A New Lease on Life for a Venerable University

The University of King's College, founded in Windsor, Nova Scotia, in 1789, was the first university to be established in English-speaking Canada. The College was the first to accept and graduate students, to receive a charter, and is the oldest English-speaking Commonwealth university outside the United Kingdom. In 1920, a fire ravaged King's, burning its main building to the ground, raising the question of how or if the College was to survive. Determined to carry on, College leaders requested support from Carnegie Corporation to rebuild not in Windsor but in Halifax, the capital city of Nova Scotia. At the same time, it entered into an association with Dalhousie University, a leading, research-intensive institution in Halifax, which provided students with the opportunity to benefit from the programs and curricula of both schools. In 1928, when it had raised $400,000 in matching funds, the Corporation provided a $600,000 grant that enabled the University of King’s College to embark on its third century of educating students.