Yukon University traces its history to the founding in 1963 of the Whitehorse Vocational and Technical Training Centre (soon after renamed the Yukon Vocation and Training Centre), located on the banks of the Yukon River in downtown Whitehorse. College status was granted in the spring of 1983 when the Yukon Vocational and Technical Training Centre became Yukon College, and in 1988 the Whitehorse campus moved from downtown to its current location, 2km up the hill. In the spring of 2020 Yukon College was granted university status and all thirteen campuses were renamed Yukon University.
The main campus in Whitehorse was officially opened with a potlatch in October 1988, at which the institution was given to the people of the Yukon. First Nations people of the territory were represented by Mrs Angela Sidney and Mr George Dawson.
At Yukon University, we are shaped by our shared values and northern identity. We commit to being a welcoming, collegial and innovative learning community that is dedicated to promoting lifelong learning. We benefit Yukon, the North, Canada, and the world by creating, preserving and communicating knowledge through our teaching, research and scholarship.
Our programming and research are rooted in our northern identity. We are responsive to the needs of the North, and we equip students with the skills necessary to sustain a prosperous north. We are stronger when we partner with Yukon First Nations, Yukon communities, industry and governments, and when we work together to develop programming and conduct research. We value our northern environment, cultures, society and economies.
We lead through exploration and innovation. We do not shy away from asking difficult questions in our commitment to the search for knowledge. Through innovative uses of technologies, integration across disciplines, and exploration of creative ideas, we empower students, staff and faculty to break new ground in learning, scholarship and research. Through a culture of informed risk-taking, we embrace change, opportunity and discovery, and view all our endeavours as opportunities to learn and grow.