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McGill鈥檚 Department of Geography turns 80 this year!聽

This milestone marks the anniversary of George Kimble鈥檚 appointment as McGill鈥檚 first Professor of Geography and Department Chair on January 1, 1945.聽

Kimble, who had previously been a meteorologist with the Royal Navy, was allocated two rooms in the Arts Building (rooms 30 and 38) by the Faculty of Arts and Science to lay the foundation for the new department. A few months later, F.K. Hare was appointed as McGill鈥檚 second Professor of Geography (eventually becoming Dean of Arts and Science in 1961).聽

The Department welcomed its first undergraduate students in the fall of 1945 and its first graduate students the following year. Geography grew rapidly throughout the 1950s and 1960s, with much of its early research focusing on the Arctic and the Quebec-Labrador region. During this time, the Department also played an active role in the development of McGill鈥檚 field stations, including the Bellairs Research Institute in Barbados.聽

聽鈥淕eographers at McGill have a long tradition of providing students with the opportunity to interact directly with local communities through their field courses and field-based research activities,鈥� said Department Chair Prof. S茅bastien Breau.聽

After years of the Department鈥檚 offices being spread across the McGill campus, Geography moved into its current home in Burnside during a snowstorm in February 1971. That same year, Arts and Science became two independent faculties, and Geography elected to join the Faculty of Science.聽

Eighty years after its founding, what was once a two-room, two-professor department has now grown into something much bigger.聽聽

Today, Geography offers both M.A. and M.Sc. 聽programs, a doctoral program, and a multitude of undergraduate degrees with more than 500 students registered in its majors, minors and honours programs. Its 24 faculty members and more than 70 graduate students conduct research on every continent, studying everything from the Arctic and climate change to international development and urban geography. 聽

聽鈥淭he composition of the Department has certainly changed over time in terms of course and program offerings, reflecting the growing diversity of its faculty and students鈥� research interests鈥�, said Prof. Breau. 鈥淥ur ability to combine both the natural and social sciences is what makes Geography unique in terms of going after some of the big questions and challenges we face in the 21st century. As long as we maintain that 鈥榩lurality鈥� of perspectives and approaches, I think the future of the Department looks bright as one of North America鈥檚 leading research and teaching programs in Geography.鈥澛�

Visit Geography's website.