Camosun College

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Camosun College
Cclo.png
Established 1971
Type Public (Post-Secondary) community college
Academic staff
413
Administrative staff
514
Students 9,793 FTE
Undergraduates Upgrading, University Transfer, Certificates, Diplomas, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Athletic & Exercise Therapy, Bachelor of Sport and Fitness Leadership.
Postgraduates post-degree diplomas
Location Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Campus Urban/Rural Lansdowne and Interurban
Sports teams Camosun Chargers
Colours      Green
Nickname Chargers
Affiliations ACCC, CCAA, CBIE, CUP.
Website http://www.camosun.ca/
The Lansdowne Campus in September 2011

Camosun College is located in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2013-2014 fiscal year, it had more than 19,000 full-time and part-time students (9,793 FTEs)[1] between its Lansdowne and Interurban campuses. Each year Camosun welcomes over 1,000 Aboriginal students from 50 Nations including Métis and Inuit groups, and over 1,100 International students from 60 different countries.[2]

Camosun College also provides contract training opportunities for local business; research, innovation and prototyping services for industry; and well-trained co-op students for employers. With over 900 employees and a budget of over $105 million, Camosun is one of Victoria's top 10 employers and generates more than $1.2 billion in economic impact in British Columbia every year.[3]

The Lansdowne campus provides university transfer and access programs, as well as career, technical and vocational programs in the fields of the arts, sciences, business, health and human services. The Interurban campus delivers programs in the trades, technologies, business, sport and exercise education, and access programs. The student paper, The Nexus, is a member of CUP.

The enabling legislation is the College and Institute Act.[4]

History[edit]

The Young Building at Lansdowne Campus

Camosun College enrolled its first students in September 1971 when it opened as a two-year institution offering university transfer, vocational and upgrading courses to the residents of southern Vancouver Island. The roots of the college began in 1914 when the Young Building[5] was built as Victoria's first Normal School on part of a 7.5 acre plot belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, now part of the Lansdowne Campus. The school's enrollment at the time was about 275.

During the second world war, the Young Building was converted into a military hospital. In 1946, the building was returned to its original function as an educational institution shared between the Normal School and Victoria College, which were united in 1955.

In 1967 the Normal School and Victoria College moved to the site of the Gordon Head Campus of the University of Victoria and the Institute of Adult Studies was established by the Greater Victoria School Board. The Institute of Adult Studies was located in what is currently the Ewing Building, and was the first centre in Canada to offer daytime courses for adults wishing to upgrade to high school graduation. From the inception of the Institute, local interest in a community college grew. On October 9, 1970, Victoria residents voted in favour of establishing a college, and plans for “Juan de Fuca” College were followed. The provincial government formally approved the college on October 27, 1970.

In 1971 the college councillors voted on a name change, and “Camosun” (pronounced Cam-O-sun) was chosen, as it was an early name for Victoria. It is originally a Lkwungen (Songhees) name for an area of Victoria where different waters meet and are transformed. By September 1971 the final steps toward the realization of a college were taken when Camosun (Lansdowne campus) and the BC Vocational School (Interurban campus) merged to become BC’s ninth community college.

The trade-mark with the words `Camosun College` was filed with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office Canadian Trade-marks database on 2008-02-22.[6]

Campus[edit]

Camosun College has two campuses, Lansdowne and Interurban. The Lansdowne campus is located in Saanich, overlooking the city of Victoria and the Olympic Mountains. The Interurban campus is located in a rural Saanich setting, approximately 15-minutes from downtown Victoria.

Lansdowne[edit]

The Lansdowne campus is located high on the corner of Lansdowne and Foul Bay Roads, offering clear views of Victoria and the Olympic mountains. Each semester, the Lansdowne campus hosts thousands of students enrolled in university transfer, college preparatory and access programs as well as career programs in arts, science, business, health and human services.

The campus facilities are surrounded by tree-lined grounds. The Alan Batey Library, opened in 1991, is located prominently in the centre of the campus. The Dental Health Education Centre, opened in 1990, stands opposite the Library. The newest facility on campus is the Wilna Thomas Building with its adjoining Cultural Centre.

The Isabel Dawson building is the centre for most student services including information & registration, academic advising, financial aid, assessment, disability support services, international student services, counselling and the career resource centre. The Fisher building houses the campus bookstore and cafeteria, as well as classrooms, labs and offices for nursing, biology, physics, chemistry and other disciplines. The Paul Building and Richmond House also provide space for classrooms, labs and offices. The Child Care Centre looks after about 25 children on campus.

In the southeast corner of the campus the Dunlop House is a heritage building which houses the Hotel and Restaurant Management program’s student-operated restaurant. In contrast to all the facilities on campus, the 1914 Young Building with its famous clock tower and Italian Renaissance architecture, presides over the south-west corner of the campus as an historic landmark in the city.

Camosun College's music program and the Victoria Conservatory of Music have shared a building on the Lansdowne campus since 1991.[7]

Opened in September 2012, Camosun's state of the art medical imaging facility offers a two year program in medical radiography technology.[8]

Interurban[edit]

Cherry Tree Blossoms at Interurban Campus

Located in rural Saanich, the Interurban campus is in a country-like setting and approximately 15 minutes from downtown Victoria. Students attend classes at Interurban focused on trades, technology, business or access programs.

Located next to Interurban Road, the Campus Centre is the first point of entry for people seeking information about Camosun programs and services. The Campus Centre houses Information & Registration, the career resource centre, academic advising, counselling, student and alumni employment services, the bookstore, library, fitness centre, Student Society offices and a number of administrative offices, meeting rooms and classrooms. On the courtyard side of the building the attractive clock-tower faces a pole carved especially for Camosun by Richard Hunt, as part of the 1994 Commonwealth Games legacy.

In the middle of campus sits the Helmut Huber Cook Training Centre, where the campus community and the public can purchase breakfast and lunch prepared by students in the Culinary Arts Foundation program. In the evening, part of the cafeteria is transformed into the Classroom Restaurant, where chefs-in-training provide a gourmet dining experience.

On the north end of the campus, the Jack White and John Drysdale buildings house the offices of Continuing Education and Contract Training and most of Camosun’s trades programs. Several entry-level, apprenticeship, pre-employment and upgrading programs operate year-round, all providing an effective mix of in-class learning and hands-on shop work.

Overlooking the campus, you’ll find the Technology Centre and the Centre for Business and Access. Joined together in the middle, these buildings feature plant-filled atriums and interesting architecture. In the campus Child Care Centre, infants, toddlers and preschoolers receive high quality daily care. The campus is surrounded by natural woodland, fields and walking trails.

Behind the campus sits the new Vancouver Island Technology Park, providing easy access for Camosun faculty and students entering into partnerships with local industry and research projects. Located on the south side of the campus, the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE), a centre for academic and athletic excellence, was completed in September 2008. The centre is a unique partnership between Camosun College and Pacific Sport Victoria and brings together local and national-level sport education, leadership, research and athletic development under one roof.

With provincial funding received in September 2012,[9] Camosun's Centre for Trades Education and Innovation (CTEI) is currently under development, with a completion date of early 2015. The project manager is CitySpaces Consulting Ltd., while the project architect is B+H Architects Inc. The new centre will include a new Marine and Metal Trades Centre for the Welding, Sheet Metal, Metal Fabrication, Nautical & Ship Building and Repair programs, as well as a Mechanical Trades Centre featuring the Heavy Duty/Commercial Truck Transport & Automotive Service Technician programs. Existing trades buildings will be updated and reconfigured.[10]

Research[edit]

Camosun’s Centre for Applied Research and Innovation (CARI) is a focal point for research and innovation at the college. CARI’s mandate is to support faculty and staff by providing assistance to obtain project funding, find project partners, fill out forms, understand related policies and more.[11]

The Sport Innovation and Research Center (SPIN) is located in the nation’s premier sport education and training centre, PISE. This 80,000 square foot facility serves over 500 college students and is home to world-class athletes, physiologists, and sport technology researchers. It houses state-of-the art community and high performance fitness centres, a double gymnasium, a fully lit multi-sport playing field, and a sport medicine clinic. This facility also operates a high performance testing and monitoring lab dealing with Olympic, Paralympics, and regional athletes and assists them in powering their sport performance.[12]

The Camosun Technology Access Centre delivers advanced manufacturing and prototyping services to local industry. The centre brings together the expertise, engineering technology and precision equipment to support innovation and development in a variety of sectors. With a dedicated, year-round staff, the centre also provides industry with access to high tech knowledge resources, including database and library collections.[13]

Organization[edit]

President[edit]

  • Sherri Bell

Areas of Study[edit]

Sports and Students' Union Activities[edit]

Sports[edit]

Camosun College has five sports teams (all called the Chargers): Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Men's Volleyball, Women's Volleyball, and Men's Golf.

Clubs[edit]

Camosun College has dozens of clubs representing a huge variety of activities, and beliefs. Some of those clubs include:

Associate Degree Club, British Columbia Young Liberals of Camosun, Camosun College Greens, Camosun College Persian Club, Debate Club, Psychology Club, French Club, Chinese Conversation Club, Falun Gong Club, International Club, Students for Environmental Awareness, Japanese Conversation Club, Korean Conversation Club, Carpe Diem/ Ballroom Dance, Camosun NDP, Speakers Cornered Toastmasters #6265 (formerly Context Shifters), Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, Mechanical Engineers Club, Poker Club, Bob's Wrenchman, and Camosun Cashflow Club

Student Affairs[edit]

  • The student union on Campus is the Camosun College Student Society, where directors are elected for one year terms. Elections are every March/April and By-Elections in October.
  • The Nexus is Camosun College's official student newspaper and is editorially separate from the Camosun College Student Society.

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

Coordinates: 48°29′29″N 123°25′03″W / 48.491483°N 123.417395°W / 48.491483; -123.417395