Champlain College Saint-Lambert


Champlain College Saint-Lambert is a public College in Saint-Lambert, Quebec, Canada. It is a campus of Champlain Regional College, and primarily serves the South Shore of Montreal. Like the other campuses of Champlain Regional College, the Saint-Lambert campus is an English-language public post-secondary institution that offers both pre-university and career programs.

History

Champlain College was established shortly after the Quebec Government passed the General and Vocational Act in 1967. This Act is better known for the creation of a distinct college level, between high-school and university. Later in 1969, English public colleges were inaugurated. Champlain Regional College was recognized on April 7, 1971. The school is named after the famous explorer, Samuel de Champlain. The Champlain Colleges are set out to serve English speakers in Quebec City, Eastern Townships and South Shore of Montreal areas. Champlain College Saint-Lambert is the biggest institution out of the three campuses; it is home to approximately 2700 students. The official inauguration of the St-Lambert college grounds was held on October 23, 1976.

Mission statement

Champlain Regional College provides pre-university and technical college-level education and training, primarily in English, to learners in both Regular Day and Continuing Education programs. The college, through its unique multi-regional structure, responds to the needs of diverse linguistic and cultural communities and contributes to the educational and socio-economic development of the regions of Quebec served by campuses in Lennoxville, Saint-Lambert, and Saint-Lawrence.
Champlain College is dedicated to fostering the individual success of its students and their development as well-rounded, responsible and informed citizens of the world.

Controversy Over the Multi-Regional Structure

A movement has emerged over time among faculty and staff in favour of establishing Champlain St-Lambert as an independent cégep and eliminating the Sherbrooke Central Administration offices. This movement also exists at the St-Lawrence campus. It has the official support of five of the six labour unions at the St-Lambert and St-Lawrence campuses, a large number of students, the CSN labour central, and the Fédération Nationale des enseignantes et enseignants du Québec. It first developed in the 1990s but resurfaced in 2014 and has caused significant debate at the Board of Governors. The administration in Sherbrooke both expresses concern over this movement and disparages it, with the Chair of the Board of Governors publicly calling it "childish".

Programs

The college offers two types of programs: pre-university and career. The pre-university programs, which take two years to complete, cover the subject matters which roughly correspond to the additional year of high school given elsewhere in Canada in preparation for a chosen field in university. The career programs, which take three-years to complete, applies to students who wish to pursue a skill trade. In addition Continuing Education and services to business are provided to the local community.

Pre-University Programs

Champlain College is home to many extracurricular activities, with monthly events such as food festivals, barbecues, fashion shows, ski trips and variety shows. Students are encouraged to participate in organizing these activities, and the majority of after-school activities are student-run, such as the re-established school newspaper. There are also activities during "Free Block," a 2-hour period on Wednesday where there are no classes. A lot of activities take place during this period of the week since no students have classes. The Champlain Student's Association also offers many free foods and snacks such as Cotton Candy, Waffles, coffee, tea and many others. They also sometimes offer mugs and other small gifts. In addition, the school's journal, The Blue Ink, was created in 2017 by the student Magalie Masson.
Club Rooms are provided on a yearly basis to organizations that present an adequate membership list and a constitution to the CSA. The college boasts a large gathering area in the very center of the campus formerly called "The Bandring" and now called the "Student Space" where shows are held. The "Student Space" has televisions, chairs, and many tables. At Champlain, sports are also a very popular extracurricular activity. The school hosts the "Midnight Madness" intramural sports night on a weekly basis where students literally play various sports until midnight.
Each year, teams of students represent the College in the Tournoi Jeunes Démocrates, organized in and by the National Assembly of Quebec. The Champlain College St. Lawrence team won the gold medal in the 2001 edition, and Champlain Saint-Lambert won gold in 2011. Since 2012, only Champlain Saint-Lambert teams have participated in the tournament.

Sports Success

Champlain College Saint-Lambert hosted their first CCAA National Championship in Men's Basketball in 2008. Since then, the college has played host to the 2012 CCAA Cross-Country Running Nationals and the 2014 CCAA Women's Basketball Nationals.
The men's soccer team won the CCAA National Championship in 2007.
The Cavaliers football team won the championship in 2008.
Rugby is one of the oldest sports at Champlain College. Both the women's and men's teams were developed at the same time. This sport has been a proud tradition at this school for many years.