Calgary-based Mount Royal University is the newest member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. Its membership was approved in late October at a meeting of members in Ottawa. AUCC now has 95 members, represented by their executive head. The president of Mount Royal is David Marshall.
Established in 1910, Mount Royal College changed its name earlier this fall when it gained university status from the province of Alberta. A majority of the 12,000 credit students at Mount Royal are in a university-degree programs or university-level courses.
The Ottawa-based association advocates for higher education with the federal government on behalf of its members. It also publishes University Affairs magazine and website.
Since Canada has no national accreditation system, membership in AUCC, along with a provincial university charter, is generally considered equivalent to university accreditation. Among the criteria for AUCC membership, the institution must have an independent board of governors; the authority for academic programs vested in the academic staff; a majority of its programs at the university level; and a proven record of scholarship, research and teaching.