The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the U of M is the largest university in the province of Manitoba and the 17th-largest in all of Canada. Its main campus is located in the Fort Garry neighbourhood of southern Winnipeg, with other campuses throughout the city. Along with the Fort Garry campus as its central hub, the University of Manitoba operates three other major locations: the Bannatyne Campus, the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre, and the William Norrie Centre. In addition, the university also administers its French-language affiliate, Université de Saint-Boniface in the Saint Boniface ward of Winnipeg. The university claims to maintain a reputation as a top research-intensive post-secondary educational institution, conducting more research annually than any other university in the region; its competitive academic and research programs have also consistently ranked among the top in the Canadian Prairies. Research at the University of Manitoba has accordingly produced various world-renowned contributions, including the creation of canola oil in the 1970s. Likewise, U of M alumni include Nobel Prize recipients, Academy Award winners, Order of Merit recipients, and Olympic medalists, among many others. , there have been 99 Rhodes Scholarship recipients from the U of M, more than that of any other university in western Canada. Moreover, the university has produced countless government figures, including provincial premiers, Supreme Court justices, and Members of Parliament (MPs). The U of M is also a member of the U15 group of research-intensive universities in Canada and of Universities Canada, while its global affiliations include the International Association of Universities and the Association of Commonwealth Universities. The Manitoba Bisons represent the team in athletics as a member of U Sports and Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA). History Founding The University of Manitoba, founded by Alexander Morris, was established under the University of Manitoba Act as a “Provincial University” on 28 February 1877, becoming the first institution of higher education—thus also the first university—to be established in all of western Canada. The first U of M Chancellor (1877–1904) was Most Reverend Robert Machray, who was Bishop and later Archbishop of Rupert's Land; the first Vice-Chancellor (1877–89) was Manitoba Attorney-General Joseph Royal, who was also the one to introduce the bill