Record Enrolment at Waterfront Campus

Posted on Monday, September 14th, 2015

Flash back to 1967 and Ontario’s College system was cutting its teeth. In Pembroke, 16 part-time students were attending the new Algonquin College, which was renting space at a local high school while it was looking for its first home. Now fast forward to 2015, and a record enrolment of more than 950 full-time students are studying at the still new Waterfront Campus, opened in 2012 along the city’s picturesque waterfront.

On a recent stroll along the Kiwanis Walkway, just outside the campus, I stopped to look at the pictures posted on a nearby pavilion that map out the history of post-secondary education in the area. There are photos of that first class almost five decades ago and tributes to three great men who were instrumental in establishing the campus in Pembroke, Governors Donald F. Runge and Dr. Joseph Foohey, and long-time Pembroke Campus Principal, Frank Havey.

As the college approaches its 50th anniversary in 2017 there is much to celebrate. The opening of the Waterfront Campus a few years ago was a major accomplishment, a project that was driven by an increasing student enrolment and the reality that students expected better facilities. Unfortunately, the old campus had limitations and lacked amenities such as a gymnasium and fitness centre and it was land-locked, making expansion impossible. Without a new campus, it was becoming more difficult for the campus to compete with other colleges that had more modern facilities.

The community drive to build a new campus was inspiring. Millions of dollars was raised in a fundraising campaign after the city of Pembroke agreed to provide a waterfront piece of land for the project to proceed. The College Board of Governors unanimously approved the construction of a new campus, regardless of whether government funding was secured to help cover the bricks and mortar cost.

Now, the benefits of the new campus are really starting to be felt by the community. Record enrolments, a revitalization of the city’s downtown triggered by the new campus, and a swell in civic pride. People are genuinely proud of what the college has accomplished and clearly understand how important it has become to the region’s economic prosperity.

Establishing an Algonquin College Campus in Pembroke so many years ago has turned out to be a brilliant strategic initiative for the area. The campus truly is a jewel and is well positioned to serve the region for many more years to come.

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs.

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