Royal Roads University Royal Roads University Latin: HUĆIST TŦE S,HELI ŁTE Rank: 65th Canada Royal Roads University (also referred to as RRU or Royal Roads) is a public university with its main campus in Colwood, British Columbia. It is located at Hatley Park National Historic Site on Vancouver Island. Following the decommissioning of Royal Roads Military College in 1995, the government of British Columbia created Royal Roads University as a public university with an applied and professional degree-granting focus. The university's main building, Hatley Castle, was completed in 1908 for coal and rail baron James Dunsmuir, who was Premier of British Columbia and then Lieutenant Governor during the first decade of the 1900s. At the outbreak of World War II, plans were made for King George VI, his wife Queen Elizabeth, and their two daughters, Princesses Elizabeth, and Margaret, to reside in Canada. Hatley Castle was purchased by the federal government in 1940 for use as the King's royal palace, but it was decided that having the Royal Family leave the UK at a time of war would be too big a blow to morale, and the family stayed in London. In June 1995, Royal Roads University became a public degree-granting university. A replica of Horatio Nelson's quote, "Duty is the great business of a sea officer: All private considerations must give way to it however painful it is", which hung over the entrance to the Grant Building, was returned to Royal Roads University's campus for Homecoming in 2011. The campus and surrounding grounds of Royal Roads University are situated at Hatley Park National Historic Site. Royal Roads leases the land from the Department of National Defence for $1 per year and assumes all stewardship responsibilities related to the site including the cost of site management, operations, the protection, preservation, and restoration of heritage assets, which include all buildings on the site as well as many heritage gardens and educating the public about the site's historic and natural attributes. Royal Roads is known for Specializing in Inventive Education for Professionals wishing to advance their careers and enhance their skills to prosper in today's changing economy. University programs include certificates, diplomas, bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral degrees and it is known as one of the best when it comes to Arts and Social Science, Psychology and Computer. This university doesn’t hold only the title of being the “Most Beautiful university in Canada”, it was also a home for respected and successful alumni like David Hamilton Deputy Minister, Peter Robinson , CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation, Hugh MacDonald (executive), former VP Strategic Alliance Management at CIBC, Col. Chris Hadfield, Canadian Astronaut and Vice-Admiral Jean-Yves Forcier, Commander Maritime Forces Pacific, Commander Canada Command.