Seneca College

Coordinates: 43°47′38.22″N 79°20′56.57″W / 43.7939500°N 79.3490472°W

Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology
Established 1967
Type Public
President David Agnew
Students 17,000 full-time; 90,000 part-time
Undergraduates Available
Postgraduates Available
Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Campus Urban
Colours Red     
Nickname The Sting
Mascot Sammy Sting
Affiliations CCAA, ACCC, AUCC, CBIE, Polytechnics Canada, OCAA
Website senecacollege.ca

Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public college located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccalaureate, diploma, certificate and graduate levels.

History

Seneca opened in 1967 as part of a provincial initiative to establish an Ontario-wide network of colleges of applied arts and technology providing career-oriented diploma and certificate courses, as well as continuing education programs to Ontario communities. The province was responding to the increasing need for sophisticated applied learning as technology continued to change the nature of work and the provincial economy. General education was considered an important element in postsecondary education, and breadth courses continue to be a part of every program. In 2001 colleges were granted the ability to offer baccalaureate degrees. Seneca is one of six colleges that can offer up to 15 per cent of its program activity at the degree level.[1]

Academics

Seneca@York Library

Seneca offers more than 145 full-time programs and 135 part-time programs including 14 Bachelor's degrees and 30 graduate certificates.[2]

Many programs offer experiential learning opportunities such as co-op, placements, internships and community service options, while others include a mandatory co-op period prior to graduation. Seneca also offers career search assistance to graduating students. Seneca College programs are developed and kept current with the assistance of advisory committees made up of key industry members. They are in place to ensure the education students receive provides the skills necessary for career success.

Seneca College is the leader in Ontario in university and college pathways. It has more than 70 transfer agreements with both local and international post-secondary institutions, including universities in Australia, England, South Africa and the U.S. These agreements allow students to apply their college education to obtain credit towards a university degree.

Faculties, Schools and Centres

Applied Arts & Health Sciences

Applied Science & Engineering Technology

Business

Communication, Art & Design

International

Liberal Arts

Continuing Education and Training

Workforce Skills Development

Libraries

Seneca libraries provide students, faculty and staff with resources and services both online and on-site to enhance academic pursuits. The libraries offer print, audio visual and electronic resources including books, magazines, journals, videos, DVDs, slides, recordings and a variety of topical databases. Services include research support, library instruction and a large circulating collection. The libraries provide online help through e-mail and the live reference chat service, “AskON". As well, the Seneca Libraries' website hosts comprehensive research guides tailored to program specific offerings which supports the learning experience. Through the Audio-Visual department they offer a centralized media collection and equipment for class presentations and assignments to all faculty, staff and students. Their state of the art facilities, located at Newnham, York University, Markham and King campuses offers student spaces for group and individual study, audio visual screening classrooms and electronic training centers . They provide a large number of workstations equipped with instructional software and information resources tailored to course requirements.

International

Seneca has been active in international education for decades and now attracts more than 3,500 international students each year. The largest sending countries are, in order, China, India and South Korea, followed by Russia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Seneca's English Language Institute prepares international students for post-secondary study through intensive language training that can last anywhere from two months to more than a year. The college has several partnerships with overseas institutions and is expanded its activities in joint applied research and work/study abroad options.

Student life

The Seneca Student Federation, campus clubs, and athletics offer the chance to get involved in the wider community. Energetic and active students take on the task of representing their peers in the SSF. Planning and promoting events, participating in campus culture days, joining a club for interest, or going on trips for professional development are only a small number of activities students can engage in. Seneca’s student government and councils can play an active role in student life, by offering programs & events along with running the campus pub and in-house radio station.

Residence

King Campus Student Residence

Seneca College currently offers residence at both the Newnham Campus and the King Campus. Seneca residences are composed of suite-style units containing two bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchenette. Each bedroom contains a double bed, desk, chair, closet and dresser space, as well as cable TV, internet access and phone. Students also have access to a common kitchen, laundry rooms, lounge areas, games room and a convenience store. Buildings have a front desk and 24-hour video monitoring, and are accessed by swipe card. The Newnham Campus residence holds 1,113 students while the King Campus only holds 233 students. Residents of the Newnham Campus Residence have the pleasure of a dining hall, a convenience store and a subway restaurant all within the residence. Seneca College Residence have organized a free shuttle service from the Newnham Campus to Markham, Seneca@York and King Campuses.

Athletics

The school's athletic teams are named "The Sting". The Seneca Sting is one of the most-decorated athletic program in the history of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) having won more than 450 medals since 1967. Seneca has sixteen varsity sports teams, including Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Curling, Fastball, Golf, Rugby, Soccer, and Volleyball, for both male and female student-athletes. The Seneca Sports Centre located at the Newnham Campus includes a full ice arena, a triple gymnasium, 6 tennis courts, a softball diamond, two beach volleyball courts, a soccer field, a fitness center along with a dance studio. Seneca College also offers various fields, gymnasiums and fitness equipment at different campuses.

Concerts

The Grateful Dead performed at Seneca College's Field House on November 2, 1977. Other famous people who performed in the late seventies at the Field House were Patty Smith and David Bowie[3]

Campuses

Seneca has four main campuses, and a total of 10 campuses located throughout the Greater Toronto Area and in Peterborough. Each campus has its own academic specialties.

Newnham Campus

The Newnham Campus is one of the largest college campuses in Canada. It is home to more than 11,000 full-time students in business, engineering, aviation, early childhood education, fashion, opticianry, information and communications technology and liberal arts. The campus, named after founding president William T. Newnham, is also the site of extensive continuing education activity during the evenings and weekends. A 1,113-bed residence, sports centre and daycare centre are also parts of the campus. It is located west of the intersection of Highway 404 and Finch Avenue East.

The campus's first building was opened in 1969 and over the years has involved various architects (William H.D. Hurst (Phase 1); John B. Parkin (Phase 2 with Searle, Wilbee and Rowland); Abram, Nowski and McLaughlin (arena)). In 1973 a 1,100 square foot domed planetarium was added to Phase 3 section of the campus, but it has since closed.[4]

In fall 2011, Seneca's newest addition, designed for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, was officially opened at the campus. The new building, designed by Craig Applegath of Dialog, features: three 80-seat classrooms; twenty-three 40-seat classrooms; fourteen 40-seat computer labs; a multi-purpose auditorium for 240 students that can be turned into a conference room or two 120-seat lecture halls; increased computing commons and library space; several new areas of collaborative student study and work space; a new “front door” for the campus and improved campus access for people with disabilities. The atrium in the new space was named after Frederick Minkler, Seneca's first chair of the board of governors.

Seneca@York campus

Seneca@York campus

Seneca@York Campus, located on York University's Keele Campus, features the Stephen E. Quinlan Building, designed by architect Raymond Moriyama and named after Seneca's third president. Seneca also shares the Technology Enhanced Learning Building with York. Several schools are located at this Toronto campus, including Creative Arts and Animation, Media, Biological Sciences & Applied Chemistry, English & Liberal Studies and Information & Communications Technology.

King Campus

Eaton Hall, King campus.

King Campus is located in a natural setting of 282 hectares (697 acres) of woods, lake and fields. It is home to full and part-time programs in the areas of applied arts and health sciences. Programs at this campus include: Early Childhood Education, child and Youth Worker, Behavioural Sciences, Police Foundations, Nursing, Social Service Worker (and Gerontology), Environmental Landscape Management, Recreation and Leisure Services, Veterinary Technician. It also offers training in Underwater Skills. Additionally, it is home to a 233 bed residence.

Markham Campus

Markham campus

Markham Campus opened its doors in 2005, becoming the first post-secondary education facility in the city of Markham. The campus is home to full and part-time programs in the areas of business, marketing and tourism. It also houses several college departments including finance, human resources and information technology services. Since 2011 the campus is home to the Confucius Institute[5]

Jane Campus

Jane Campus is home to Seneca's Centre for Advanced Technologies. Students studying at the campus pursue careers in the areas of Tool Design, Computer Numerical Control (CNC), and Metals Machining Trades such as Tool & Die Maker and Mould Maker. The building can be seen from the westbound collector lanes of Highway 401 and is located at 21 Beverly Hills Drive in Toronto.

Peterborough Campus

Peterborough Airport is the home of Seneca's aviation campus, including a fleet of aircraft and flight training devices used by students enrolled in the Bachelor of Aviation Program. Opened in January, 2014,[6] the campus serves the second, third and fourth years of the degree program, while first-year students study at Newnham Campus. Some academics and services at the Peterborough Campus are offered in partnership with Fleming College.

Seneca's fleet currently consists of 19 aircraft: 12 Cessna 172s (4 G1000 equipped), 4 Beechcraft Bonanzas and 3 Beechcraft Barons (1 G1000 equipped).

Buttonville Airport's pending closure prompted the move to Peterborough.

Community Campuses

Seneca's community campuses offer community-based services delivered by the College such as employment services for adults and specialized programs for Internationally-Trained Immigrants and academic upgrading.

Newmarket Campus

The Newmarket Campus offers Employment Ontario services and access to resources and information. Programs at this location include employment counselling, job search workshops and job development services. Academic Upgrading is offered in the day and evening. Computer skills training is also available. The campus is located in the Weston Produce Plaza, 16655 Yonge St., Unit 3 Newmarket, Ontario.

Scarborough Campus

The Scarborough site offers Employment Ontario services and access to resources and information. Programs at this location include employment counselling, job search workshops, job development services and specialized programs for skilled immigrants such as mentorship. Academic Upgrading is offered in the day and evening. It is located at 3660 Midland Ave. 2nd Floor, Scarborough, Ontario.

Vaughan Campus

The Vaughan Campus officially opened its doors on January 28, 2011. The new campus (located at 1490 Major Mackenzie Drive West, Unit D5) offers Vaughan residents a range of services, including academic upgrading, employment services and workplace essential skills training for professionals, as well as a centre for entrepreneurship.

Yorkgate Campus

Open since the 1990s, Yorkgate Campus has post-secondary programs as well as customized programs in academic upgrading and office systems. Serving as an access and outreach centre for the Jane-Finch community, Yorkgate also offers the Literacy and Basic Skills program along with a variety of employment-related provincial and federal programs. The Employment Resource Centre offers assisted services and extended hours on evenings and Saturdays. The facility is located on the second floor of the Yorkgate Mall at Finch Avenue West and Jane Street.

Former locations

Seneca's first homes from 1967 to 1969 were various buildings in North York:

Other former campuses and satellite sites include:

Notable Senecans

Alumni

Faculty

Presidents

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/32379/1/M%20Skolnik%20-%20Baccalaureate.pdf
  2. ↑ OCAS. "Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology". Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  3. ↑ "AGO in Photos". AGO. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  4. ↑ Google Drive Viewer
  5. ↑ http://www.senecacollege.ca/confucius-institute/opening.html
  6. ↑ http://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/4307605-seneca-college-s-school-of-aviation-takes-flight/
  7. ↑ http://www.senecacollege.ca/retirees/05_e-mail_newsletter/03_2009/01_newsletter_february/001b_seneca_story_p_10-28.pdf
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 History - Seneca College - Toronto, Canada

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Seneca College.