In August of 2023, Capilano University announced that it would purchase the land in Squamish that was formerly occupied by Quest University, with the intention of beginning to offer classes in the fall of 2024. This actually marks a return for CapU, which offered classes in Sqaumish in the mid-2010s. Cap U now offers classes along the coast, from Lonsdale and North Vancouver, to Squamish, to Sechelt and Pemberton.
On March 14, I had the pleasure of attending a Cap U presentation and info fair to introduce their new campus and programs, held at the Squamish Adventure Centre.
Residence
Cap is in talks to buy the Quest residences. They are aware that until they have a residence, only locals will be able to attend, as there is little temporary accommodation. When they do have residence accommodations, they are aiming to be able to house between 150-200 students.
Programs
In the fall of 2024, CapU is hoping to attract 100 students to the new campus, in the following programs:
- Associate of Arts
- Bachelor of Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies
- Diploma in Tourism Management (Co-op)
- Adult Upgrading – Adult Basic Education
- Diploma and Bachelor of Early Childhood Care and Education
They will offer primarily first-year classes, and students can elect to take additional classes online, or travel down to North Vancouver for some classes.
Associate of Arts/Bachelor of Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies
Cap U will offer students a selection of first year courses at the Squamish campus next year, including things like English, psychology, sociology, biology, math, and geography. They are also able to take courses online from the main campus, or attend the main campus for other classes. The classes at the new campus are going to have around 25 students each.
These Arts and Science courses will also form the basis for a new program that Cap has just gotten BC Ministry approval for, called the Bachelor of Environment and Society. While this program won’t officially run until fall of 2025, students can begin to take classes that contribute to it.
Students enrolled in Cap’s innovative Interdisciplinary Studies can also attend Cap Squamish, in the same first year classes. This program allows students to cross disciplinary boundaries and create their own topics for investigation.
Diploma in Tourism Management, Coop
At the start of this presentation, we learned that Canada has a shortage of more than 2.7 million workers in the tourism industry, an industry that is growing much faster than the Canadian economy. To meet this demand, Cap is planning to run their Diploma in Tourism Management at the Squamish campus. When students complete these two years of classes, they can either join the workforce or continue their studies and complete a Bachelor of Tourism Management.
The diploma has two streams, Adventure Tourism or Hotels and Resorts. Both offer the opportunity to do a 4 month coop placement, and students in the Bachelor’s Degree can also participate in study abroad. The two engaging student presenters had done both, and excitedly told of their time working with Parks Canada and in an interpretive center, and studying in Australia and Austria. They also described and showed photos from many field trips and hands-on learning experiences. What I found really interesting is that, while one student appeared to have always been successful, the other described being suspended from two other colleges before finding his program and his people, and thanked Cap for their ability to offer a second chance.
Finally, both the students and the instructor highlighted the many industry connections they were able to make through faculty and events, and how well prepared they felt for their careers.
Adult Basic Education
Capilano University’s Adult Basic Education programs allows graduated students, or older students who did not complete their high school diplomas, the opportunity to complete or upgrade courses in English, math, and science. Students enrolled in some other Cap programs can also take classes in areas of weakness.
In talking to the math and biology teacher, I was once again so impressed by the welcoming nature of the program – instructors are chosen for both their expertise and ability to work with students from all kinds of educational backgrounds. They work with students to determine goals and decide what level to start in, and then students work at a pace that suits them, sometimes going more slowly to master material, and sometimes completing multiple levels of a course in a term.
Diploma and Bachelor of Early Childhood Care and Education
Students at Cap can complete a Diploma of Early Childhood Care and Education, and be certified as Early Childhood Educators (ECEs). In the diploma, they can specialize in Infant and Toddler or Special Needs, or both. Following the diploma, students who wish to complete a Bachelor’s degree, often because they want to apply to the elementary education programs at UBC or SFU, can do so.
I have always loved this program at Cap – the instructors are amazing, their approach is creative and views children and teachers as partners in the learning process, and the childcare space the program runs in North Vancouver looks wonderful. They are hoping to open a childcare center in Squamish, as well, in a few years. Something new I learned last night is that the province offers a Bursary to students in ECE diploma programs, covering up to $500 per class for eligible students.
