Algonquin College: 1970s
Posted on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015
In the 1970s, the word was out – Algonquin was a great choice for post-secondary education. So many students thought that way, that the first of several building booms was needed to accommodate the growing population. Construction continued on the Rideau Campus – providing additional classroom and office space as well as an expanded Resource Centre. The B Building on the Woodroffe Campus was completed adding 200,000 square feet.
In 1973, the School of Prescott-Russell joined the Algonquin family and the Colonel By Campus was created through the acquisition of St. Patrick’s College. The Colonel By Campus boasted beautiful grounds created by its horticulture students, and offered many popular programs such as Architecture, Interior Design and Visual Arts.
The Pembroke Campus graduated its first 101 students in 1971 and continued to expand its programming throughout the 1970s. By the end of the decade, the Pembroke Campus was offering full-time programs such as Forestry, Business, Electronics, and Nursing, with specialized courses in subjects as diverse as Old-Time Fiddling, An Introduction to the Bible, and Self-Reliant Lifestyles for the Whole Person – a reflection of both
traditional and Woodstock-generation values that were present in the community at that time.
New programs were launched on all Campuses. The Ambulance and Emergency Care (Paramedic) program was launched in 1976 and was one of many programs that began in the 1970s, such as Applied Museum Studies, Dental Assisting, Recreation Facilities Management and Film Production, to name just a few.