Vanier College
Encyclopedia
Vanier College is an English-language
public college located in the Montreal
borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec
, Canada
. It was founded in 1970 as the second English-language public college of Quebec's public college
system. Vanier is located just north of CEGEP Saint-Laurent, a French-language
public college.
, and CCAA
.
, and is known for its men's and women's basketball
and football (soccer)
teams, men's rugby union
and Canadian football
teams, and women's flag football
teams.
Montreal Allouettes Paul Lambert
attented Vanier.
Vanier College was named in honour of Georges Vanier
, Canada's second native-born Governor General
.
The land that the campus is located on today was first used for the Village de Saint-Laurent chapel, opened in 1817. Thirty years later, a convent, known as the Couvent Notre-Dame-des-Anges, was built nearby by the Sisters of Holy Cross (fr: Sœurs de Sainte-Croix). The original Convent building was later expanded into the building known as the "C building" today. http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/bandcbldg.html
In 1897, the sisters opened the first college on the campus land, on the location of today's "E building". That building was expanded in 1848 and 1857 to become today's "E building".http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/ebldg.html In 1873, a chapel was built that connected the convent and college buildings. That chapel was a forerunner of today's "F building".http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/fbldg.html The "B building" was a further expansion of the convent built on the north side of the "C building" in 1904. It was unclear exactly when the "D building" was built, but it appears to have been at around this same time. The "D building" connected to the rear (east side) of the original "F building" chapel.
Originally, both the "D" and "E" buildings had elaborate balconies on every floor, which were removed in the 1970s. This is why several windows on both buildings today are taller than the rest of the windows in the building - these windows were doors to the balconies in the original building design.http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/dbldg.html
In 1911, the original Village de Saint-Laurent chapel was demolished, to be replaced by a new school for young girls, Académie Saint-Alfred. The cupola at the top of the new building was designed to reflect a similar cupola on the original chapel building. This new building eventually became Vanier's "H building".http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/hbldg.html
In 1933, the Sisters opened the yet another college, Collège Basile-Moreau, within the existing convent buildings. This soon required further expansions to the campus. In the 1940s, the "A building" was built at the north end of the "B building".http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/abldg.html
In the 1950s, the original "F building" chapel was demolished and replaced with the building that stands as the "F building" today. In 1967, several institutions were merged and became public ones, when the Quebec system of CEGEPs was created.
In 1970, the Quebec government purchased the entire property and it was re-opened as Vanier College, Quebec's second English language public college (after Dawson College that had opened the year previous). Enrollment in its first year was approximately 1,400 students.http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/contactus/vfacts.html
English-language Colleges:
Quebec English
Quebec English is the common term for the set of various linguistic and social phenomena affecting the use of English in the predominantly French-speaking Canadian Province of Quebec....
public college located in the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was founded in 1970 as the second English-language public college of Quebec's public college
Cégep
CEGEP is an acronym for , which is literally translated as "College of General and Vocational Education" but commonly called "General and Vocational College" in circles not influenced by Quebec English. It refers to the public post-secondary education collegiate institutions exclusive to the...
system. Vanier is located just north of CEGEP Saint-Laurent, a French-language
Quebec French
Quebec French , or Québécois French, is the predominant variety of the French language in Canada, in its formal and informal registers. Quebec French is used in everyday communication, as well as in education, the media, and government....
public college.
Programs
Vanier College offers over twenty-five programs in both two-year pre-university and three-year vocational fields. With a student population of over six thousand students, Vanier College is the third-largest English-language college of Quebec's public college system.The college offers two types of programs: pre-university and technical. The pre-university programs, which take two years to complete, cover the subject matters which roughly correspond to the additional year of high school given elsewhere in Canada in preparation for a chosen field in university. The technical programs, which take three years to complete, applies to students who wish to be career-ready; however, many students choose to pursue a university degree. In addition, the Continuing Education Centre offers a wide variety of credit courses and programs with flexible scheduling.Partnerships
The College of General and Vocational Education is affiliated with the ACCCAssociation of Canadian Community Colleges
The Association of Canadian Community Colleges is a national association formed in 1972 to represent the interests of its member institutions to government and industry. Membership is voluntary and open to publicly-funded community colleges in Canada or institutions that may also be referred to as...
, and CCAA
Canadian Colleges Athletic Association
The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association is the national governing body for organized sports at colleges in Canada. It was formed in 1974. The CCAA hosts nine annual national championships. The CCAA's name in French is l'Association canadienne du sport collégial .Its equivalent body for...
.
Athletics
The college participates as the Vanier Cheetahs in the Canadian Colleges Athletic AssociationCanadian Colleges Athletic Association
The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association is the national governing body for organized sports at colleges in Canada. It was formed in 1974. The CCAA hosts nine annual national championships. The CCAA's name in French is l'Association canadienne du sport collégial .Its equivalent body for...
, and is known for its men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
teams, men's rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
teams, and women's flag football
Flag football
Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
teams.
Montreal Allouettes Paul Lambert
Paul Lambert
Paul Christopher Lambert is a Scottish football manager and former player who is the manager of Norwich City. He won numerous trophies as a player, winning the Scottish Cup with St...
attented Vanier.
History
Georges Vanier
Major-General Georges-Philéas Vanier was a Canadian soldier and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 19th since Canadian Confederation....
, Canada's second native-born Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
.
Before Vanier (1817-1970)
Vanier College today consists of 10 different buildings on a single campus. Each of its buildings was built at a different point in the college's history, and is identified by a letter of the alphabet.The land that the campus is located on today was first used for the Village de Saint-Laurent chapel, opened in 1817. Thirty years later, a convent, known as the Couvent Notre-Dame-des-Anges, was built nearby by the Sisters of Holy Cross (fr: Sœurs de Sainte-Croix). The original Convent building was later expanded into the building known as the "C building" today. http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/bandcbldg.html
In 1897, the sisters opened the first college on the campus land, on the location of today's "E building". That building was expanded in 1848 and 1857 to become today's "E building".http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/ebldg.html In 1873, a chapel was built that connected the convent and college buildings. That chapel was a forerunner of today's "F building".http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/fbldg.html The "B building" was a further expansion of the convent built on the north side of the "C building" in 1904. It was unclear exactly when the "D building" was built, but it appears to have been at around this same time. The "D building" connected to the rear (east side) of the original "F building" chapel.
Originally, both the "D" and "E" buildings had elaborate balconies on every floor, which were removed in the 1970s. This is why several windows on both buildings today are taller than the rest of the windows in the building - these windows were doors to the balconies in the original building design.http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/dbldg.html
In 1911, the original Village de Saint-Laurent chapel was demolished, to be replaced by a new school for young girls, Académie Saint-Alfred. The cupola at the top of the new building was designed to reflect a similar cupola on the original chapel building. This new building eventually became Vanier's "H building".http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/hbldg.html
In 1933, the Sisters opened the yet another college, Collège Basile-Moreau, within the existing convent buildings. This soon required further expansions to the campus. In the 1940s, the "A building" was built at the north end of the "B building".http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/facilities/history/abldg.html
In the 1950s, the original "F building" chapel was demolished and replaced with the building that stands as the "F building" today. In 1967, several institutions were merged and became public ones, when the Quebec system of CEGEPs was created.
Since becoming Vanier (1970-present)
- Even though the library has three floors, it can only be entered via its first floor.
- The oldest of the main building sections is the "C building".
- It has been agreed upon that getting from any one room to another takes under ten minutes, within the boundaries of the campus.
Notable alumni
- Patrick KabongoPatrick KabongoWatshidimba "Patrick" Kabongo is an Offensive lineman for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He also played Defensive Tackle for the University of Nebraska.-External links:***...
, Offensive lineman for the CFL Edmonton Eskimos - Tim BiakabutukaTim BiakabutukaTshimanga "Tim" Biakabutuka is a former American football running back for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL from 1996 to 2001.-College career at Michigan:...
, former NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player - Russell CopemanRussell CopemanRussell Copeman is a Canadian politician. He was the Liberal Member of the National Assembly of Quebec representing the riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce from 1994 to 2008....
, politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making... - Elias KoteasElias KoteasElias Koteas is a Canadian actor of film and television, best known for his roles in The Prophecy, Fallen and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.-Early life:...
, actor - Otis GrantOtis GrantOtis Grant is a Canadian retired boxer. As an amateur he won a silver medal for Canada at the 1987 Pan American Games, losing to Cuba's Angel Espinosa in the final.-Professional career:...
, one-time boxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
world champion - Robert LibmanRobert Libman-Background:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he is the son of David Libman and Goldie Aronovitch. He attended Herzliah High School, Vanier College, and received a Bachelor of architecture from McGill University in 1985...
, politician - Yolande JamesYolande JamesYolande James is a Quebec provincial politician. She is the first black female MNA and the youngest, as well as the first black cabinet minister in Quebec history...
, first black woman elected to the provincial legislature - Andrew WalkerAndrew Walker (actor)Andrew W. Walker is a Canadian actor and producer. His film debut was in the film The Score , which triggered the American TV series Maybe It's Me, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Hot Properties...
, actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity... - John MooreJohn Moore (broadcaster)John Sanford Moore , better known as John Moore, is a Canadian radio and television broadcaster, film critic, actor, voice actor and comedian. He works for CFRB 1010 in Toronto, Ontario.-Early life:...
is a Canadian radio and television broadcaster. He currently works on CFRBCFRB (AM)CFRB, Newstalk 1010, is an AM radio clear-channel station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, broadcasting on 1010 kHz, with a shortwave radio simulcast by CFRX-SW on 6.070 MHz. The station broadcasts a mix of talk and news throughout the day from its transmitter located in the community of... - Frédérique VézinaFrédérique VézinaFrédérique Vézina is a Canadian operatic soprano who has established herself in both the United States and Canada as an artist of note.Born in Quebec and a graduate of Vanier College, Vézina gained recognition when she made her Canadian Opera Company debut to great acclaim in 2002/03 as Lisa and...
, opera singer - Christian "Beef" Leblanc, game commentator
- Karine SergerieKarine SergerieKarine Sergerie is the 2007 world champion in women's 67 kg Taekwondo. She is Canada's first female world champion in the sport. -Biography:...
, olympic silver medalist - Mutsumi TakahashiMutsumi TakahashiMutsumi Takahashi is a Canadian journalist. Since 1986, she is one of the lead news presenters of CFCF-TV.-Career:After emigrating to Canada from Shiroishi, Japan, Takahashi graduated from Concordia University in 1979. She joined radio as Lisa Takahashi and then CFCF in Montreal in 1982 as a news...
, full-time co-anchor for CFCF News - Andy NulmanAndy NulmanAndy Nulman is a Montreal-based businessman best known for his activities in co-founding and promoting the Just For Laughs comedy festival and eccentric attire; under Nulman's stewardship, the festival grew from a two-day show to a month-long event drawing international audiences...
, Co-founder of "Just For LaughsJust for LaughsJust for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
" - Steven WoloshenSteven WoloshenSteven Woloshen in Montreal, is a film animator and a pioneer of drawn-on-film animation.Woloshen first attended Vanier College, where he worked with Super-8 film and video, then specialized in 16 mm independent film techniques at Concordia University in Montreal...
, pioneer of hand made experimental films
Notable staff
- Errol SitahalErrol SitahalErrol Sitahal is an Indo- Trinidadian actor, residing in Canada, who has acted in several Hollywood films. In 1995, he played Ram Das, the Indian manservant, in the film, A Little Princess. The same year he also appeared with Chris Farley and David Spade in a scene from the movie Tommy Boy, where...
, writer, director, filmmaker and actor, taught at Vanier College in the 1970s - Keith HendersonKeith HendersonKeith Henderson is a former American football running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League....
, politician, former Equality PartyEquality Party (Quebec)The Equality Party was a political party in Quebec, Canada, that promoted the use of English in Quebec on an equal basis with French. Four Equality Party members were elected to Quebec's National Assembly in 1989, as part of an anglophone reaction to changes made by the governing Liberals to...
leader - Dr. Joe, Joe Schwarcz, science popularizer, former Chemistry teacher
- Dr. Ariel FensterAriel FensterAriel Fenster is science promoter and lecturer in chemistry at McGill University and a founding member of the Office for Science and Society . He holds a Master's degree from the University of Paris and a Ph.D from McGill University...
, science popularizer, former Chemistry teacher - Dr. Gordon EdwardsGordon EdwardsGordon Edwards was born in Canada in 1940, and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1961 with a gold medal in Mathematics and Physics and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. In 1972, he obtained a Ph.D...
, mathematics, President and Co-Founder of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility - Martine Dugrenier, Olympic Gold Medalist in women's wrestling
See also
- List of colleges in Quebec
- Higher education in QuebecHigher education in QuebecHigher education in Quebec differs from the education system of other provinces in Canada. Instead of entering university or college directly from high school, students in Quebec leave secondary school after Grade 11 , and enter post-secondary studies at the collegiate level, either in CEGEPs...
English-language Colleges:
- ChamplainChamplain Regional CollegeChamplain Regional College was founded in 1971 and named in honour of Samuel de Champlain, the first governor of New France. The College offers post-secondary pre-university , technical and training programs to communities in three distinct regions of Quebec.-History:The college was named after...
- Dawson CollegeDawson CollegeDawson College was the first English CEGEP and is located in Westmount, just west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dawson College is located near the heart of downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on 4.85 hectares of green space...
- Heritage CollegeHeritage College (Gatineau)Heritage College is a CEGEP located in the City of Gatineau. It is the only English-language college in western Quebec.-History:What began as an offshoot of the much larger Collège de l'Outaouais, with an initial enrollment of 7 students, evolved into an official campus and eventually a college...
- John Abbott CollegeJohn Abbott CollegeJohn Abbott College is an English-language general and professional educational college located in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada, near the western tip of the Island of Montreal. The enabling legislation is the General and Vocational Colleges Act -History:The college was accredited in...
- Marianopolis CollegeMarianopolis CollegeMarianopolis College is a private, subsidized CEGEP in Montreal nestled against the side of Mount Royal in Westmount, Quebec, Canada. It is one of the smallest anglophone colleges, with a student body of fewer than 2,000...
- Vanier College