UNBC has scored high in another national survey of Canadian universities.
The local institution has made a habit of high scores in the Maclean's Magazine rankings, and now they have achieved high marks from the Globe and Mail's 2013 version.
"In the annual Globe and Mail Canadian University Report, the University of Northern British Columbia has received grades of A or A- in a wide range of categories, including Most Satisfied Students, Class Size, Student-Faculty Interaction, Campus Atmosphere, and Quality of Teaching and Learning," said UNBC spokesman Matt Wood.
Special interest was paid to UNBC by the national newspaper for its work in the environment field. The school has nicknamed itself Canada's Green University and the Globe and Mail concurred that among Canada's institutions of high learning, they were indeed walking the talk.
"[We had a] continued strong showing in the Environmental Commitment category," Wood said. "UNBC received an 'A' for its efforts, the only British Columbia post-secondary institute to do so. It was the highest mark issued this year, and one that was received by just five other universities across Canada."
The school was categorized in the Very Small section of their survey alongside institutions like Acadian, Mount Allison, Trinity Western, Bishop's, St. Thomas and Brandon universities.
UNBC scored a B+ in the categories of Reputation With Employers, Instructors' Teaching Style, Information Technology, Research Opportunities, and for Course Registration.
The score was a B for Academic Counselling, Work-Play Balance, and in the Career Preparation section but that dropped to a C+ in the Co-op, Internship and Other Work-Related Opportunities subsection. It was the lowest mark UNBC received in any of the categories.
Prince George itself scored a B- in the City Satisfaction category, one of the lowest marks in the country ahead only of Scarborough and Windsor. UNBC got a B- also in the Student Residence section.
The Globe and Mail bases much of its rankings on the feedback of students. The high marks in many key areas, said UNBC president George Iwama, gave these national accolades some extra value.
"We continually strive to improve in all facets of our operations, and to see that improvement reflected in the opinions of our most valued stakeholders, our students, is rewarding," said Iwama. "We are driven at UNBC to continue our evolution as a university and to continue to offer an outstanding education in Northern British Columbia."
