Claire Traynor

University of King's College

King's is a small and extraordinarily lively academic community located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, known nationally and internationally for its interdisciplinary programs in the humanities and journalism. With a student population of about 1,000, King's students enjoy a rich academic experience in a close-knit community of scholars. King's unique partnership with neighbouring Dalhousie University, Atlantic Canada's most intensive research institution, gives students many opportunities to combine and customize degrees. Our Foundation Year Program, founded in 1972, is a pioneering program that addresses the history of Western thought through interdisciplinary lectures, small tutorial sessions, and a strong emphasis on writing that has inspired similar programs, both nationally and across the globe. The university, rich with history, maintains many of its old academic traditions: Formal Meal has the students and faculty dressed in academic gowns, student societies founded in the early 19th century are still thriving, a Matriculation reception is held each September in honour of entering students, and graduates are fêted with an Encaenia ceremony each May. King's is a gathering of peers, faculty, alumni and staff whose values and thinking bring greater understanding, creativity, and compassion to the world. The King's experience spills into every aspect of life on and off campus. King's was ranked first in Canada in the 2008 and 2009 National Survey of Student Engagement for its first-year programming. It has a well-established national profile for many reasons, whether through the History of Science and Technology program's success as the lead partner in the SSHRC-funded Situating Science project or through the chapel choir under the direction of five-time Grammy-winning music director Paul Halley.