A partnership university: Cape Breton’s University College

Abstract

The economy of Cape Breton Island has undergone a massive restructuring from heavy industry to service and knowledge based companies. In the sixties and early seventies, while steel and coal were in rapid decline, the various levels of government and the community at large had to deal with the economic transformation without the benefit of a local, post secondary institution. The University College of Cape Breton (UCCB) was born following decades of community activism and immediately was seen as a keystone to the “new economy” of Cape Breton. The paper draws upon the literature of “partnership universities”, explores their role in economic restructuring and develops the case of UCCB as a partnership university. A time line is developed which illustrates the investment in research centers and industry specific programming at UCCB, particular to the support of information technology and a nascent technology cluster.