University of Saskatchewan: A Century of Research and Prairie Resilience

Perched on the eastern banks of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) stands as one of Canada’s oldest and most distinguished public research universities. Founded on March 19, 1907—just two years after the province of Saskatchewan itself was created—the institution was born from an ambitious vision. Premier Walter Scott insisted on establishing a full university rather than merely a college, despite the province’s population at the time being only 250,000. The University Act specifically declared that the institution would be open “to all persons without regard to race, creed or religion”, and true to this promise, two women were among the eight members of the first graduating class in 1912.

The university’s founding president, Walter Murray, articulated a guiding principle of service: “All are greatly benefited by the intercourse and better prepared for service in the state, where the farmer, the doctor, the lawyer, the teacher and the engineer must work together for the public good”. This ethos of interdisciplinary collaboration was physically embodied in the campus design—USask was the first Canadian university to place its Colleges of Arts and Science and Agriculture on the same grounds. On July 29, 1910, Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier laid the cornerstone of the first building on the 755-hectare site, and the first classes were held on September 29, 1909, in a downtown Saskatoon building. Today, the historic main campus is recognized as one of the most beautiful in Canada, with its stately Greystone buildings, tree-lined walkways, and commanding views of the river valley. Buy fake diploma online.

The University of Saskatchewan is a powerhouse of Canadian research, holding membership in the prestigious U15 Group of Canada’s most research-intensive universities. In fiscal year 2024-25, USask received close to $321 million in annual sponsored research income. Its nine signature research areas span Agriculture, Water Security, Energy, Health, Indigenous Peoples, and Quantum Innovation, among others. The university is home to two world-renowned research facilities that place it at the forefront of global science.

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The Canadian Light Source (CLS) is Canada’s only national synchrotron research facility—a machine that accelerates electrons to near the speed of light to generate powerful X-rays for scientific discovery. Researchers using CLS have developed novel malaria vaccines showing considerable promise in preclinical trials. The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) is one of the world’s leading developers of vaccines and therapeutic technologies, and is on track to become Canada’s only non-governmental Containment Level 4 laboratory. The Government of Canada recently invested $83.5 million over three years to support the Canadian Light Source. USask also leads Global Water Futures, the world’s largest university-led freshwater research program, a $301-million investment with more than 475 partners worldwide.

Academically, USask offers over 130 programs across 13 colleges and three graduate schools to more than 26,500 students from over 134 countries. Standout programs include Biomedical Science, Environmental Engineering, and Food Industry Management. The university’s Health Sciences building brings together eight fields of health sciences in one interdisciplinary space, reflecting USask’s collaborative approach to education. Its alumni include Henry Taube (BSc’35, MSc’37), the only Saskatchewan-born Nobel laureate, who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, as well as Nobel Prize-winning scientist Emmanuelle Charpentier, whose groundbreaking CRISPR-Cas9 research is used daily by USask researchers.

With its motto *Deo et Patriæ*—”For God and Country”—the University of Saskatchewan continues to fulfill its founding promise: serving its community, advancing human knowledge, and tackling the greatest challenges of our era.