History of Dawson College

HISTORY OF DAWSON by

Stéphanie Giannuzzo

Marjorie Ann Alcantara

Suganya Thangarajah

TIMELINE: History of the Building

-1908: Mother House

-1970: Number of Sister decreased

-1972: The secretarial school moved to a smaller building

-1977: Building was classified as a Historic site

-1982: Dawson College made its bid on the property 

TIMELINE: History of Dawson College

-1945: Dawson College located at St-Jean sur Richelieu/McGill satellite campus

-1950: Dawson College as McGill’s branch campus is closed

-1968: Dawson received its charter with a mandate: the first English language Cegep in Quebec

-1968: Dawson College opens its doors at 350 Shelby street and other locations in Westmount

-1988: Dawson College settled at the Mother House (present day campus)

-2006: Dawson Shooting

-2010: Pepsi Forum classes

-2010: Unveiling of Peace Garden

-2011: Students strike against rising tuition fees

In 1968, Dawson received its charter with a mandate to establish the first English-language Cegep in Quebec. Dawson College first opened its doors to students in 1969, making it the first English-language Cegep institution in the Quebec network of CEGEPs. There were approximately 1,200 students enrolled in its first fall semester. In 1969, the only programs offered were... Today, there are almost 10,000 students, which include around 7,5020 day students and 2,500 part-time students. Dawson College offers 25 pre-university programs designed to prepare students for university studies in Creative Arts, Literature and Languages, Science, Social Science, and Special Areas of Study and 21 career/technical programs in Business Administration, Computer Science, Design, Health and Medicine, Laboratory Technologies, Media and Publishing, Photography, Professional Theatre, Nursing, Photography, Social Services, and Radiological Technologies. Through its Continuing Education division, the College provides for-credit and non-credit professional training and preparation programs and 2 pre-university programs in Science and Social Science. Dawson’s students are among the most ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse of any Quebec Cegep. * The dean of Dawson College is Robert Kavanagh.

The College was originally housedin a converted pharmaceutical factory in Westmount. In 1970, a second campus (used mostly for Creative Arts programs) was opened on Viger Street close to Old Montreal. Two years later, its third campus was opened near Parc Lafontaine. And by1988 it settled at the Mother House of the congregation de Notre-Dame, which is the building where it is situated today. Dawson completed the wing the houses the technical programs and the physical education facilities in 1997.

The college was named after Sir John William Dawson, who was a professor of geology and the principal of McGill University from 1885 to 1893. So a bit about Dawson, he was born on October 13,1820 and died on November 19, 1899. He was Nova Scotia's first superintendent of education, between 1850 to 1853. He made a discovery about the first fossil plant found in rocks of Devonian origin; he is now considered one of the founders of the science of palaeobotany.

Dawson College-Pepsi Forum

As a solution to the overcrowding, Dawson has been having classes held in the Pepsi Forum since August 2010. The Pepsi Forum (otherwise known as the P-wing) used to be the former home of the Canadiens on Ste. Catherine Street between Atwater Ave. and Lambert Closse Street. Now they are hosting lessons on sociology and other academic subjects. The Pepsi Forum became the best choice because of the short time that Dawson had to build the classrooms, the rental cost and the location.

There has been a 17.9% spike in population in English CEGEPs across Montreal. That translates to an extra 300 more students for Dawson forcing the creation of nine classrooms and two social science laboratories. The Ministry of Education has been asking English CEGEPS to accept more students than their capacity and has given $1million for funding to do so. Since Dawson is a heritage building, that does not permit them by Westmount laws to build extra space internally so, they had no choice but to opt for external space.

The population bulge is expected to last until 2013. Dawson has signed to remain at the Pepsi Forum for three to five years. Dawson school officials also plan to permanently expand to the Forum to teach adult education classes.  

Dawson’s Future

Dawson looks to the future with confidence and optimism.  We have indeed come far as an institution, but we envision even more development and continuous improvement in the coming years.  This progress will be all the more assured if the Government of Quebec reiterates its support for Dawson College and the range of instruction we offer and awards Dawson greater institutional autonomy, which is appropriate to the effective, high quality institution of higher education we have become and for which we have convincingly demonstrated our readiness.