Camosun College

Camosun College is located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. As of 2006 it has over 7,000 students between its Lansdowne and Interurban campuses. The Lansdowne campus serves students in university transfer and access programs, as well as career, technical and vocational programs in the fields of arts, science, business, health and human services. Also, student run Village 900 CKMO is based on the Lansdowne campus. The Interurban campus serves students in trades, technology, business and access programs.

History
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 reach back as far as 1914 when the Young Building was built as Victoria's first Normal School on part of a seven and a half acre plot belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company. The school's enrolment at the time was about 275.

During the second world war, the Young Building was converted into a military hospital. It was not until 1946 that the building was returned to its original function. This time, hovwever, it was shared by the Normal School and by Victoria College, which became 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 made its home in the Ewing Building and became 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 soon plans for “Juan de Fuca” College were underway. The provincial government formally approved the college on October 27, 1970.

In 1971 the college councilors 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 Lekwungen (Songhees) name for an area of Victoria where different waters meet and are transformed. By September of 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.

Campus
Camosun College has two campuses, Lansdowne and Interurban. Historical Lansdowne campus sits high on the corner of Lansdowne and Foul Bay Roads, offering spectacular clear-day views of Victoria and the Olympic Mountains for more than 4400 students. Interurban campus rests in a rural Saanich setting, only a short 15-minute drive from downtown, where over 3800 students attend classes.

Lansdowne
Lansdowne campus is located high on the corner of Lansdowne and Foul Bay Roads, offering spectacular views of Victoria and the Olympic mountains. Each semester, Lansdowne campus has 4,500 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 scenic 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, counselling and the career resource centre. The Fisher building houses the campus bookstore and cafeteria, as well as many 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 serves as a lovely heritage setting for the Hotel and Restaurant Management program’s student-operated restaurant. In striking 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. After two years of restoration and a comprehensive community fund raising campaign, the Young Building now stands as an historic landmark.

Interurban
Located in Saanich, Interurban campus enjoys a rural country-like setting, while being only a short 15-minute drive from downtown. More than 3,900 students attend classes at Interurban campus, enrolled in trades, technology, business or access programs.

Conveniently close 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 totem pole carved especially for Camosun by Richard Hunt, as part of the 1994 Commonwealth Games legacy.

Central to the campus sits the Helmut Huber Cook Training Centre, where the campus community enjoys nutritious and reasonably-priced meals for 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-intraining provide a delightful 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.

Atop the hill, overlooking the campus, you’ll find the Technology Centre and the Centre for Business and Access. Joined together in the middle, these buildings provide a welcoming atmosphere for students, with plant-filled atriums and interesting architecture. In the campus Child Care Centre, infants, toddlers and preschoolers receive high quality daily care. The Centre 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. Interurban’s newest facility, the Pacific Sport Institute, a centre for academic and athletic excellence, is scheduled to be constructed on the south side of the campus in 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.

President

 * Dr. Liz Ashton

Faculties
Includes the departments and programs: Academic Upgrading, Adult Special Education, Better Employment Skills Training, Business Access Certificate Program, and English Language Development.
 * Access

Includes the departments and programs: Applied Communication, Applied Chemistry & Biotechnology, Biology, Broadcast Journalism, Chemistry & Geoscience, Criminal Justice, English, Environmental Technology, Geography (science), Humanities: French, Japanese, Chinese, History & Philosophy, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Psychology, Social Sciences: Anthropology, Geography, Political Science, Asia-Pacific Studies, Social Science Research Methods, Sociology, and Visual Arts
 * Arts and Science

Includes the departments and programs: Accounting, Applied Business Technology, Business Administration Skills, Business Access Certification Program, Finance & Economics, Information Management, eBusiness and Quantitative Methods, Marketing / General Management / Public Administration, Professional Golf Management and Tourism Management.
 * Business

Includes programs: Certified Dental Assistant, Community Support Worker, Dental Clinic Services, Dental Hygiene, Early Childhood Care & Education, Fast Track Home Support Resident Care Attendant Program, First Nations Family Support Worker, First Nations Home Support / Resident Care Attendant Program, Home Support / Resident Care Attendant, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Practical Nurse, and Practical Nurse Access.
 * Health and Human Services

Includes programs: Automotive Mechanic, Carpentry, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Culinary Art, Electrical, Electronics Engineering, Fine Furniture, Heavy Duty / Commercial Transport Mechanic, Horticulture, Mechanical Engineering, Nautical Training, Plumbing / Pipe Trades, Sheet Metal, and Welding.
 * Trades and Technology

Includes programs: Sport Management Diploma – commencing September 2007, Coach and Athlete Development Diploma – commencing September 2008, Athlete and Exercise Therapy Applied Degree - commencing September 2008, and Sport and Fitness Leadership Applied Degree – commencing September 2008
 * Centre for Sport and Exercise Education

Sports
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
Camosun College has dozens of clubs representing a huge variety of activities, and beliefs. Some of those clubs include: Associate Degree Club, Camosun College Persian Club, Camosun College Greens, British Columbia Young Liberals of Camosun, French Club, Chinese Conversation Club, Falun Gong Club, International Club, Students for Environmental Awareness, Japanese Conversation Club, Carpe Diem/ Ballroom Dance, Camosun NDP, Context Shifters Toastmasters, Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, Mechanical Engineers Club, Poker Club, Bob's Wrenchman, and Camosun Cashflow Club

Student Affairs

 * The Nexus Newspaper - is Camosun College's official student newspaper and was run by the Camosun College Student Society.
 * CKMO - non-profit campus/instructional radio station located at Camosun College serving Greater Victoria at 900 AM