Algonquin College

Coordinates: 45°20′48.97″N 75°45′33.79″W / 45.3469361°N 75.7593861°W / 45.3469361; -75.7593861

Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology
Motto Your goals, your career, your college
Type Public
Established 1967
President Cheryl Jensen
Administrative staff
 1,151 full time
Students 19,000 full-time; 37,000 part-time
Undergraduates Available
Postgraduates Available
Location Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Campus Urban
Colours green and white          
Nickname Algonquin Thunder
Mascot Thor
Affiliations CCAA, ACCC, AUCC, CBIE, Polytechnics Canada
Website algonquincollege.com

Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college and member of Polytechnics Canada located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college serves the National Capital Region and the outlying areas of Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec, and Upstate New York. The college has three campuses; a primary campus located in Ottawa, Ontario, and secondary campuses located in Perth, Ontario, and Pembroke, Ontario. The enabling legislation is the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act.[1]

History

The college was established during the formation of Ontario’s college system in 1967. Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology were established on May 21, 1965 when the Ontario system of public colleges was created. The founding institutions were the Eastern Ontario Institute of Technology (established in 1957) and the Ottawa Vocational Centre (established in 1965 at the Woodroffe Campus). The original 8 acres site on Woodroffe Avenue was donated to the city by Mr and Mrs Frank Ryan.[2]

The Ottawa architecture firm of Burgess, McLean & MacPhadyen designed the midcentury academic complex with open-ended blocks alternatively faced with long glass expanses in a semi-gambrel formation that make up the curtain walls and precast aggregate panels. The corporate campus or modernist academic acropolis spread across North America is the early 1960s. The entrance is via a deeply recessed terrace that's overhung with small white ceramic tiles and vintage can lights. The long walls are bumped out to float over the foundation. The foundation plantings keep the blocks from appearing stark.[3]

Algonquin College is named after the Algonquin First Nations Peoples who were the original inhabitors of the area.

Algonquin College Woodroffe Campus

In 1964, the Rideau Campus was established. “Satellite” campuses in Pembroke, Hawkesbury, Perth, Carleton Place and Renfrew were established in the late 1960s. The Vanier School of Nursing became a part of the Woodroffe Campus when nursing programs began to be offered at the college. In 1973, the School of Prescott-Russell joined the Algonquin family and the Colonel By Campus was created through the acquisition of St. Patrick’s College. With the creation of La Cité Collégiale, 1990 marked the beginning of Algonquin as an English college. The Hawkesbury campus was transferred to La Cité Collégiale, and the Renfrew, Colonel By, and Carleton Place campuses were progressively closed. The latest closure was in August 2002, when the Rideau Campus closed and its programs were moved to the Advanced Technology Centre on the Woodroffe Campus.

Bachelor's degrees in Applied Studies were introduced. Despite having three degree programs and offering three additional degrees through affiliations with the University of Ottawa and Carleton University the college has not been designated an Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.

Woodroffe Campus expansion

Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence, Woodroffe Campus
The Robert C. Gillett Student Commons

Opened in the fall of 2011, the 180,000-square-foot (17,000 m2) Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence, designed by Edward J. Cuhaci, houses 600 additional construction seats and provide space for thousands more students studying in related programs. The uniquely green, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certified building showcases a teaching laboratory for best practices in sustainable construction. The new facility integrates the relocated bus station and a new below-grade transit roadway (yet to be completed) to the main campus via a $4 million pedestrian bridge constructed across Woodroffe Avenue.[4]

Opened in the fall of 2012, the 110,000-square-foot (10,000 m2) Student Commons project is the result of a continued partnership between the College and its Students’ Association. Unique to most Ontario colleges, the Algonquin College Students’ Association operates many College services, ranging from the varsity athletics to the Algonquin Fitness Zone. Committed to securing additional social and study space for students, the SA Board of Directors, through consultation with its members, approved to designate part of its activity fee to secure $30 million to fund the new Student Commons. Recognizing this opportunity to improve and centralize student support services the College’s Board of Governors approved the contribution of an additional $22 million in funding for the project.

Algonquin College Mobile Learning Centre is a computer lab, designed by Edward J. Cuhaci, that delivers a collaborative learning environment using mobile and cloud computing technology.[5]

Also opening in fall 2012, the 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) expansion of the Pembroke campus Pembroke Campus will add 300 more than full-time student spaces and create a number of positive outcomes. The new waterfront campus is seen as a new beginning for the College, the City of Pembroke, and all of Renfrew County. A new facility would allow the College to grow, allowing it to better meet the labour market needs of Renfrew County’s employers well into the future.

Programs

The entrance sign at the Woodroffe campus

Algonquin's focus is on technology and workplace needs. It has always been imperative for Algonquin to stay ahead of emerging trends. There are over 16,000 full-time students in more than 180 programs. There are 155 Ontario college programs, 18 apprenticeship programs, 16 co-op programs, 3 collaborative degree programs and 5 bachelor's degree programs.

Algonquin offers the following bachelor's degree programs:

The college's Woodroffe Campus boasts a fully functional (though non-broadcast) television studio with an adjoining control room, located in N Building. This is reserved for the students of the Broadcasting-Television program. Notable graduates from this program include director of the TV series 24, Jon Cassar and comedian Tom Green. The college used to have a second television studio, which now houses the Theatre Arts program. The college has one fully functional, broadcast radio station run entirely by the students of the Broadcasting-Radio program: CKDJ-FM, as well as an internet station: AIR - Algonquin, which will be broadcast on the AM dial shortly.

The Algonquin College Animation Program is a three-year advanced diploma with its main focus on performance-based animation whether it be in 3D or traditional animation. Also, all students learn Toonboom's Harmony software. The program is celebrating its 20-year anniversary in 2009-10 and has its curriculum being taught in India, China and South Africa with negotiations with Dubai, Chile and others. The faculty of the program are veterans of the animation industry, all of whom have been at least departmental supervisors, many with over 20 years experience in the industry. Since the introduction of the three-year curriculum, graduates of the program have gone on to varied and rewarding jobs in the animation industry with over 93% of grads finding work in their chosen field. Student films have gone on to be screened in various festivals, featured on AWN TV (Charged) and won the prestigious ELAN award for best student film 2009 (Snared).

The Pembroke Campus is well known for its outdoor training programs which attract students from across Canada. These programs include Outdoor Adventure, Outdoor Adventure Naturalist and Forestry Technician. In 2012, a new Waterfront Campus opened in downtown Pembroke.

International Campuses

Algonquin College has four international campuses through their international offshore partnerships:

Residence

In August 2003, the Woodroffe Campus Residence Complex opened, providing housing for 1,050 students. There is also an abundance of off-campus housing in the area. Most students commute from throughout the National Capital Region by car or city transit.

The school's residence is in a great location for those new to Ottawa as it is just a short walk away from Baseline Station where students can catch the 95 to take them to the downtown core. There is also a community near the College called Deer Field where many 2nd year students live.

The Pembroke Campus has a housing registry.

Algonquin College presidents

Date Name
1967–1969 Dr. Frederick Rosser
1969–1973 Dr. Gerald Maher
1973–1982 Dr. Laurent Isabelle
1982–1984 Dr. Brian Ash
1984–1995 Mr. Philip Killeen
1996–2012 Dr. Robert Gillett
2012–2014 Dr. Kent MacDonald
2014–Present Cheryl Jensen

Partnerships

Algonquin College has earned the right to grant bachelor's degrees in Applied Studies in certain disciplines: Bachelor of Applied Arts - Interior Design Bachelor; Bachelor of Applied Business - e-Business Supply Chain Management; Bachelor of Applied Technology - Photonics. The Photonics program has been suspended at Algonquin due to low enrolment, and is now offered as a joint degree with Carleton University.

Algonquin has formed strategic partnerships with select universities enabling the Institution to offer collaborative degrees, in Bachelor of Information Technology - Interactive Multimedia and Design Carleton; Bachelor of Information Technology - Network Technology Carleton University and Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Studies take place at Algonquin College and the partnering university and collaborative degrees are conferred by the university. Algonquin has developed articulation agreements with universities to assist qualified Algonquin graduates to attain specific degrees in shorter periods. Graduates are subject to the admission requirements of the university granting the degree.

Internationally, the college has several partnerships with institutions in other countries to transfer expertise through technical assistance and training programs.

Scholarships

Algonquin College joined Project Hero, a scholarship program cofounded by General (Ret'd) Rick Hillier for the families of fallen Canadian Forces members.[7]

The Government of Canada sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists over 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation. Algonquin College bursaries for Aboriginal, First Nations and Métis students include: Peter Wintonick Bursary; Ottawa Police Service's Thomas G. Flanagan Scholarship; MKI Travel and Hospitality Bursary.[8]

Military

The Diploma in Military Arts and Sciences (DMASc) provides Non-Commissioned Members (NCMs) of the Canadian Forces an online program made possible by a partnership between OntarioLearn (Algonquin College consortium member), the RMC, and the Canadian Defence Academy. Under a RMC and Algonquin College articulation agreement, all graduates of this diploma program who apply to the RMC will be admitted into the Bachelor of Military Arts and Sciences degree program with advanced standing.[9]

In 2006, Algonquin College was approached by the Canadian Forces Support Training Group (CFSTG) to explore the feasibility of developing and delivering a program to satisfy the training requirements exclusively for Canadian Forces Geomatics Technicians. The goal was to increase the number of CF graduates produced by the School of Military Mapping. Students in the Geomatics Technician program earn a college-approved certificate in Geomatics. Algonquin College also grants a provincially approved Geomatics Technician Diploma to students who successfully graduate from the Geomatics Technician Training and have completed a small number of approved additional courses.[10]

Sports

The name of Algonquin College's sports team is the Algonquin Thunder. Thor is the Algonquin College mascot. Algonquin is a member of the OCAA and the CCAA. Varsity teams compete in six sports on the provincial level within the OCAA. The Men’s and Women’s teams in basketball, soccer, and volleyball can qualify to compete for a “National Championship” as members of the CCAA. Funding is provided by the Students' Association.

Notable alumni and faculty

Algonquin Times

The student newspaper of Algonquin College is called the Algonquin Times. It is produced every two weeks during the fall and winter semesters by journalism and advertising students. Funding is provided by the Students' Association.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90m19_e.htm Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act
  2. ↑ All happy of sites of schools Ottawa Citizen Aug 2, 1961
  3. ↑ All happy of sites of schools Ottawa Citizen Aug 2, 1961
  4. ↑ Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence
  5. ↑ Algonquin College Mobile Learning Centre
  6. ↑ "PEQAB". Retrieved 2014-07-28.
  7. ↑ http://www.accc.ca/english/services/cdnforces/hero.htm Project Hero
  8. ↑ Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool
  9. ↑ http://www.algonquincollege.com/distance/programs_courses/diploma/MilitaryArtsandScience_FT.html
  10. ↑ http://www.algonquincollege.com/military/documents/CanadianForcesandAlgonguinCollaborateFinal.pdf
  11. ↑ "Freedom weighed for killer of heiress". CBC (Canada). 13 February 2001. Retrieved 2014-11-02.

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