Quest University. Thoughts?

[Gripen]

Any of you mags attend Quest? Applying for a job there in the near future, visiting the campus sometime next month. What are your thoughts on it? It (for a Canadian university) has a unique approach to education and learning, one which I am surprisingly impressed with. Of course its location doesn't hurt much either.

Anyone with some real world experience want to chime in?

[wren]

Don't know much about it besides the Campus is very small and somewhat hilly. It borders a brand new residential neighbourhood packed with houses on tiny lots. My understanding is there are a lot of foreign students due to high tuition fees and very small, specialized programs.

[Gripen]

Don't know much about it besides the Campus is very small and somewhat hilly. It borders a brand new residential neighbourhood packed with houses on tiny lots. My understanding is there are a lot of foreign students due to high tuition fees and very small, specialized programs.

Yea, I been to/through the campus a few times to ride in Squamish. Campus is pretty small. They are emulating the small liberal schools of the States, something which I think Canada needs badly. They are small, but also young, think the first class was 2007 or so.

[dumpy]

I know nothing about that school, but I will say that working for a college, wait let me translate that to cannuck, university, is one of the best decisions I have ever made. (Engrish lesson: In the states the two basically mean the same thing, all Universities are Colleges, but not all Colleges are Universities, University basically means big College with many programs. The place you are looking at sounds like it would be called a college in the states. )

Benefits are typically very good, its somewhat more recession proof than other fields and of course, the eye candy is outstanding.

Take a look at their HR page and see if the benefits are listed, I bet you'll be very happy with what you see.

[moose pit]

I saw a bunch of the poor bastards that were enrolled waiting for a heli lift for a week ski trip, talking about the week long ice climbing trip they were just on that followed a bunch of climbing and skiing that followed some mountain biking and hiking...

I wish I was doing that for uni instead of statistics, organic and biochemistry, and calculus.

[hafilax]

I wonder if they need any physics instructors...

[powder11]

I rode though there once and the campus seemed like a construction site under a stop work order that never got lifted. For a college campus, it also seemed like a ghost town.

[SIXOHFOUR]

The campus is pretty amazing location wise. The cafe has the best view in all of squamish the food is excellent, and it is licensed. They are building the campus in phases as enrollment justifies expansion. The current facilities seem to be of very high quality. I have heard through some aquaintances that are involved with the school that enrollment is climbing steadily. Cant hurt to have amazing MTB right outside your office door! That is all the info I can think of.

[Tippster]

Is it run by this guy?

[Gripen]

Is it run by this guy?

Indeed it is.

[iscariot]

I wonder if they need any physics instructors...

I was thinking the same thing...only replace physics with Geography/GeoScience/Climate/Cryosphere.

[Hugh Conway]

sweet day care center

[f2f]

how long before tenure?

[Ape_Natural]

I saw a bunch of the poor bastards that were enrolled waiting for a heli lift for a week ski trip, talking about the week long ice climbing trip they were just on that followed a bunch of climbing and skiing that followed some mountain biking and hiking...

I wish I was doing that for uni instead of statistics, organic and biochemistry, and calculus.

Yeah me too, I wanted to go there... But the $35,000 tuition tag put that right out of commission. There's a reason that those kids get to do all of that awesome stuff, and it's because their mommies and daddies have fat-ass check books.

[Gripen]

how long before tenure?

No tenure there. Part of the reason I am interested.

[spindrift]

My info is possibly a bit dated. And is based on talking to an assortment of folks. No personal experience.

An acquaintance who is deep into the economics/finance world & is on the board of a "top 20" US liberal arts college has a kid attending. Last I chatted with him about it, he was impressed with the academics & felt his kid was getting a solid education. As noted above - the program is very much in the liberal arts tradition. And was in fact created to bring this kind of program to Canada.

The block structure is like Colorado College. Has pros and cons.

I'm not sure what the budget situation looks like. Stu Blusson was the original big angel. He is supposedly a super cool guy (cloudpeak ran into him up in the arctic bunch of years ago). I seem to recall that there may have been some sort of falling out between Blusson and the school -and as of a couple years ago, finances at Quest might have been a bit touch and go. But that's a vague recollection (if anyone has real info, it could be interesting to know). Nonetheless, probably worth checking out the endowment & cash flow picture... Not sure if Blusson is still involved at all or not - again real data might be interesting.

In short, from some reading & the folks I know, it seems like a solid academic liberal arts college. The location's outdoorsy benefits are obvious. If the finances are in OK shape, & you like the block plan (as student or staff) it feels like it could be a win to me.

[Gripen]

My info is possibly a bit dated. And is based on talking to an assortment of folks. No personal experience.

An acquaintance who is deep into the economics/finance world & is on the board of a "top 20" US liberal arts college has a kid attending. Last I chatted with him about it, he was impressed with the academics & felt his kid was getting a solid education. As noted above - the program is very much in the liberal arts tradition. And was in fact created to bring this kind of program to Canada.

The block structure is like Colorado College. Has pros and cons.

I'm not sure what the budget situation looks like. Stu Blusson was the original big angel. He is supposedly a super cool guy (cloudpeak ran into him up in the arctic bunch of years ago). I seem to recall that there may have been some sort of falling out between Blusson and the school -and as of a couple years ago, finances at Quest might have been a bit touch and go. But that's a vague recollection (if anyone has real info, it could be interesting to know). Nonetheless, probably worth checking out the endowment & cash flow picture... Not sure if Blusson is still involved at all or not - again real data might be interesting.

In short, from some reading & the folks I know, it seems like a solid academic liberal arts college. The location's outdoorsy benefits are obvious. If the finances are in OK shape, & you like the block plan (as student or staff) it feels like it could be a win to me.

Thanks man, this the type of info I am interested. What intrigues me about the university is the focus on teaching rather then research/publishing. They state in their posting not to bother applying if your main focus is research or publishing.

I love teaching, and originally wanted to be a university professor. After the my time in my PhD I became pretty disillusioned with academia. But they seem to embody a teaching/learning philosophy I can get behind. So I might as well give it a shot.

[f2f]

No tenure there. Part of the reason I am interested.

not knowing the terms or the place i'd say go for it. a recession-proof job in a desirable location? i'd take it

[Tunco]

I hope they are looking for a poli-sci, migration person in 2~3 years.

[Gripen]

not knowing the terms or the place i'd say go for it. a recession-proof job in a desirable location? i'd take it

Well, yeah.

Not getting my hopes up though, just doing my homework before I start writing the required stuff for the application process and do a visit.

[Blashyrkh]

Driven through there a few times on the way to Garibaldi. Know nothing about the school but it's been a ghost town each time I've been there.

Nevermind all that though. You should take the job and then we can ski together again.

[SIXOHFOUR]

Just saw Toran (sp?) at the grocery store. He is pretty high up at Quest. He mentioned that they had just had some sort of student survey done that rated over 1200 schools in Canada and the US and they ranked first in all categories except one....might be worth googling to see if you can find the survey/ratings.

[f2f]

^ that's usually maclean's survey, but i'm not seeing questu anywhere in their charts:

http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/rankings/

[Gripen]

^ that's usually maclean's survey, but i'm not seeing questu anywhere in their charts:

http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/rankings/

Try US News and World Report. I've had too much fireball to attempt.

[Shaggy]

3rd on the ghost town. A year ago they were offering dorm space to businesses here in Whistler for employee housing, since apparently there were not enough students to fill them.