Thompson Rivers University was born in 1970 and named Cariboo College, despite not being located in the ‘Cariboo’. It started with roots as a vocational school in 1974 and by 1975 had grown to 100 faculty and 2,000 students.
In its first twenty years, employees and students increased tenfold, and the campus grew to include over a dozen buildings, several of which were expanded.
In 1989, it became a university college, offering baccalaureate degrees under the oversight of the province’s three universities. The first degrees were awarded in 1991 under the new name – University College of the Cariboo (UCC).
The first Bachelor of Arts degrees were awarded in 1998, followed by the Bachelor of Technology in Applied Computing Science and Bachelor of Tourism Management degrees in 1999. In 2002, the university began to offer master’s degree programs in collaboration with UBC and SFU, and gained the authority to grant applied master’s degrees autonomously in 2003.
10 years ago, April 2005, UCC changed names again and became its current namesake Thompson Rivers University (TRU). TRU was incorporated under the Thompson Rivers University Act, which amalgamated the University College of the Cariboo with the BC Open University and other aspects of the Open Learning Agency.
The province designated TRU as a special purpose university which would continue to offer undergraduate and master’s degrees, vocational training and adult basic education, undertake research and scholarly activities, and with the addition of Open Learning programs and courses, would provide an open learning educational credit bank for students.
In 2007, TRU’s state-of-the-art new Williams Lake campus opened, merging six facilities under one roof. Also in 2007, all Open Learning operations relocated from Burnaby to TRU’s new BC Centre for Open Learning building on the Kamloops campus, bringing with it 15,000 distance and online learners. Construction began on the House of Learning, incorporating new library, learning commons, and Aboriginal program and service spaces.
In September 2011 TRU welcomed the first students to its Faculty of Law, the first law school opened in Canada in over 30 years. 2011 also saw the opening of the new Brown Family House of Learning building, providing new learning environments for students, faculty, and staff.
2014 revealed a newly renovated Old 
Main, with 40,000 square feet of new learning space and an innovative design which echoes the Kamloops landscape, inspired by Group of Seven painter A. Y. Jackson’s depiction of Mount Paul.
2015 – TRU celebrates its 10th Bday, and the institution celebrates 45 YEARS!!!!! Hold onto your hats people, it’s going to be a huge year. Celebrations for the 45th Anniversary take place September 11-13th – stay tuned for more information.
Did you attend or graduate from TRU?
Tell us a story — you could win a $100 Chapters or Best Buy gift certificate!
TRU turns 10 on April 1st, 2015! If you graduated from TRU tell us about it. We’ll post your story or photo to a special page on the TRU Alumni website. Plus, anyone who submits a story, blog post, or photo from the past will be entered into a draw to win one of ten $100 gift cards to Chapters or Best Buy.
HURRY! Stories and photos are welcome until September, but enter for a chance to win by no later than May 31, 2015.
