An Act of Faith: The Early Years of Regina College

This book traces the history of Regina College (Saskatchewan, Canada) from its founding in 1911 to the outbreak of World War II in 1939. The Methodist Church opened the college to offer academic, music, and business training to youth living in surrounding rural areas. During its early history, the college provided a high school education to youth from rural districts where there were no secondary schools. Affiliation in 1925 with the University of Saskatchewan allowed the college to teach the first 2 years of a Bachelor of Arts degree. Because of financial difficulties, in 1934 the church acquiesced to a takeover bid from the University of Saskatchewan. However, the university refused until 1959 to allow a full degree program in Regina. Expansion of the Regina campus proceeded rapidly thereafter and culminated with the creation of the University of Regina in 1974. Chapter 1 examines the establishment of the college in the context of existing social and economic conditions. Chapter 2 analyzes the acute financial crisis affecting the college as a result of the 1913 recession and the outbreak of World War I. Chapter 3 focuses on the accomplishments of President E. W. Stapleford, who was appointed in 1915 and was instrumental in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the college. Chapter 4 evaluates the contribution made by the Conservatory of Music to the cultural life of the city and province. Chapters 5 and 6 examine the educational goals of the college and how students responded. Chapter 7 deals with the abortive attempts by Regina College in the late 1920s and early 1930s to develop into a university. The final chapter deals with the consequences of the shift from church to university control. Essentially, the University of Saskatchewan provided financial security, but postponed for a generation the evolution of the college into a degree-granting institution. This book contains photographs and an index. (LP)