's no particular student type”, says McCarthy, but most students have a tie to Cape Breton—or would like to have one.”
 
Cape Breton University has officially been a university since 2005. It started life as the Nova Scotia Eastern Institute of Technology, merging with Xavier College in 1974 to form the College of Cape Breton. After a period as a university college, offering a mixed palette of academic courses and trades-based programs, it underwent its final transformation into becoming a university.
 
Over the years the university has been evolving, so too has the economic fabric of Cape Breton. The steady erosion and ultimate disappearance of both the mining and steel industries created a stage on which young people could see no role for themselves. Many left to work elsewhere. “It's what happens to communities relying on a non-renewable resource and then have that resource runs out,” says McCarthy. “For a long time, young people felt they had to leave Cape Breton to find opportunities, mainly out west.”
 
Things are changing, however, and Cape Breton University is part of that change. “Young people are turning to degrees and higher level education. It's what we need here, says McCarthy.”
 
An ability to change with the times and to spot unique academic niches helps to explain Cape Breton University's appeal—and great relevance—to both local students and a growing international contingent.
 
Many of the degrees and programs address local needs. A Bachelor of Arts and Community Studies, for example, combines a liberal arts curriculum with community volunteering and work placements on local development projects. Students also gravitate to Cape Breton University to take advantage of its unique MBA in Community Economic Development, some from Cape Breton and Canada generally, but a great number from China, as well.
 
The university's new Bachelor of Education program attracts students from other universities, and it is competitive to gain a place. It actively works to train teachers in areas of labour shortage, including math, chemistry, physics, and French. In addition to the usual elementary and secondary education streams, an aboriginal stream is also on offer.
 
Partnerships with universities in the UK, US, France, China, Sweden, Egypt and other countries bring approximately 200 new international students to Cape Breton University each year. And the university's specialist programs and facilities, such as the Shannon Business School and the soon-to-be-built Centre for Sustainability, are attracting professors and researchers from around the world.
 
For the students who go there, the quality of the programs offered and the teaching are important, but again, still not the whole package. What Cape Breton University also offers, explains McCarthy, is small class sizes and a lot of personal interaction with professors. “Professors know students by name and, unlike at the bigger universities, students have the opportunity to get involved in their professors’ academic projects as research assistants.”
 
And of course, no student experience would be complete without a healthy sports and social life, and here Cape Breton University excels. Its Capers teams regularly reach the top of the Atlantic University Sport championships, urged on by large crowds of enthusiastic, orange-clad supporters. A new health and recreation complex is currently near completion and will serve both the university and the local community with its indoor soccer dome, outdoor turf and grass field, two beach volleyball courts, and track and field competition facilities. In 2010 the university played host to both the men's and women's AUS basketball finals.
 
No one could be a more enthusiastic ambassador for Cape Breton and its university than Ricky McCarthy. After he graduates, he plans to stay in Cape Breton, working in the not-for-profit industry. He acknowledges there are still students who are quick to leave the island to go to university. But for quality academics, school spirit and an all-round student experience, he maintains there is nowhere better to be found than Cape Breton University. “Besides,” he says, “those of us who stay here want to prove a point to friends who moved away!”