Télé-université and St. Paul’s College return to ranks of AUCC membership

Ottawa, February 7, 2013 – Télé-université and St. Paul’s College, an affiliated college of the University of Manitoba, have officially returned to the membership of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

AUCC’s Board of Directors recently approved both institutions’ requests to return to AUCC membership.

“We’re pleased to welcome back these two institutions to membership in AUCC,” says Paul Davidson, president of AUCC. “We look forward to working with their leadership, faculty, staff and students to promote post-secondary education in Canada.”

Founded in 1972, TÉLUQ is Québec’s only university that is entirely distance learning. It now offers more than 400 courses and 75 programs in both the graduate and undergraduate level to some 18,000 full- and part-time students.

TÉLUQ was a member of AUCC from 1992 until 2005, at which time the Québec government merged the online university with the Université du Québec à Montréal. Last year, the government granted TÉLUQ independent university status as part of the Université du Québec system. AUCC’s Board of directors approved TÉLUQ’s return as an AUCC institutional member.

“TÉLUQ is pleased to, once again, join the collective voice of Canada’s universities,” said Raymond Duchesne, director general of TÉLUQ. “Distance and online education is about to experience major developments in Canada and around the world. It is important to have an institution such as ours among the ranks of Canadian universities.”

Located on the campus of the University of Manitoba, St. Paul’s College was founded in 1926 and instructs some 1,200 full-time students. It is home to the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice, which offers Canada’s only PhD program in peace and conflict resolution. St. Paul’s College had been a long-time member of the association until 1993.

“We are exceptionally pleased to be members of the AUCC,” says St. Paul’s College Rector Christopher Adams. “We look forward to building strong relationships with colleges and universities across Canada. As such, our faculty, students and staff are excited about new opportunities that will develop through the national organization.”

Under AUCC by-laws, a former institutional member that withdraws from the membership and that applies for re-admission to the Association and meets the criteria can be granted re-admission through a vote of the Board of Directors.

With the return of TÉLUQ and St. Paul’s College, AUCC now represents 97 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities and university degree-level colleges. AUCC is the national voice of Canada’s universities and advocates for higher education and university research with the federal government on behalf of its member institutions.

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Media Contacts:

Helen Murphy
AUCC Communications Manager
hmurphy@aucc.ca
613-563-3961 ext. 238 or cell: 613 608-8749

Nadine Robitaille
Communications Officer
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
nrobitaille@aucc.ca
613-563-3961 ext. 306