Simon Fraser University

Simon Fraser University in British Columbia Canada operates as a leading academic institution which engages with local communities through its innovative research programs. The university operates its main campus on Burnaby Mountain while it also maintains important facilities in Vancouver's downtown area and Surrey's central business district. The university received the title Canada "engaged university" because it promotes global solutions through research that combines multiple disciplines with community service work. The university's motto Nous sommes prêtswhich translates to "We are ready" functions as the institution's main educational guideline which prepares students for future developments.

The university established its educational foundations when British Columbia officials approved the creation of a new institution through the 1963 legislation which followed a recommendation to expand higher education in the province. The institution named itself after the 19th-century North West Company explorer Simon Fraser and built its facilities at a swift pace which resulted in the opening of its doors on September 9 1965. The Burnaby campus which architects Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey designed won worldwide recognition for its modern architectural design that integrates with the surrounding natural environment. At first SFU developed its identity through the "radical campus" label which students used to describe its active political atmosphere and its practice of breaking traditional academic rules.