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Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology is a diploma and degree granting college located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the oldest publicly funded college in Ontario. Its four campuses are situated to serve the eastern portion of the Greater Toronto Area. The enabling legislation is the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act. Centennial College is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse post-secondary institutions in Ontario. Almost 100 ethno-cultural groups are represented and 80 languages are spoken on campus.
History
Centennial College was the first to be opened in Ontario during the formation of the province's public college system in the 1960s. Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology were established on May 21, 1965 under the direction of the Hon. William Davis, Minister of Education. The system has grown to encompass 24 public colleges serving 200 communities in the province.
As Centennial College's first site, Warden Woods Campus (651 Warden Avenue) opened its doors on October 17, 1966, with 514 students enrolled in 16 career-oriented programs including journalism, secretarial science and early childhood education. The campus made use of a decommissioned federal building that had been renovated to serve as a teaching institution. It evolved over the years to include the health/nutrition, hospitality, child studies and community services programs. In 1973, the Ontario government transferred responsibility for nursing education from the province’s hospitals to its colleges. Locally, the Scarborough Regional and the Toronto East General schools of nursing joined Centennial College to form the School of Health Sciences, based at Warden Woods Campus. Warden Woods Campus was demolished in 2005.
In 1992 the Scarborough Board of Education and the college made a deal to establish an adult education centre, the Scarborough Career Planning Centre, at the Centennial College. In 1994 the entities agreed to establish the centre there beginning in the fall of that year.
Centennial College grew rapidly, necessitating the establishment of additional campuses in the east end of Toronto to accommodate new programs and students. Warden Woods Campus closed in autumn of 2004 and was demolished thereafter to make way for a housing development. Most programs were relocated to the new Centennial Science and Technology Centre (Morningside Campus), which began operations the same year.