Portage College

Last updated
Portage College
Former names
  • Alberta Vocational College
  • Pe-Te-Pun (New Dawn)
MottoBuilding success by delivering exceptional learning experiences. [ citation needed ]
Typepublic community college
Established1968
Chairman Randolph Benson
President Nancy Broadbent
Undergraduates available – 1st & 2nd year university transfer
Location,
Alberta
,
Canada

54°45′58″N111°58′07″W / 54.76599°N 111.96862°W / 54.76599; -111.96862
Campus
Colours Teal and Purple   
Affiliations CICan, CCAA, AACTI
MascotEddy Rocks the Voyageur
Website www.portagecollege.ca
Portage College Logo.svg

Portage College is a public board-governed community college in Lac La Biche, Alberta, Canada. Portage has seven campus locations throughout northeastern Alberta.

Contents

History

In 1968, Alberta NewStart was established in Lac La Biche as part of the federal government's initiative to research basic adult education. NewStart offered instruction in areas as diverse as academic upgrading, trapping, wild fur management, and oilfield management. However, after several months the government decided to close the facility and cease the research. A group of Aboriginal students faced with the pending closure of their school decided to challenge the government by staging a sit-in. The group was successful, and the government awarded a grant to continue the NewStart program. The school took on a new name “Pe-Ta-Pun” meaning “New Dawn.”

In 1973, the Alberta government took over the program, reopening it as the province's fifth Alberta Vocational Centre. From 1973 to 1980 programs and services expanded to include community-based programs. In 1980, the Minister of Advanced Education announced plans to replace the vocational centre's temporary facilities with a new campus, which was opened in 1985. A board of governors was established for the college in 1998 and the following year the Minister of Advanced Education and Career Development approved a change of name to “Portage College.”

Locations

The main campus is located in Lac La Biche, Alberta and regional service centres are located in Cold Lake and St. Paul. Additional campuses are found in Goodfish Lake, Frog Lake, Saddle Lake, and Boyle. [1]

Programs

Portage College offers over 30 certificate and diploma programs, career programs, trades and technical, academic upgrading, business, university studies, human services, health and wellness and native arts and culture. Continuing education is offered in the fields of business, university studies, human services, health and wellness, native arts and culture, trades and technical careers.[ citation needed ]

Museum of Aboriginal Peoples' Art and Artifacts

The museum is housed at the Portage College Corporate Centre and contains nearly 2000 Indigenous artworks and artifacts. The exhibits provide an in-depth look at North American Aboriginal Art from First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures. [2] Since 2018 the museum houses a permanent collection of the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. (Daphne Odjig, Alex Janvier, Joseph Sánchez, Norval Morrisseau, Eddy Cobiness, Carl Ray and Jackson Beardy). [3] [4]

Athletics

Portage College is home to seven collegiate teams including men's and women's soccer, men's and women's futsal, men's hockey, golf and curling. The teams compete in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, consisting of teams throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Voyageur curling, soccer, futsal and hockey games/practices are held at the Bold Center in Lac La Biche, a 233,000 square foot facility.

Voyageur Golf is played at the Lac La Biche Golf & Country Club.

The College Team logo depicts the traditional voyageur that used to travel on the lakes and rivers of northeastern Alberta. Team colors are red and navy blue.

Honorary graduates

The following have been given honorary degrees from Portage College for their work in the community and their continued promotion of the college.

NameDistinctionYear
Bill HunterBusiness Diploma2004
Floyd ThompsonHonorary Parchment2005
Elsie QuintalNative Cultural Arts Certificate2006
Jan ReimerWomen's Shelter Crisis Worker Diploma2007
Lawrence SpenceHuman Services Diploma2008
Ray CoatesHonorary Parchment2009
Hon. Ray DanylukBusiness and Community Development Diploma2009
Norm QuinneyDiploma2010
Chief James Jackson Jr.Diploma2010
John IrwinHonorary Parchment2011
Gerald and Randy WowkHonorary Parchment2012
Ted LangfordBusiness/Community Development Diploma2013
John BordersHonorary Parchment2014
Uta SquireEarly Learning and Child Care2015
Elder David McGilveryArtisan Entrepreneurship Diploma2016
June Cardinal-HowseHonorary Business Diploma2017
Myrna FoxEarly Learning and Child Care/Educational Assistant Diploma2018
Rosalie HalfeHonorary Parchment Community Development2019
Rennie HouleHonorary Parchment Community Development2019
NAPostponed due to COVID-19 Pandemic2020
Bill BrittonHonorary Parchment Community Development2021
Kalan BrittonHonorary Parchment Community Development2021
Lorraine QuinneyHonorary Parchment Community Development2022
Shirley MoocheweiniesHonorary Parchment Community Development2022

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chipewyan</span> Indigenous people of northwestern Canada

The Chipewyan are a Dene Indigenous Canadian people of the Athabaskan language family, whose ancestors are identified with the Taltheilei Shale archaeological tradition. They are part of the Northern Athabascan group of peoples, and hail from what is now Western Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chipewyan language</span> Athabaskan language spoken in northwestern Canada

Chipewyan or Dënesųłinë́, often simply called Dëne, is the language spoken by the Chipewyan people of northwestern Canada. It is categorized as part of the Northern Athabaskan language family. It has nearly 12,000 speakers in Canada, mostly in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. It has official status only in the Northwest Territories, alongside eight other aboriginal languages: Cree, Tlicho, Gwich'in, Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey and South Slavey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collège Boréal</span> Francophone college in Ontario, Canada

Collège Boréal d’arts appliqués et de technologie is a French-language college of applied arts and technology serving the Northern and Central Southwestern Ontario area. It is the youngest of the 24 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. Located in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Collège Boréal has a total of 42 access centres across 28 cities in the province, including main campuses in Hamilton, Hearst, Kapuskasing, London, Nipissing, Sudbury, Timmins, Toronto, Welland, and Windsor. Collège Boréal began its operations in 1995 as a postsecondary institution. The students are offered technical programs that helps them gain access to a bilingual labour market. In 2002, Collège Boréal opened a campus in Toronto, taking over the programs and services of the defunct Collège des Grands-Lacs. In 2012, the Toronto campus moved to One Yonge Street, and in 2023 to 60 Distillery Lane in the Distillery District in Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Deer Polytechnic</span> Polytechnic institute in Red Deer, Alberta

Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP), formerly Red Deer College, is a public polytechnic institute of approximately 10,000 students in credit, non-credit and apprenticeship programming located in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. In 2021, Red Deer College was converted into a provincially focused polytechnic institute called Red Deer Polytechnic, with the added ability to grant bachelor's degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University College of the North</span>

University College of the North (UCN)—formerly Keewatin Community College—is a post-secondary institution located in Northern Manitoba, Canada, with two main campuses in The Pas and Thompson, respectively. UCN has a student body of approximately 2,400 annually and a staff of approximately 400.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold Lake, Alberta</span> City in Alberta, Canada

Cold Lake is a city in east-central Alberta, Canada and is named after the lake nearby. Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake is situated within the city's outer limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sault College</span> Canadian public college in Ontario

Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded college in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. It began in 1965 as the Ontario Vocational Centre. Today, Sault College is partnered with private Trios College. Sault college offers post-secondary, apprenticeship, adult retraining, continuing education, and contract training programs. Sault College's full-time enrolment total was 1,395 students in 2020. In 2024 the college announced it expects a 63% drop in foreign students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lac La Biche, Alberta</span> Urban service area in Alberta, Canada

Lac La Biche is a hamlet in Lac La Biche County within northeast Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately 220 km (140 mi) northeast of the provincial capital of Edmonton. Previously incorporated as a town, Lac La Biche amalgamated with Lakeland County to form Lac La Biche County on August 1, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Community College</span> Vocational training institute in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver Community College (VCC) is a public community college in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1965, it is the oldest community college in British Columbia. VCC offers 79 certificate programs, 24 diploma programs, 9 award of achievement programs, 8 apprenticeship programs, 4 statement of completion programs, 3 bachelor's degree programs and 2 associate degree programs. VCC has two campuses: Broadway and Downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lac La Biche County</span> Specialized municipality in Alberta, Canada

Lac La Biche County is a specialized municipality within Division No. 12 in northern Alberta, Canada. It was established through the amalgamation of the Town of Lac La Biche and Lakeland County in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaver River (Canada)</span> River in Western Canada

Beaver River is a large river in east-central Alberta and central Saskatchewan, Canada. It flows east through Alberta and Saskatchewan and then turns sharply north to flow into Lac Île-à-la-Crosse on the Churchill River which flows into Hudson Bay.

Keyano College is a post-secondary college located in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. It offers specialized training to more than 2,100 full-time students and over 4,000 part-time students. The main Clearwater Campus is located in downtown Fort McMurray with the Suncor Energy Industrial Campus located in the Gregoire Industrial Park and a new campus in Fort Chipewyan. Outreach campuses are located in Anzac, and Fort McKay. The college is also a member of the Alberta Rural Development Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeland College (Alberta)</span> College in Alberta, Canada

Lakeland College is a post-secondary college in Alberta, Canada. It is publicly funded, and maintains two campuses in Vermilion and Lloydminster. Lakeland serves over 7,000 students through the academic year with 2,223 studying full- and part-time.

The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is the governing body for collegiate sports in Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1964, as the Western Inter-College Conference, the ACAC is represented by eighteen schools, including one in Saskatchewan, that compete in ten sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort McKay First Nation</span>

The Fort McKay First Nation (FMFN) is a First Nations government in northeast Alberta comprising five Indian reserves – Fort McKay 174, Fort McKay 174C, Fort McKay 174D, Namur Lake 174B and Namur River 174A. The FMFN, signed to Treaty 8, is affiliated with the Athabasca Tribal Council and its members are of Cree, Metis and Dene heritage. The FMFN's traditional lands include portions of the Athabasca oil sands.

Northern Lakes College is a publicly funded comprehensive community college in northern Alberta, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFWE</span> First Nations radio network in Alberta, Canada

CFWE is a radio network based in Edmonton, Alberta. Owned by the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society, it broadcasts programming targeting northern Alberta's First Nations communities, including mainstream country music, and specialty shows featuring Indigenous music or presented in native languages such as Cree and Dene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Sanchez (artist)</span> American painter

Joseph M. Sanchez is an artist and museum curator.

Millar College of the Bible is a three-campus post secondary institution established in 1932, and recognized by the government of Saskatchewan as an educational institution in 1944. The school is a private nonprofit institution recognized under a private act offering post secondary education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaver Lake Cree Nation</span> Canadian First Nation

The Beaver Lake Cree Nation is a First Nations band government located 105 kilometres (65 mi) northeast of Edmonton, Alberta, representing people of the Cree ethno-linguistic group in the area around Lac La Biche, Alberta, where the band office is currently located. Their treaty area is Treaty 6. The Intergovernmental Affairs office consults with persons on the Government treaty contacts list. There are two parcels of land reserved for the band by the Canadian Crown, Beaver Lake Indian Reserve No. 131 and Blue Quills First Nation Indian Reserve. The latter reserve is shared by six bands; Beaver Lake Cree Nations, Cold Lake First Nations, Frog Lake First Nation, Heart Lake First Nation, Kehewin Cree Nation, Saddle Lake Cree Nation.

References

All facts, unless otherwise stated, are from Portage College's web site:

  1. Portage College. "Campus Locations". Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
  2. "Museum of Aboriginal Peoples' Art & Artifacts". www.portagecollege.ca. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  3. "Indigenous artists Joseph Sanchez and Alex Janvier attend Lac La Biche museum opening". LakelandToday.ca. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  4. "Portage College opens permanent exhibition of works from Canada's 'Indian Group of Seven'". Alberta Native News. 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2020-05-05.