Algonquin College: 1990s
Posted on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015
Two words characterize the 1990s at Algonquin College: consolidation and expansion. Consolidation involved relocating the delivery of services in the Ottawa area to the Woodroffe and Rideau campuses. Expansion was required to accommodate additional students and to house new programs. 1990 marked the beginning of Algonquin as an English college with the creation of La Cité Collegiale.
The Early Learning Centre was built at the Woodroffe Campus to house the innovative Early Childhood Education program. It was followed by the construction of J Building, the Horticulture Centre, and significant renovations to the Woodroffe Campus to provide for accessibility. Fifteen portables at Rideau and Woodroffe were replaced with newly renovated classrooms. In 1995, an Integrated Media Centre designed to showcase the College’s programs in Media and Design Studies opened, featuring state-of-the-art Silicon Graphics computer equipment.
Expansion of programs continued on the Perth Campus with the launch of the renowned
Masonry – Heritage and Traditional program.
The late 1990s saw the development of the new Outdoor Adventure programs to be delivered on the Pembroke Campus.
The Students’ Association (SA) doubled the size of the gymnasium and Algonquin began building its first College Residence on the Woodroffe Campus.
At the end of the decade – with full-time enrolment approaching 13,000 – the College embarked on a multi-million dollar IT infrastructure project with the SA. Throughout the College, computer hardware, software and networks were upgraded to prepare graduates for the knowledge-based society they would soon enter.