Dawson College
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Dawson College is an
. The college is situated near the heart of Downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on approximately 12 acres (5 ha) of green space. It is the largest CEGEP in the province of Quebec, with a student population of approximately 8,000 day students and 3,000 evening students enrolled in more than 30 fields of study.[1]History
In September 1945,
After the General Vocational College Act came into effect in June 1967, Dawson College became the first English-language institution in the new CEGEP network. It opened its doors in September 1969 to 1,655 students. The college was originally housed in a converted pharmaceutical factory at 350 Selby Street in Westmount. In 1970, a second campus, used mostly for Creative Arts programs, was opened on Viger Street just to the north of Old Montreal. During the next few years, additional spaces were rented across the city such as 4333 Ste. Catherine St. W. (Data Processing, Continuing Education), the Show Mart at Berri (gym), Dome Theatre on Notre Dame St., the Richelieu Building at 990 du Couvent and the La Fontaine building on Sherbrooke Street East. Finally, in 1975, the Victoria Campus was added at 485 McGill St.
In August 1982, the college signed an agreement to acquire the Mother House of the Sisters of the
In August 2010, because of an increase in CEGEP enrollments, the college was faced again with a lack of space. The fourth floor of the
In 2020, the college was awarded the gold rating for leadership in sustainability by
Programs
The CEGEP offers two types of programs: pre-university and career/technical. Pre-university programs take two years to complete and cover subject matter that roughly corresponds to the additional year of high school given elsewhere in Canada, as well as university-level introductory courses that prepare students for their chosen field in university. Technical programs take three years to complete and allow graduates to enter the workforce or to pursue their studies at a university level.
Evening courses are offered through continuing education in both credit and non-credit divisions. Corporate training is available as well. Dawson has also partnered with the Beijing Normal University to host the Confucius Institute in Quebec on its campus.
Pre-university programs
- Creative & Applied Arts
- Arts, Literature and Communication (ALC)
- Arts and Culture
- Cinema-Communications
- Interactive Media Arts
- Languages
- Literature
- Studio Arts
- Visual Arts
- Arts, Literature and Communication (ALC)
- Science, Medical Studies & Engineering
- Science
- Pure and Applied Science
- Health Science
- First Choice Science
- Environmental Science
- Explorations Science
- Developmental Science
- Science
- Social Science & Business Technologies
- Social Science
- General Social Science
- Commerce
- Child Studies
- Environmental Studies
- International Business Studies
- Law, Society and Justice
- Social Change and Solidarity (similar to former North-South Studies)
- Psychology
- Travel and Tourism
- Liberal Arts
- Social Science
Pre-university programs usually require four semesters (two years) to complete.
Enriched Science
Dawson College's honours science program is known as Enriched Science. Enrolled students can choose between the Pure and Applied Science or the Health Science profiles.[8]
Career/technical programs
- Creative & Applied Arts
- 3D Animation and Computer Generated Imagery
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Industrial Design
- Interior Design
- Professional Photography
- Professional Theatre
- Science, Medical Studies, and Engineering
- Biomedical Laboratory Technology
- Civil Engineering Technology
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Electronics Engineering Technology
- Laboratory Technology – Analytical Chemistry
- Mechanical Engineering Technology
- Nursing
- Physiotherapy Technology
- Radiation Oncology
- Social Science and Business Technology
- Accounting and Management Technology
- Business Management (Marketing)
- Community Recreation and Leadership Training
- Computer Science Technology
- Social Service
Career/technical programs usually require six semesters (three years) to complete.
Special areas of study
- Creative and Applied Arts
- Hellenic Studies
- Jewish Studies
- Peace Studies Certificate
- Women's / Gender Studies
- Social Science & Business Technologies
- New School (see section below)
- Reflections (see section below)
The time required to complete a program in the special areas of study varies.[9]
New School
New School takes a Critical Humanistic approach to learning and allows students to do their English and Humanities courses in a smaller group setting.
Reflections
Reflections offers double-credit courses which allow students an alternative way to complete their English, French, Humanities and History course requirements. Using seminar-style settings, Reflections offers a different yet effective pedagogical approach, which include teacher-led discussions and short lectures.
General education courses
In addition to concentration courses, students are required to complete general education courses in order to graduate. These core courses include four English courses, two French courses, three humanities courses, and three physical education courses.
Most students must also pass two complementary courses outside their area of study. Students are awarded a
Certificate programs offered by the Sustainability Office
- Sustainable Happiness Certification
- Sustainable Happiness Facilitator Training Certification[10]
Dawson Student Union
The Dawson Student Union (DSU) is the Dawson College students' union representing the approximately 7,500 full-time students and 2,500 part-time students. It funds, coordinates and regulates clubs and activities and is a resource for students to direct them to appropriate departments and services. The union also does its part to inform students of their rights and lobbies for them when necessary.[11]
In November 2008, the Dawson Student Union contacted Montreal police after an estimated $840,000 in union funds were misappropriated. This came after much criticism towards the union for not publishing financial statements since its 2005 accreditation.[12]
The DSU has since been a functional, autonomous, accredited student union since 2005.[13]
Campus activities
Dawson College has a number of clubs, 825 officially funded by the DSU and eight that receive no funding. These include religious and language-themed clubs, para-academic groups, athletic clubs, program-based clubs, Pokémon club, cultural clubs and more. Dawson also has a
Most clubs can be found in the 2C wing of the college, which is in the center of the building at street-level. The athletics department is located in the 1H wing, which is at metro-level, in the south-west corner of the school. New clubs can be formed with the help of the DSU.
Campus athletics
Dawson College, known nationally as the "Blues," has one of the largest intercollegiate programs in Canada. A large number of recreational and intramural programs are offered to the student population. Although the college offers a wide variety of sports to its student body, the national governing body of college athletics, the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA), only sanctions five sports nationally (AAA). These are: basketball, soccer, golf, badminton and cross-country running. Of these five sports, Dawson College competes nationally in all but badminton.
Dawson has an Athletic therapy clinic.[14]
Some of Dawson's highlights from its athletic history include winning the Men's and
School shooting
On September 13, 2006, a mass shooting occurred at Dawson College. Kimveer Gill, a 25-year-old resident of Laval, Quebec, approached the school and began firing at students outside of the entrance. He proceeded to shoot inside the school before committing suicide after being shot by a police officer. Eighteen-year-old student Anastasia Rebecca de Sousa died at the scene. Nineteen other people were injured, eight critically.
The college was closed until September 15, when teachers and support staff returned. Students were given access to the campus on September 18, and classes resumed the following day, on September 19.
After the shooting, Dawson College provided grief counselling to its students and staff and a research team conducted a three-year study[15] on the psychological impact of the shooting.
Peace Garden
On September 13, 2011, the ecological Peace Garden on the campus grounds was inaugurated to become a “living memorial” for de Sousa.[16] A CTV News report framed the garden project and the accompanying Living Campus program as a demonstration of the college community's healing and resilience.[17] The 20,000 square-foot garden was designated an urban biodiversity site in 2014 by Espace pour la vie Montréal.[18]
Controversies
During the 2012–2013 academic school year, student Ahmed Al-Khabaz was working on an app to give students access to their online records from mobile devices. While developing the application, he and another student discovered a security hole in a third-party student records system.[19]
Al-Khabaz and his colleague reported the issue to the college administration and were congratulated. They were told the problem would be fixed immediately. However, days later, when Al-Khabaz ran a
At first, the college refused to comment on the expulsion, stating that they could not discuss individual student situations. However, due to overwhelming public pressure, they said at a press conference that the student had been warned not to attempt to test the security of the system.[20]
Notable people
Alumni
- Joel Anthony – former NBA player and 2x champion
- Michael Applebaum - Mayor of Montreal 2012-13
- Jeff Barnaby – writer, composer, and film director
- Annie Briard – artist
- Bianca Farella – Canadian Olympic medalist
- Jeff Fuchs – explorer and author
- Michael Greenspan – director and screenwriter, Wrecked
- Kaniehtiio Horn – film and television actress
- Meryam Joobeur – film director
- Moe Khan – TSN Radio 690 host
- lighting designer
- Jon Lajoie – comedian[21]
- Shira Lazar – Internet talk show host
- Rachelle Lefevre – actress in movies such as Twilight
- Michael Mando – actor
- Seb McKinnon – freelance illustrator (known for Magic: The Gathering illustrations) and filmmaker
- Harley Morenstein – host of the popular YouTube series Epic Meal Time
- Steven Pinker – psychologist[22]
- Marie-Philip Poulin – Canadian Olympic medalist
- Meaghan Rath – actress
- Allison Russell – singer-songwriter
- SeXXXy Eddy – professional wrestler; real name Eddy Dorozowsky
- Michael Zelniker – actor and filmmaker
Faculty
- Will Aitken — film studies, novelist, journalist and film critic
- Frédéric Bastien — history, author, historian, and journalist
- Jill Britton — mathematics
- Ariel Fenster — science educator
- Michael Harris — poet and translator
- Keith Harrison — English, novelist
- Ann Lambert — English, playwright and novelist
- Susan J. Palmer — religious studies
- Jocelyn Parr — history, novelist
- Ross H. Paul — former Dean of Arts and Academic Dean
- Susan Pinker — author
- Tony Proudfoot — physical education, former CFL player
- T. F. Rigelhof — writer
- Lac-Saint-Louis
- Lorraine Simms — painter
- Ray Smith — English, author
- David G. Sorensen — artist
- Chaim Tannenbaum — philosophy, musician
- Bogdan Szczepara - Mathematician, philosopher, nominated teacher of the year 2023-2024, winner of 1969 Dawson College Chess tournament, won the 1979 Fields Medal for his renowned thesis, "Rings generated by their units".[23]
See also
English-language CEGEPs:
References
Citations
- ^ Dawson College (November 27, 2017). "Dawson College 2016-2017 Annual Report" (PDF). www.google.com (PDF). Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Edwards, Reginald. "Historical Background of the English-Language CEGEPs of Quebec". mje.mcgill.ca. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ "Newsletter" (PDF). westmounthistorical.org. February 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ CTV Montreal (August 25, 2010). "Dawson students move into the Pepsi Forum". CTV. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ "Dawson College | Scorecard | Institutions | STARS Reports". Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "'We hope others will follow': Dawson College awarded gold rating for leadership in sustainability". Global News. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ W, Dawson College; Montreal; Operation (March 2, 2021). "Sustainable Happiness | Sustainable". Sustainable | Dawson College. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "What is Enriched Science" (PDF). Dawson College. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ "Alphabetical Listing: Programs, Profiles and Disciplines". Dawson College. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
- ^ Dawson College (March 2, 2021). "Program List | Sustainable". Dawson College. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
- ^ "Dawson Student Union". 2011. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
- ^ "Dawson Student Union contacts police". Montreal Gazette. canada.com. 2008. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ "Student union calls in the cops". November 27, 2008.
- ^ Dawson Athletics Department. "dawson college". dawson athletics. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ "Latest News – McGill University Health Centre". muhc.ca. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ "Dawson College unveils garden 5 years after shooting". CBC News. September 13, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "Dawson College marks shooting anniversary, aims to be a model for other schools". Montreal. September 13, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "Ecological Peace Garden". Espace pour la vie Montréal. 2014. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "Pupil expelled from Montreal college after finding 'sloppy coding' that compromised security of 250,000 students personal data". National Post. January 20, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ "Student expelled after he discovered flaw in school's data security was warned twice, college says". National Post. January 23, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ "Jon Lajoie". Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ^ "Curriculum Vitae". harvard.edu. Archived from the original on February 17, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2008.
- ^ https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/4137/1/MK41373.pdf
General and cited sources
- CEGEP union fights for independence – September 18, 2005
- Dawson Student Union Win Major Victory Against Administration[permanent dead link] – July 20, 2005
- Dawson students consider accreditation – November 9, 2004
- Montreal Gazette, Nick Weatherall – July 22, 2005[full citation needed]
- Dawson's Board of Governors Minutes (PDF) – June 13, 2005
- Dawson's Board of Governors Minutes (PDF) – September 22, 2005