[7] The University College of Cape Breton's Coat of Arms were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on May 27, 1995.

[14] During her time at the college, she recognized that documents of historical significance to Cape Breton Island were being lost.

In response, she began to grow the collection of the college library by collecting books and archival material specific to the culture and history of Cape Breton Island and the various cultural groups (e.g. Mi’kmaq, Italian, Polish, Lebanese, Gaelic) which inhabited it.

In the early 1960s, Harry Boadmore emigrated from England to Canada, where he met and later married Elizabeth 'Liz' Boardmore (née MacDonald).

[16] In 1968, the Nova Scotia Eastern Institute of Technology (NSEIT) opened on Grand Lake Road several kilometres east of the Sydney city limits.

UCCB was the first university college in Canada[19] and united diverse education streams such as the liberal arts and sciences with technological and vocational diploma programs.

[1] A major expansion for the 1987 Canada Winter Games included the construction of sports facilities built at the campus.

The process led to UCCB transferring its trades and technology programs to the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), which operated its "Marconi Campus" (the former Adult Vocational Training Centre - AVTC)[21] which is located immediately next to the CBU Grand Lake Road campus.

The name change became official through the University College of Cape Breton Act (amended) which received Royal Assent on May 19, 2005.

[9] The increase in numbers has led to a rise in reported incidents of racism [25] and criticism from their students regarding a lack of housing and other infrastructure.

The collection includes paper records, photographs, film, video, audio materials, books, maps, plans, and microfilms, housing 3,000 manuscript collections, 60,000 images, 2,500 sound recordings, 1,500 video cassettes and film reels, 1,500 reference books, 2,000 maps and plans.

CBU's library is located adjacent to the Campus Center, along with the main cafeteria, Art Gallery 1, and Boardmore Theatre.

As a collaborative player, CBU became a lead partner in the establishment of the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex.

The $10 million project is a newly opened health and recreation community facility situated on the CBU campus.

It provides CBU students and the community with access to a track and field operation[30] and year-round indoor soccer facilities as well as a fitness centre.

In 2010, funded by both public and private investment, construction began on the Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy & Environment (CSEE).

The purpose of this centre was to plan and carry out research about new sources of energy and ways of increasing environmental sustainability on the east coast of Canada.

[31] The university built a three-turbine, 5.4-megawatt wind farm off campus, at a cost of $17.6 million in partnership with Natural Forces Technologies, with the aim of producing enough electricity to offset its carbon dioxide emissions.

[34] Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced that a medical school will be established at CBU, in conjunction with Dalhousie University, opening no later than fall 2025.

[35] Cape Breton University currently has about 6,000 full-time and part-time students,[38] of which roughly three quarters are international.

[51] Both elementary and secondary streams of the Bachelor of Education are recognized by the Nova Scotia Office of Teacher Certification.

Associate Vice-President: Stephen Augustine Dean: Laurianne Sylvester In 2010, Unama'ki College was founded as an offshoot of the school specializing in Mi'kmaq history, culture and education.

Students with a 90% average or greater are eligible for scholarships ranging in amount from $10,000 (Orpha Thayer-Scott) to $24,000 (Chancellor's) over a four-year period.

Students taking a minimum of 24 credits are eligible for in-course scholarships the following year depending on their academic performance.

Research chairs at CBU include:[61] Additionally, Dr. Bruce Hatcher is the Director of the Bras D'Or Institute.

The CBUSU's main focus is advocacy on behalf of its members, and it is also the largest employer of students on the CBU campus.

The newspaper publishes as an electronic monthly newsletter, which is tailored specifically for Cape Breton University students and faculty.