Olds College is an Alberta public post-secondary institution located in Olds, Alberta, established in 1913 as Olds Agricultural College. The college opened its first satellite campus in Calgary in 2006 in partnership with the Calgary Stampede Board. Total student enrollment for the 2008–2009 year was 1,350. The college is a member of the Alberta Rural Development Network.
History
In 1913, the Alberta provincial government established three demonstration farms near Olds, Fairview, and near the Vermilion townsite. The Olds farm later became known as Olds Agricultural College. In 1963, the name was changed to Olds Agricultural and Vocational College to reflect course offerings which were expanding beyond agriculture. In 1970, the name was simplified to Olds College. In addition, provincial administration of the college was moved from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Advanced Education at that time.
Campus
Olds College has two campuses. The main campus, located on the eastern edge of the township of Olds, accommodates the majority of enrolled students. The campus covers over 2,000 acres and includes a number of buildings designed to support the specialized programming offered at Olds College. Animal Health Building is home to the National Meat Training Centre at Olds College, and the Animal Health Technology program, including housing facilities for small animals, and research and veterinary facilities. Ralph Klein Centre is home to the Community Learning Campus, The CLC Fitness Centre, the Olds High School, and also has government administration offices. The facility was named after the late Ralph Klein, former premier of Alberta. The Ralph Klein Centre is also home to the Olds College Broncos, and where they host the majority of their games. Land Sciences Building. The Land Sciences building is connected to the Greenhouses and Landscape Pavilion, and features classrooms, typically in use by Horticulture and Land & Environment Classes, as well as offices for faculty in those programs. Land Sciences and James Murray Building host the Land Agent, Land Analyst and Land & Water Resources Programs. Here students can specialize in programs like the Environmental Stewardship & Rural Planning Major, a program that is accredited by CACPT. Planning students attend regular field schools in the area or at the Mountain View County Planning Offices, just south of Olds. The highlight of the Land Sciences Building is the atrium, a glass seating area filled with vegetation. The atrium occasionally hosts special events. The Trans-Canada Theatre opened in late 2008. The facility offers a 350+ seat theatre which is used for community events, high school drama productions and more. This provides a wide range of learning opportunities for high school students as well as Olds College students, who produce fashion apparel for the productions, create stage sets, and more. This building is also home to the Pre-Employment Hair Stylist program, offered in partnership between Olds College and Chinook’s Edge School Division. The Olds College campus is home to the Frank Grisdale Hall residence, which hosts 350 students, and a number of townhouses available to second and third year students. In 2014, ground was broken on the new, state of the art Centennial Village residence, which will be open for the Fall 2015 school term. The Library Research Commons is home to the Library, Alumni Centre, Students’ Association offices, and the Bell E-Learning Centre The main campus is also home to the Botanic Gardens and Treatment Wetlands and two riding arenas. The Calgary campus was opened in 2006 and is located in the Bow Valley College south campus 7th Floor.
Olds College also offers University Transfer programs, and a number of Continuing Education options including courses in the fields of Agriculture, Animal Sciences, Business, Land and Environment, Machinery & Trades, Plants and Horticulture and Special Interest. In December, 2012 Olds College entered into an agreement with two Calgary based companies, GoForth Institute and world-class app-designer Robots and Pencils Inc. to provide an iPad-based mobile gamified application in entrepreneurship for students. All new students entering Olds College with a longer-term certificate, diploma, or applied degree will be required to complete this app as part of a graduation requirement.
Scholarships and bursaries
Olds College offers over 450 scholarships, bursaries and awards annually, valued at over $500,000. The Government of Canada sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists over 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation. Olds College scholarships for Aboriginal, First Nations and Métis students include: TransAlta Aboriginal Educational Awards.
Research
The Olds College Centre for Innovation is the applied research division of Olds College. Olds College actively pursues involvement in applied research that advances innovation-based rural economic development in Alberta. OCCI conducts research on composting technology, environmental microbiology, livestock genetics and nutrition, natural fibers, and new products from crops and bio-processing. The Prairie Turfgrass Research Centre is a long-standing joint partnership between the Olds College Centre for Innovation and the industry led Alberta Turfgrass Research Foundation. The PTRC conducts research and disseminates information regarding the management of turfgrass on the Canadian prairies.
The Community Learning Campus is a partnership approach to collaboratively delivering high school, post-secondary, and community education. The CLC addresses specific rural needs by sharing resources and working jointly with a variety of community groups and agencies. The CLC is a joint venture between Olds College and Chinook’s Edge School Division in collaboration with the Town of Olds, Mountain View County, and the University of Alberta. Integrated with the Olds College Campus, the CLC consists of five multi-use facilities complete with integrated programming.
Notable people
served as registrar and vice president of student and support services at Olds College.
