Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology is a diploma and degree granting college located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the oldest publicly funded college in Ontario. Its four campuses are situated to serve the eastern portion of the Greater Toronto Area. The enabling legislation is the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act. Centennial College is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse post-secondary institutions in Ontario. Almost 100 ethno-cultural groups are represented and 80 languages are spoken on campus.
Programs
Centennial offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study.
Centennial offers the following undergraduate degrees:
- Bachelor of Applied Information Sciences (Software Systems: Design, Development and Management)
- Bachelor of Public Relations Management
Founded in 1966, the college offers programs in business, communication arts, community and consumer services, applied computing, engineering technology, health sciences, animation, music theatre, film and design. Centennial College supports enrollments of 18,000 full-time students and 20,000 part-time students.
History
Centennial College was the first to be opened in Ontario during the formation of the province's public college system in the 1960s. Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology were established on May 21, 1965 under the direction of the Hon. William Davis, Minister of Education. The system has grown to encompass 24 public colleges serving 200 communities in the province.
As Centennial College's first site, Warden Woods Campus (651 Warden Avenue) opened its doors on October 17, 1966, with 514 students enrolled in 16 career-oriented programs including journalism, secretarial science and early childhood education. The campus made use of a decommissioned federal building that had been renovated to serve as a teaching institution. It evolved over the years to include the health/nutrition, hospitality, child studies and community services programs. In 1973, the Ontario government transferred responsibility for nursing education from the province’s hospitals to its colleges. Locally, the Scarborough Regional and the Toronto East General schools of nursing joined Centennial College to form the School of Health Sciences, based at Warden Woods Campus. Warden Woods Campus was demolished in 2005.
In 1992 the Scarborough Board of Education and the college made a deal to establish an adult education centre, the Scarborough Career Planning Centre, at the Centennial College. In 1994 the entities agreed to establish the centre there beginning in the fall of that year.
Centennial College grew rapidly, necessitating the establishment of additional campuses in the east end of Toronto to accommodate new programs and students. Warden Woods Campus closed in autumn of 2004 and was demolished thereafter to make way for a housing development. Most programs were relocated to the new Centennial Science and Technology Centre, which began operations the same year.
Campuses
Existing campuses are located at:
Centennial Science and Technology Centre
Located at 755 Morningside Avenue in the Morningside Avenue-Ellesmere Road area of Scarborough, this campus is commonly known as Morningside Campus. Morningside Campus opened in the summer of 2004 to house joint programs with the University of Toronto Scarborough. The campus is home to the health science and environmental science programs that the college offers. Popular programs include paramedic, nursing, practical nursing, pharmacy technician, environmental protection technology and biotechnology. Computer science and technology programs were moved to Progress Campus in September 2010 due to spacial issues.
Progress Campus
Progress Campus is Centennial's largest property, where approximately half of the college's students take classes. The programs offered at this campus, located at 941 Progress Avenue, near Markham Road and Highway 401 in Scarborough, are related to computer science and technology, business, and hospitality and tourism. Students in the latter often work for the Centennial College Residence and Conference Centre as hospitality staff in the student restaurant, Horizon's, or in the Student Centre kitchen run by the CCSAI. Progress Campus is the site of the new Library and Academic Facility, as well as the newly expanded Athletic and Wellness Centre, both of which opened in September 2011.
Ashtonbee Campus
Located at 75 Ashtonbee Road in Scarborough's Warden Avenue-Eglinton Avenue area, this campus is home to the largest training school for transportation technology in Canada. In 1967, the Ontario government merged its Provincial Institute of Automotive and Allied Trades with Centennial College. A large automotive service facility was purchased from Volkswagen Canada at 930 Warden Avenue to house the automotive trades, forming the college’s second campus. In 1973, the new Ashtonbee Campus building was opened adjacent to the old VW building, with enough space to train technicians knowledgeable in every form of land, sea and air transportation.
Today, Centennial boasts industry partnerships with major manufacturers, including Honda/Acura, Toyota, General Motors, Ford, Volvo Trucks, Freightliner and Canadian Tire. The campus includes a fully functional aircraft hangar, licensed by Transport Canada, complete with a "fleet" of 10 aircraft which are used as training aids by the aircraft technician and avionics technician students. Each June, Centennial's School of Transportation organizes a public Show'n'Shine event for automotive buffs. Ashtonbee Campus underwent a major renovation and expansion in 2012-13, which saw the construction of a "gateway" building on Ashtonbee Road that houses a new library and student services hub. The existing campus gymnasium gained a weight room and exercise studios on the new second level.
Story Arts Centre
Located near the Danforth at 951 Carlaw Avenue in East York, this campus opened in 1994 to house Centennial's award-winning School of Communications, Media and Design, a "premiere media and visual arts learning centre" in the region according to The East York Foundation. Taught here are most of the creative communication programs such as advertising and digital animation. The building was originally constructed to house the Toronto Teachers' College, and television buffs may know it as the location of the Canadian TV teen drama Degrassi High in the early 1990s. Since the closure of Toronto's francophone Collège des Grands-Lacs in 2002, Collège Boréal, a francophone college based primarily in Sudbury, also offered some French-language college programs at this facility until moving to its own new campus at One Yonge Street in 2012.
Residence
Responding to a critical shortage of affordable rental accommodations in Toronto at the time, Centennial College purchased the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel Toronto East in June 2001 with the intent of converting the hotel into a college residence for the fall semester, which it successfully completed on time. The amenities and level of finish in the hotel building were considerably higher than that of many purpose-built college residences. Amenities included an indoor pool, glass elevator, four-storey atrium and warmly decorated rooms. The Centennial College Residence and Conference Centre was originally configured to accommodate 380 student residents, based on two students sharing a room, though later configurations allowed the creation of some single-occupancy rooms. During the summer tourist season, the Residence doubles as a motor hotel for tour groups and travelers. The Conference Centre operation is staffed by Centennial College hospitality students and includes the Horizons restaurant, which is open to the general public with a varied lunch menu. The Residence is located across the street from Centennial's Progress Campus at 940 Progress Avenue. Centennial College is breaking ground on a new 740-space student residence in 2014, for occupancy planned for fall of 2016.
Academics
Centennial College offers full-time programs in more than 100 fields of study. These programs emphasize experiential learning with laboratory instruction, paid co-operative education opportunities, and industry and agency field placements. All Centennial programs are developed and kept current with the assistance of program advisory committees (PACs), made up of academic advisors and employer representatives. Their participation ensures the education and skills students receive at Centennial are up-to-date and relevant to the industry they are preparing to enter.
Centennial offers a variety of innovative degree programs. Five joint-degree programs in paramedicine, journalism, new media studies, environmental science & technology and applied microbiology are taught in conjunction with the University of Toronto Scarborough, and the Bachelor of Science Nursing program is delivered jointly with Ryerson University. Centennial was among the first colleges in Ontario to receive approval for applied-degree programs in computer and communication networking, and software systems: design, development and management.
Centennial College Schools
- School of Advancement
- School of Business
- School of Communications, Media and Design
- School of Community and Health Studies
- School of Continuing Education
- School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science
- School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture
- School of Transportation
Community and special events
In July 2010, the students in the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture participated and partnered for the very first time with North America's Largest Cultural Festival - Scotiabank Caribana (now formally called Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto (SBCCT)- Festival Management Committee and Tribal Knights with Dexter Senshuai created a Queen costume worn by Salome Odney a hospitality student under the theme " Tropical Amazon" which was presented at the Annual King and Queen Competition and then at the Annual Parade. This marked the 1st time an Ontario College took part in the festival which was a huge success in made local headlines and several pictures have surfaced. The student wearing the costume was interviewed by CP24 and various other television stations and Media Afficates.
In July 2011, the students made a return to the Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Festival and participated in highly King and Queen show under a new theme "LEGENDS" Our section that was chosen between the committee and Tribal Knights would fit the multicultural diversity of international Students from china and Japanese " Legends of Orient" This year would be a little different where it was opened up to the rest of the college staff, faculty, administration to participate with the Centennial College Student Association CCSAI. This year costume was worn by Annakay McCalla who wore the costume for the first time the Centennial College - School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture to enter the competition at the Grand Parade and it will be judged with the mas band Tribal nights and made history that our costume was judged and received 4th place with Tribal Knights. The costume was interviewed by Rogers Cable, Global TV, Sway magazine, CTV, WOW TV and others. There was large media coverage of the college participation this year by CTV/ CP24 on Parade Day on July 30 there was several pictures taken which are on Facebook, YouTube, Flicker,
In May 2012 - As a part of the partnership with Festival Management Committee management of Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto (SCCT) involved for the very 1st time took Centennial College students as part of the their Internship/Co-OP from the hospitality, tourism and Culture program - Post Grad Festival Management Program students such as Fabia Morgan (Assistant Gala Coordinator/ Administrative Assistant), plus the Business Administration program Shemmie Bayne (Administrative Assistant to Festival Administrator) and from Festival and Events Management Class/Hotel and Resort Management Program, Steven McKinnon (Office Assistant & Marketplace Coordinator)
Notable alumni and faculty
- John Candy, Drama, author
- John Cooper, Author and corporate communication specialist
- Gary Archibald, Journalist
- John Child, Volleyball player
- Robert Fisher, Journalist
- Ashley Diana Morris, Model and actress
- Tobias Enverga, Canadian senator
- Andes Yue, Television presenter
- Jennifer Valentyne, Television personality
- Murtz Jaffer, Celebrity journalist
- Ted Barris, Writer
- Jeffrey Dvorkin, Journalist
- Ravi Vetrivel, Film director
- Joe Daniel, Politician
- Ninjalicious, Explorer
- Michaele Jordana, Musician
- John Gray, Politician
- Elinor Caplan, Businesswomen and politician
See also
- Frame Film Festival
- Higher education in Ontario
- List of colleges in Ontario
References
External links
- Official website