Introduction

Laval University is a French-language public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The University was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Seacute;minaire de Queacute;bec in 1663 by Franccedil;ois de Montmorency-Laval, making it the oldest centre of higher education in Canada and the first North American institution to offer higher education in French. The university is ranked among the top ten Canadian universities in terms of research funding.

Academics

Laval University offers over 350 programmes to more than 38,000 students. The university also attracts more than 2,500 foreign students annually, and has close to 1,000 students drawn from Canadian provinces outside of Quebec. Many students also come to the university for the Franccedil;ais pour non-francophones programme that offers instruction in French as a second language to students from Canada and around the world. It is also the only university in Quebec which trains forestry engineers. From the mid-80s, Universiteacute; Laval also offers distance learning. As of now over 30 programmes and over 400 courses are offered by distance learning, of which 80% are accessible from the internet.

Faculties and schools

Administrative Sciences, Agriculture and Food sciences, Architecture, Urban planning and Visual arts, Dentistry, Education, Faculty of Law, Humanities, Forestry, Geography and Geomatics, HEI, Arts, Medicine, Music, Nursing, Pharmacy, Philosophy, Postgraduate Studies, Science and Engineering

Notable alumni

Mahamat Ali Adoum, permanent representative of Chad to the United Nations; former Minister of foreign affairs (1992ndash;93)

Jacques-Eacute;douard Alexis, prime minister of Haiti from 1999ndash;2001 and 2006ndash;2008

Marcel Aubut, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee

Boris Bede, gridiron football player

Louis-Nazaire Beacute;gin, a Canadian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church

Eacute;dith Butler, Acadian singer

Conrad Black, former media magnate

Geacute;rard Bouchard, Academic and public intellectual

Charles Sandwith Campbell, benefactor of Montreal; Governor of McGill University

Lawrence Cannon, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2011

Carme Chacoacute;n, Spanish Minister of Defence from 2008 to 2011

Thomas Chapais, lawyer and federal politician