Lester B. Pearson College

Lester B. Pearson College, United World College of the Pacific is one of thirteen United World Colleges (UWC) around the world. It is named after the late Canadian Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pearson, winner of the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize. The mission of the college is to promote peace, sustainability and international understanding by bringing young people from all walks of life, regardless of financial ability, together in a small and isolated village-like community. 200 students from 100 countries come together to share their lives as they finish their high school education.

Despite the short history of the school, many alumni are young leaders in human rights, international development, business, law, science and other fields. Students at the college are eligible, after graduation, to participate in the Shelby Davis Scholarship programme, which funds undergraduate study (based on need) for UWC students at universities, such as Princeton University, Colby College, Columbia University, College of the Atlantic, Harvard University, and Middlebury College, in the United States.

The director of the College as of 2006 is David Hawley, a graduate of Harvard University.

Academics and administration

The college's main curriculum is the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Students are also required to participate in community-oriented services, cultural activities, and sport events. A highlight of the academic year is the professional dance, music and cultural show, "One World", put on by Pearson students and attracting thousands of audience members from Victoria and the surrounding communities.

Admissions

With a strict scholarship policy, students must compete to be granted a scholarship by their national UWC committees. Each national committee makes recommendations for admission to the College independently and their selection processes may vary. Sponsorship for these scholarships comes from a mixture of organisations, governments and individual donors. This way, acceptance into Pearson is solely determined by merit, and admission is extremely competitive.

Campus

The College is located on the shores of Pedder Bay, near Victoria, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. The College provides a suitable location for the study of the environment, due to the surrounding woodlands and the nearby Race Rocks Marine Protected Area.

There are 5 residence houses that house all students of Pearson College as well as some faculty members. Many other faculty members live on campus in separate faculty houses. All student houses are mixed gender by floors and students live in shared rooms of 4 to 5 people. Meals are served by a single cafeteria at the College.

Its proximity to Peddar Bay allows the College to have extensive waterfront activities. A fleet of sail boats, kayaks, canoes, as well as diving equipment are stored on the docks and in the floating marine biology building.

Alumni

• Douglas Alexander- British Member of Parliament and Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Scotland (1984). In 2007 he was appointed Secretary of State for International Development in Gordon Brown's cabinet
• Anne Enright - 2007 Man Booker Prize-winning novelist
• Peter Sands, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank (based in London).
• Brenda Gluska - Canadian triathelite, world renowned mezzosoprano opera singer - http://www.banffcentre.ca/Theatre/history/opera/production_1997/biographies.asp
• Lene Espersen, Danish Minister of Justice since 27 November 2001.

References

External links

• Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific : : Welcome at www.pearsoncollege.ca
• Race Rocks Ecological Reserve/Marine Protected Area at www.racerocks.com
• Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership at www.psyl.ca
• West Coast Eco-Adventure at pearsoncollege.ca
• PeerNet - Lester B. Pearson College at peernet.lbpc.ca