By KIM
REID, the Georgian
The Bay St. George college system, now part of the College of the North
Atlantic (CNA), has come a long way since it started as an adult basic
education centre in 1967.
Once the Ernest Harmon Air Force Base closed out in 1966, this area
decided to utilize left over residences and school buildings to establish
an adult upgrading system which was named the Stephenville Adult Centre.
The purpose for opening the new learning centre was first to deal with
high unemployment rates after the base had closed as well as to upgrade
the education levels of many laid off workers. Enrollment in programs
at the centre peaked at 1,200 in 1971, but by 1977 enrollment had declined
to 350.
At the same time a number of independent schools in the area and a Vocational
School were offering training in courses such as Heavy Equipment Operator.
In 1977, the provincial government passed legislation which combined schools
in the Bay St. George area to form the Bay St. George Community College
(BSGCC) with Douglas Fowlow as the vice principal. This local college
served as a model from which the regional college system grew into.
A community college differs from other types of post secondary institutions
because their mandate is broader and more comprehensive. Programming offers
something for most sectors of society and contributes to the economic
development process of the surrounding area.
Four locations
A few years later in 1985, the BSGCC was offering full time courses
in four campus locations in Stephenville and Stephenville Crossing while
renting available facilities for part-time programs in other communities.
A residence and dining hall was in operation serving 200 students which
was part of a new six-story building combining the residence, classrooms
and administration offices.
Also at the time the college had a 640 acre training site for Heavy
Equipment and Truck Operator training while a diverse forestry related
program included the operation of a training sawmill and a 1600 acre woodlot,
where all aspects of wood harvesting and management were taught.
In 1985, full-time programs offered at the community college included
pre-employment skill or trade training apprenticeship, academic upgrading,
literacy training, career orientation, business education, two year applied
arts, two and three year technology programs.
Full time enrollment was at 700 students with 1,200 persons annually
enrolling in part time programs. Full time faculty was at 84 with 42 support
staff and five senior administrators, including the president. Up to 75
part time instructors were operating part-time programs. Part-time programs
included academic programs, arts and crafts, business related programs,
trade programs and general interest programs.
What's in a name?
In 1987, another new name was in the making for the community college.
On June 19, out went the old and in came the new with the birth of the
Western Community College of Applied Arts, Technology and Continuing Education.
This was now one of five community colleges under a new college system.
The prime mandate of these new systems was to bring the greatest variety
possible of education and training opportunities to as many people as
possible, including those who were physically and mentally challenged.
This was also the start of the college systems acting as "brokers" for
the delivery of programs and courses from educational institutions that
had provincial mandates to pursue the development of transfer of programs
and course credits between colleges and institutions.
The new community colleges with provincial mandates were the Institute
of Fisheries and Marine Technology, the Cabot Institute of Applied Arts
and Technology, and the Fisher Institute. The five colleges were the Avalon
Community College, the Eastern Community College, the Central Community
College, the Western Community College, and the Labrador Community College.
The new college system meant that students would have more variety in
programs offered, the first year of technology programs being offered
closer to home as well as first year university courses, continuing education
courses, one year programs, computer literacy courses, and community initiative
courses. These were only some of the major movements that were continuously
improving the province's college systems, including the constant improvements
and upgrading at the Bay St. George campuses.
Westviking College
Perhaps the name more familiar to West Coast residents before the current
name change, is the Westviking College of Applied Arts, Technology and
Continuing Education which was proclaimed in August of 1992.
Westviking was created when the community college in Stephenville had
joined the Fisher Institute in Corner Brook as a result of the colleges
act passed in 1991. At this time, Douglas Fowlow was appointed President
of Westviking College.
The name was chosen to convey the mission and goals of the college and
suited the geography and historical legacy. The bold and ready Viking
spirit was said to be consistent with the ideas and philosophies behind
the college, and the location of the college could easily be identified
in the words 'west' and 'Viking', suggesting the west coast and the Viking
trail.
A gradual series of changes was also taking place with the names of
locations and buildings. Campuses were referred to as the Corner Brook
campus or the Port aux Basques campus, as part of the Westviking College
system. Facilities were now being referred to by the building names such
as the L.A. Bown Building, Don Wright Building, or the Fisher Building
in Corner Brook.
The former logo of Western Community College was retained as the official
west coast logo for continuity purposes as well as the colours of Fisher
and Western colleges of green, blue and gold on white in combination as
Westviking's colours.
At the time of this name change the college was offering in excess of
50 diploma, certificate and preparation programs and was developing specialized
training programs for outside groups and agencies. The headquarters for
the west coast system was placed in the hands of the Stephenville campus,
the base of the Chief Executive Officer and other Senior Administrators
whose role was to assist the Board of Governors to develop policies and
operate the college.
The budget at the time was approximately $20 million, some of which
related directly to headquarters operations where up to 30 people were
employed.
Changing, re-grouping and growing
But as we are well aware, the name didn't stick, or the independent
systems. Something bigger and better was brewing between government and
presidents of the regional colleges. The idea was to re-organize the college
system into one Provincial College and one Provincial Technical Institute.
Technology was evolving and its application in all sectors of the economy
required that Newfoundland and Labrador graduates have the opportunity
to access leading edge, advanced technology programs in order to compete
in a global economy. Students were also pushing government to thrust forward
into advanced technology programs.
The new reorientation would reduce the number of individual college
headquarters, and change the reporting relationships at some of the campuses,
but would give campuses more autonomy to meet regional program needs within
a provincial system. This new system would provide a more coherent and
rationalized approach to the delivery of a provincial training plan while
at the same time ensuring the flexibility to meet regional and community
needs.
Duplicated services would be no more as they would be performed by one
single division of the provincial college or through the headquarters.
The college would also save more money which would ensure priority would
stay with the delivery of education to residents of this province. Students
would have access to a well articulated learning path through strong linkages
between the college, the Marine Institute and Memorial University with
available credit transfers and the local delivery of programs.
One provincial college
In April 1996, Education Minister Roger Grimes announced that the five
current regional colleges would be merged into a single provincial college,
governed by a single board and administered by a single headquarters executive
office. The change would result in savings of $3.5 million to the province.
In July of that year, Minister Grimes announced that Stephenville had
been chosen as the headquarters for the provincial college system.
So on April 18, 1997, the College of the North Atlantic (CNA) was born
with its newest president, Ronald Sparkes. Douglas Fowlow had retired
just months short of the introduction of the new system.
All college systems in the province were combined into a provincial
college system which is now the largest in Canada, geographically. A new
logo was unveiled in Stephenville at its headquarters, the familiar green
and blue wave. Green represents land while blue is representative of water.
The name and design were both the idea of college instructor Glen Kirby.
The main headquarters building for the provincial college was renamed
in August of 1999 in honour of its first president, becoming the D.S.B.
Fowlow Building. The board of governors recognized that Mr. Fowlow pioneered
the introduction of the community college system in the province when
he was appointed president in 1975. It was under his leadership that the
model for the evolution of the college system grew and forged new directions.
Today, under current president Pamela Walsh, the CNA continues to rely
on industry and its students in order to be well aware of what programs
are needed at the college and what improvements might be necessary.
The little college that could... and did!
But of course the college isn't finished making history yet. On June
3, 2001, CNA signed a 10 year, $500 million agreement to develop the Qatar
College of Technology on the Persian Gulf, beating out some stiff national
and international competition.
This is the largest foreign contract ever awarded to any Canadian college
or university. Two campuses will be built from scratch. Enrollment will
start this September with 300 students expected, growing eventually to
over 3,000.
Currently the college is transferring personnel - a projected 200 person
years of employment - in high end positions at the Qatar campus. Excellent
incentives exist for staff members who wish to transfer overseas and those
positions left vacant in Newfoundland will also have to be backfilled.
Today the Bay St. George Campus of the College of the North Atlantic
offers a diverse range of programs with an enrollment of 700 and 206 staff
employed.
Students at the college can take advantage of programs such as the Music
Industry and Performance and Recording Arts programs, Programmer Analysts
(Scientific) with Cisco Certified Network Administration training, Classical
Animation, Digital Animation, Multimedia and of course programs that have
been offered for a number of year. Community Studies allows students to
take advantage of distance education, Journalism is giving students hands-on
experience in all fields, and there is Tourism Studies, Visual Arts, Crane
Operator and many more that add to a list of 25 programs offered in Stephenville.
Partnerships between the college, business, universities and international
organizations continue to take the college to higher levels of training
and education for the students of Newfoundland and Labrador and those
beyond the surrounding waters of the North Atlantic.
This college will continue to grow, there's no doubting that, it hasn't
stopped growing since 1967.
The main headquarters of
the College of the North Atlantic (CNA) in the 1950's when it was
first built as a barracks for military personnel. The building was
constructed as an airmen's dormitory for the Ernest Harmon Air Force
Base. 
This photo was taken in 1979
when CNA was known as the Bay St. George Community College, the first
community college in the province. The building is now used by the
Visual Arts program and photography students and is named the Don
Wright Building. 
Graduates from CNA enter
the workforce with confidence gained from the hands-on experience
they receive. The crane seen here was purchased by the college in
September and is one of the best for training purposes in the country.
The college also keeps friendly relationships with businesses and
organizations to ensure students can take advantage of on site training,
internships, and career placement.