- North Island College
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North Island College Established 1975[1] Type Public Post Secondary Community College President Dr. Jan Lindsay Admin. staff 400 Students 4,093 students in credit courses and 4,493 short duration courses Location Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada Campus Suburban/ Rural Comox Valley, Campbell River, Port Alberni Colours Green & gold ; Affiliations ACCC, CCAA. Website http://www.nic.bc.ca 
North Island College (NIC) { WikiMapia: [4] } is a community college located primarily on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. College facilities include four campuses and four centres serving a population of 155,000 and a geographic region of 80,000 square kilometers.[2]
The largest campus is in the Comox Valley, but there are also campuses in Campbell River, Port Alberni, and Port Hardy. Centres are located in Gold River, Ucluelet, Bella Coola, and on Cortes Island.[3]
North Island College was established in 1975 partially due to a large grant by one of British Columbia's largest shipping companies, Asia Pacific Marine Container Lines. It employs approximately 400 people.
Contents
Programs
North Island College offers over 900 courses and 70 programs in health care, trades, business, fine arts, tourism, and university studies leading to degrees, diplomas and certificates. North Island College offers three Bachelor of Business Administration degrees, with majors in Marketing, Accounting, or General Management. It also offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, both in partnership with Vancouver Island University (VIU), and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, in partnership with Emily Carr University of Art and Design (ECU).
History
In 1975, North Island College was established. With a small and dispersed population to serve in coastal towns and villages, North Island College initially opted for a distance education model with outreach operations that took the college to the people. Delivery methods, in an era before cable and satellite television, as well as before internet communications, included mobile units and a short-lived experiment with a 160 ft ex-whale catcher ship, the Samarinda. The college earned a well-deserved reputation as a leader in open learning.
In 1990, the process of building physical campuses to serve the regions began. The Comox Valley campus opened in 1992, followed by Port Alberni’s campus in 1995 and the Campbell River campus in 1997.
In 2004, North Island College offered its first undergraduate degree in Nursing in collaboration with VIU, which was soon followed by a degree in Liberal Studies, also with VIU, and a Fine Arts degree, in collaboration with ECU. In 2006, North Island College was granted approval to offer its own degree – the Bachelor of Business Administration, with an Accounting major – the first rural college in the province to be given that approval.[4]
Facilities
Comox Valley
The Comox Valley campus is located in Courtenay and is composed of six main buildings and a number of smaller portable classrooms. Discovery Hall contains the library, registration, student services, staff offices and classrooms. Raven Hall contains classrooms, science labs, and photography classes, while the neighboring Shadbolt Studio contains large rooms suitable for art instruction. Puntledge Hall contains classrooms and offices for Early Childhood Care and Education, Nursing, and Co-Operative Education. Raven Hall, Discovery Hall and Puntledge Hall are connected by a raised skyway.
The Trades Training Centre, which opened in 2011, provides state-of-the-art facilities for trades instruction. It is the region's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold registered building, offering features such as 28 solar panels, daylight sensors to dim unnecessary lighting, features to improve indoor air quality, and more.
Komoux Hall, located at the far west of the campus, contains administration offices and the Stan Hagen Theatre. Tyee Hall contains the college bookstore, the cafeteria, classrooms and two computer labs. The campus also has several portable ATCO trailers that are collectively known as ‘The Village Complex’.
Campbell River
There are two NIC facilities in Campbell River: the Campbell River campus and the Vigar Vocational Centre.
The Campbell River campus is shared with a high school, Timberline Secondary – the only shared college/high school facility in Canada. The campus offers programming in Trades, Business Administration, Adult Basic Education, University Transfer, and Tourism and Hospitality.
The Vigar Vocational Centre is devoted entirely to Trades Training, such as Aircraft Structures Technician, Heavy Duty and Commercial Transport Mechanics, Carpentry and more.
Port Alberni
There are two NIC facilities in Port Alberni: the Port Alberni campus and the Tebo Vocational Centre.
Port Alberni campus is composed of one main building, where students can attend classes in Nursing, Early Childhood Care and Education, University Transfer and more. The Port Alberni campus also contains a bookstore and library.
The Tebo Vocational Centre is devoted to trades training, and provides training for Automotive Technician, Carpentry Foundation, Joinery/Cabinetmaking, Welding and other vocations.
Port Hardy
The Mount Waddington Regional campus, located in Port Hardy, offers programming in University Transfer, Health Care, Business, Adult Basic Education, and more. The building contains a library, student services, and classrooms.
Centres
North Island College offers educational facilities in Bella Coola, Ucluelet, Gold River and on Cortes Island. These four centres provide classrooms and access to Health Care, Business, Adult Basic Education and University Transfer programming. North Island College’s online observatory is located at Tatla Lake near Bella Coola, and allows North Island College to offer courses in Space Science and Astronomy, including the only university-level lab science course in BC that can be completed entirely online.[5]
Students and Faculty
In 2010/2011, 11,200 students (headcount) completed courses and/or programs at the following locations:
- Campbell River Campus – 2,991
- Comox Valley Campus – 4,294
- Port Alberni Campus – 2,077
- Moumt Waddington Regional Campus – 1,097
- College Centres – 741
See also
- List of institutes and colleges in British Columbia
- List of universities in British Columbia
- Higher education in British Columbia
- Education in Canada
References
External links
Universities and Colleges in British Columbia Public universities Capilano University · Emily Carr University of Art and Design · Kwantlen Polytechnic University · Royal Roads University · Simon Fraser University · Thompson Rivers University · University of British Columbia · University of the Fraser Valley · University of Northern British Columbia · University of Victoria · Vancouver Island University
Private universities Public colleges Camosun College · College of New Caledonia · College of the Rockies · Douglas College · Langara College · Northwest Community College · North Island College · Northern Lights College · Okanagan College · Selkirk College · Vancouver Community CollegePrivate colleges Columbia College · Columbia Bible College · Coquitlam College · Canadian College · Imperial Hotel Management College · Native Education Centre · Sprott-Shaw Community CollegeInstitutes Categories:- Universities and colleges in British Columbia
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