Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public college located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccalaureate, diploma, certificate and graduate levels.
History
Seneca opened in 1967 as part of a provincial initiative to establish an Ontario-wide network of colleges of applied arts and technology providing career-oriented diploma and certificate courses, as well as continuing education programs to Ontario communities. The province was responding to the increasing need for sophisticated applied learning as technology continued to change the nature of work and the provincial economy. General education was considered an important element in postsecondary education, and breadth courses continue to be a part of every program. In 2001 colleges were granted the ability to offer baccalaureate degrees. Seneca is one of six colleges that can offer up to 15 per cent of its program activity at the degree level.
Academics
Seneca offers more than 145 full-time programs and 135 part-time programs including 14 Bachelor's degrees and 30 graduate certificates.
Many programs offer experiential learning opportunities such as co-op, placements, internships and community service options, while others include a mandatory co-op period prior to graduation. Seneca also offers career search assistance to graduating students. Seneca College programs are developed and kept current with the assistance of advisory committees made up of key industry members. They are in place to ensure the education students receive provides the skills necessary for career success.
Seneca College is the leader in Ontario in university and college pathways. It has more than 70 transfer agreements with both local and international post-secondary institutions, including universities in Australia, England, South Africa and the U.S. These agreements allow students to apply their college education to obtain credit towards a university degree.
Faculties, Schools and Centres
Applied Arts & Health Sciences
- Animal Health
- Community Services
- Early Childhood Education
- English and Liberal Studies
- Health Sciences
- Public Safety and Police Studies
- Recreation
- Underwater Skills
Applied Science & Engineering Technology
- Agilent Technologies Institute
- Aviation
- Biological Sciences & Applied Chemistry
- Centre for Advanced Technologies
- Centre for the Built Environment
- Information and Communications Technology
- English and Liberal Studies
- Fire Protection
- York/Seneca Institute for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education
Business
- Accounting & Financial Services
- Business Management
- Centre for Financial Services
- Centre for Human Resources
- English and Liberal Studies
- International Business
- Legal and Public Administration/Office Administration
- Marketing
- Tourism
Communication, Art & Design
- Animation Arts Centre
- Creative Arts and Animation
- English and Liberal Studies
- Fashion
- Media
International
- English Language Institute
Liberal Arts
- Liberal Arts Programs
Part-time Studies (Continuing Education)
- Business
- Community
- Creative
- Education
- Environment
- Humanities
- Language
- Technology
Training and Employment Services
- Business Office Skills
- Career Programs for Internationally Trained Persons
- Career Change
- College Preparation for Adults
- Employment Training and Business Services
- Services for Skilled Immigrants
- Workforce Re-entry Programs for Employment Ontario Clients
Libraries
Seneca Libraries provide students, faculty and staff with resources and services both online and on-site to enhance academic student support. The libraries offer print, audiovisual and electronic resources including books, magazines, journals, videos, DVDs, slides, recordings and a variety of topical databases. Services include research support, library instruction and a large circulating collection. The libraries provide online help through e-mail and the live reference chat service, “AskUS". As well, the Seneca Libraries' website hosts comprehensive research guides tailored to program specific offerings which supports the learning experience. Their state-of-the-art facilities, located at Newnham, York University, Markham and King campuses offers student spaces for group and individual study and electronic training centers. The libraries provide a large number of workstations equipped with instructional software and information resources tailored to course requirements.
Archives
Seneca College Archives identifies, preserves, and makes available for use the documentary heritage of Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology. The Archives collects inactive records of long-term value produced by the departments and faculties of Seneca College, as well as the records of individuals and organizations closely associated with the College. The collection includes textual records, graphic records, sound and moving image records, architectural drawings, publications, artifacts, and more. The Archives' resources are open to all members of the College community and outside researchers for the purposes of research, teaching, publication, television and radio programs, and for general interest.
International
Seneca has been active in international education for decades and now attracts more than 3,500 international students each year. The largest sending countries are, in order, China, India and South Korea, followed by Russia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Seneca's English Language Institute prepares international students for post-secondary study through intensive language training that can last anywhere from two months to more than a year. The college has several partnerships with overseas institutions and is expanded its activities in joint applied research and work/study abroad options.
Student life
The Seneca Student Federation, campus clubs, and athletics offer the chance to get involved in the wider community. Energetic and active students take on the task of representing their peers in the SSF. Planning and promoting events, participating in campus culture days, joining a club for interest, or going on trips for professional development are only a small number of activities students can engage in. Seneca’s student government and councils can play an active role in student life, by offering programs & events along with running the campus pub and in-house radio station.
Residence
Seneca College currently offers residence at both the Newnham Campus and the King Campus. Seneca residences are composed of suite-style units containing two bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchenette. Each bedroom contains a double bed, desk, chair, closet and dresser space, as well as cable TV, internet access and phone. Students also have access to a common kitchen, laundry rooms, lounge areas, games room and a convenience store. Buildings have a front desk and 24-hour video monitoring, and are accessed by swipe card. The Newnham Campus residence holds 1,113 students in a high rise tower while the King Campus only holds 233 students in a three-storey low rise structure.
Residents of the Newnham Campus Residence have the pleasure of a dining hall, a convenience store and a subway restaurant all within the residence.
Seneca College Residence have organized a free shuttle service from the Newnham Campus to Markham, Seneca@York and King Campuses.
Athletics
The school's athletic teams are named "The Sting". The Seneca Sting is one of the most-decorated athletic program in the history of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) having won more than 450 medals since 1967. Seneca has sixteen varsity sports teams, including Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Curling, Fastball, Golf, Rugby, Soccer, and Volleyball, for both male and female student-athletes. The Seneca Sports Centre located at the Newnham Campus includes a full ice arena, a triple gymnasium, 6 tennis courts, a softball diamond, two beach volleyball courts, a soccer field, a fitness center along with a dance studio. Seneca College also offers various fields, gymnasiums and fitness equipment at different campuses.
Concerts
The Grateful Dead performed at Seneca College's Field House on November 2, 1977. Other famous artists who performed in the late seventies at Seneca were Patti Smith,Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Thin Lizzy (1977), and Iggy Pop among others
Campuses
Seneca has four main campuses, and a total of 10 campuses located throughout the Greater Toronto Area and in Peterborough. Each campus has its own academic specialties.
Newnham Campus
The Newnham Campus is one of the largest college campuses in Canada. It is home to more than 11,000 full-time students in business, engineering, aviation, early childhood education, fashion, opticianry, information and communications technology and liberal arts. The campus, named after founding president William T. Newnham, is also the site of extensive continuing education activity during the evenings and weekends. A 1,113-bed residence, sports centre and daycare centre are also parts of the campus. It is located west of the intersection of Highway 404 and Finch Avenue East.
The campus's first building was opened in 1969 and over the years has involved various architects (William H.D. Hurst (Phase 1); John B. Parkin (Phase 2 with Searle, Wilbee and Rowland); Abram, Nowski and McLaughlin (arena)). In 1973 a 1,100 square foot domed planetarium was added to Phase 3 section of the campus, but it has since closed.
In fall 2011, Seneca's newest addition, designed for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, was officially opened at the campus. The new building, designed by Craig Applegath of Dialog, features: three 80-seat classrooms; twenty-three 40-seat classrooms; fourteen 40-seat computer labs; a multi-purpose auditorium for 240 students that can be turned into a conference room or two 120-seat lecture halls; increased computing commons and library space; several new areas of collaborative student study and work space; a new “front door†for the campus and improved campus access for people with disabilities. The atrium in the new space was named after Frederick Minkler, Seneca's first chair of the board of governors.
Seneca@York campus
Seneca@York Campus, located on York University's Keele Campus, features the Stephen E. Quinlan Building, designed by architect Raymond Moriyama and named after Seneca's third president. Seneca also shares the Technology Enhanced Learning Building with York. Several schools are located at this Toronto campus, including Creative Arts and Animation, Media, Biological Sciences & Applied Chemistry, English & Liberal Studies and Information & Communications Technology.
King Campus
King Campus is located in a natural setting of 282 hectares (697 acres) of woods, lake and fields. It is home to full and part-time programs in applied arts and health sciences. Programs at this campus include Early Childhood Education, child and Youth Worker, Behavioural Sciences, Police Foundations, Nursing, Social Service Worker (and Gerontology), Environmental Landscape Management, Recreation and Leisure Services, Veterinary Technician. It also offers training in Underwater Skills. There is a residence on campus.
In June 2011, the government of Ontario announced a $43 million expansion project to expand services at the campus, including a new building with 25 classrooms, a library, computer services, and health care training laboratories. Once complete, it will support an additional 1,450 students, for a complement of 5,000 overall.
Markham Campus
Markham Campus opened its doors in 2005, becoming the first post-secondary education facility in the city of Markham, Ontario. The campus is home to full and part-time programs in the areas of business, marketing and tourism. It also houses several college departments including finance, human resources and information technology services. Since 2011 the campus is home to the Confucius Institute
Jane Campus
Jane Campus is home to Seneca's Centre for Advanced Technologies. Students studying at the campus pursue careers in the areas of Tool Design, Computer Numerical Control (CNC), and Metals Machining Trades such as Tool & Die Maker and Mould Maker. The building can be seen from the westbound collector lanes of Highway 401 and is located at 21 Beverly Hills Drive in Toronto.
Peterborough Campus
Peterborough Airport is the home of Seneca's aviation campus, including a fleet of aircraft and flight training devices used by students enrolled in the Bachelor of Aviation Program. Opened in January, 2014, the campus serves the second, third and fourth years of the degree program, while first-year students study at Newnham Campus. Some academics and services at the Peterborough Campus are offered in partnership with Fleming College.
Seneca's fleet currently consists of 19 aircraft: 12 Cessna 172s (4 G1000 equipped), 4 Beechcraft Bonanzas and 3 Beechcraft Barons (1 G1000 equipped).
Buttonville Airport's pending closure prompted the move to Peterborough.
Community Campuses
Seneca's community campuses offer community-based services delivered by the college, such as employment services for adults and specialized programs for internationally trained immigrants and academic upgrading.
Newmarket Campus
The Newmarket Campus offers Employment Ontario services and access to resources and information. Programs at this location include employment counselling, job search workshops and job development services. Academic Upgrading is offered in the day and evening. Computer skills training is also available. The campus is located in the Weston Produce Plaza, 16655 Yonge St., Unit 3 Newmarket, Ontario.
Vaughan Campus
The Vaughan Campus officially opened its doors on January 28, 2011. The new campus (located at 1490 Major Mackenzie Drive West, Unit D5) offers Vaughan residents a range of services, including academic upgrading, employment services and workplace essential skills training for professionals, as well as a centre for entrepreneurship.
Yorkgate Campus
Open since the 1990s, Yorkgate Campus has post-secondary programs as well as customized programs in academic upgrading and office systems. Serving as an access and outreach centre for the Jane-Finch community, Yorkgate also offers the Literacy and Basic Skills program along with a variety of employment-related provincial and federal programs. The Employment Resource Centre offers assisted services and extended hours on evenings and Saturdays. The facility is located on the second floor of the Yorkgate Mall at Finch Avenue West and Jane Street. The campus has started offering two new programs starting 2013: Practical Nursing and Social Service Worker.
Former locations
Seneca's first homes from 1967 to 1969 were various buildings in North York:
- 43 Sheppard Avenue East - it was a converted factory. The college vacated it for Newnham Campus, and is now a lower rise office tower.
- North York Board of Education Offices
- Woolworth Store at Sheppard Avenue East and Yonge Street and strip mall demolished and now condo development (Hullmark Centre).
- Lewis Beattie Secondary School (now École secondaire catholique Mgr-de-Charbonnel of the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud) at Drewy Avenue west of Yonge Street
Other former campuses and satellite sites include:
- Yorkdale Campus on Dufferin Street south of Lawrence Avenue West in North York was home to the Travel and Tourism program from the 1980s to 2000. Formerly C.B. Parsons Junior High, it is now home to Fieldstone Day School. The building was owned by the North York Board of Education and now owned by the Toronto District School Board.
- Markham Learning Centre located at the northeast corner of McCowan Road and Highway 7. Relocated to 6061 Highway 7 east of Markham Road (Employment and Community Services).
- Buttonville Campus located at the Buttonville Airport housed the aviation program from 1968 to 2013. Relocated to Peterborough Airport.
Notable Senecans
Faculty
- Nanda Lwin - Music historian, author, journalist, and professor of civil engineering technology
- Paula Todd - Journalist, author, and professor of broadcast journalism and digital media
- Kennedy Jawoko - Journalist, 2014 Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, 2015 Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, Professor of Journalism and Digital Media.
Presidents
- William Thomson Newnham 1966-1984
- W. Roy McCutcheon 1984-1992
- Stephen E. Quinlan 1992-2001
- Rick Miner 2001-2009
- David Agnew 2009-
See also
- Higher education in Ontario
- List of colleges in Ontario
- The Spine, a computer animated short by Chris Landreth created with Seneca College animators
Notes and references
External links
- Official website
- Official athletic website