Douglas College is the largest public degree-granting
college institution in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Canada. Close to 17,000 credit students, 8,500
continuing education students and 4,210 international students are enrolled here. Douglas College offers bachelor's degrees and general university arts and science courses, as well as career programs in health care, human services, business and the creative arts.
History
Founded in 1970, the college is named after the former Governor of British Columbia,
Sir James Douglas James Douglas may refer to:
Scottish noblemen
Lords of Angus
* James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus (1426–1446), Scottish nobleman
* James Douglas, Earl of Angus (1671–1692), son of the 2nd Marquess of Douglas
Lords of Douglas
* James Douglas, ...
. In 1981,
Kwantlen College split off from Douglas College.
Coat of Arms
Douglas College's coat of arms was revealed to the public on January 21, 2020. The emblem was designed by Coast Salish artist Carrielynn Victor for the college's 50th anniversary. The emblem was the first to be completely designed by an Indigenous artist in Canada's history. The heart in the middle of the emblem is a reference to the college's motto, "Do what you love." The crown on top of it is made of cedar, which is a wood material that is local to the area. There is a raven on top of the crest, meant to signify cleverness as the bird represents. There are also two Douglas fir trees surrounding the raven which are meant to signify a relation to the college's name. In the Coast Salish language, below the shield, are the words "Excellence, Knowledge, Passion". The reference to the Indigenous language is a recognition that the college operates on a First Nations territory.
Campuses
The college has two major campuses in Metro Vancouver – one in
New Westminster
New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capi ...
(Royal Avenue and Anvil Tower) and one in
Coquitlam
Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the sixth-largest city in the province, with a population of 148,625 in 2021, and one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. ...
.
The college also has a smaller Training Centre campus in
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
.
Programs
Douglas offers bachelor's degrees, associated degrees, and various programs, certifications and diplomas.
International education
Each year, more than 4,000 international students from 92 countries take for-credit courses at Douglas College, accounting for roughly 18 percent of the student populatio
Media
The student newspaper, ''
The Other Press ''The Other Press'' is the independent student newspaper of Douglas College, a multi-campus public college in British Columbia, Canada.
''The Other Press'' was founded in 1976, and has been independent of the Douglas Students' Union (DSU) since 19 ...
'', has been in print since 1976, making it one of British Columbia's oldest continuously run student publications. It is a member of
Canadian University Press.
The college also publishes ''Event'', a literary magazine published three times per year.
Athletics
Varsity sports teams at Douglas College are known as the Royals and the mascot is a lion named Roary. The Royals compete in men's and women's basketball, curling, golf, soccer and volleyball as well as men's baseball and women's softball. The Royals are members of the
Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association
The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is the national governing body for organized sports at the collegiate level in Canada. Its name in French is l'Association canadienne du sport collégial (ACSC).
National championships
CCAA me ...
(CCAA), the
Pacific Western Athletic Association
The Pacific Western Athletic Association is a Canadian college athletic conference affiliated in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
The Commissioner of the PWAA is Scott Foot, esq.
Members
* Camosun College Chargers (Victori ...
(PACWEST) and the
Northwest Athletic Conference
The Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC), formerly the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC), is a sports association for community colleges in the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, along with the Canadian prov ...
(NWAC).
Controversy
In January 2012, Global's 16x9 news magazine aired a story alleging large scale fraud at Douglas College's Chinese partner campuses. Some faculty members complained that some Chinese students were unable to speak basic English upon graduation.
They alleged mass-scale fraud whereby students were guaranteed to pass their courses through various methods such as black market answer sheets, progressively easier make-up exams, and grade tampering. Robert Buller, a former Dean of Commerce and Business alleged Douglas College President Scott McAlpine said "he needed plausible deniability and he wanted to see and hear nothing" when approached about the issue.
Since then, Douglas College and the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education completed an independent review of the situation and issued a report. Although the report found "no evidence of academic dishonesty or fraud in the conduct of Douglas College", it noted specific areas of concerns including in lack of oversight in the use of challenge exams.
The report stated that "Douglas College would have benefitted from speedier and more thoroughly considered responses" to issues previously identified.
Notable alumni
*
Adrian Holmes, actor
*
Daniel Igali
Baraladei Daniel Igali (born February 3, 1974 in Eniwari, Bayelsa State, Nigeria) is a Canadian freestyle wrestler who is an Olympic gold medallist. He lives in Surrey, British Columbia.
Wrestling career
As captain of the Nigerian wrestling tea ...
, Olympic gold medalist wrestler
*
Elizabeth Bachinsky
Elizabeth Bachinsky (born May 10, 1976) is a Canadian poet. She has published four collections since 2005: ''Curio'', ''Home of Sudden Service'', ''God of Missed Connections'', and ''The Hottest Summer in Recorded History''. Her second book, ''Ho ...
, poet
*
Farhan Lalji
Farhan Lalji is a Vancouver-based sports reporter and the Vancouver Bureau Reporter for TSN's SportsCentre. He previously anchored ''SportsDesk'' between 1997 and 2000.
Career
Lalji joined TSN in 1997 as an anchor of TSN's flagship sports ...
, sports reporter
*
Frank Giustra
Frank Giustra (born August 22, 1957) is a Canadian businessman, mining financier and global philanthropist, who also founded Lionsgate Entertainment. He is CEO of Fiore Group of Companies and co-chair of International Crisis Group. From 2001 t ...
, businessman and philanthropist
*
Lance Ryan
Lance Ryan (born 1 May 1971) is a Canadian operatic tenor, who has worked from Germany since 2005. He is known for singing Siegfried in Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'', which he performed at opera houses in Europe including the Bayreuth Fest ...
, opera vocalist
*
N. Robin Crossby, game designer
*
Sky Lee
Sky Lee (born September 15, 1952 as Sharon Lee) is a Canadian artist and novelist. Lee has published both feminist fiction and non-fiction and identifies as lesbian.
Personal life
Lee was born September 15, 1952 in Port Alberni, British Columbia ...
, author
*
Terry Glavin
Terry Glavin (born 1955) is a Canadian author and journalist.
Career
Born in the United Kingdom to Irish parents, he emigrated to Canada in 1957. Glavin has worked as a journalist and columnist for '' The Daily Columbian'' (reporter, columnist ...
, author and journalist
See also
* ''
The Other Press ''The Other Press'' is the independent student newspaper of Douglas College, a multi-campus public college in British Columbia, Canada.
''The Other Press'' was founded in 1976, and has been independent of the Douglas Students' Union (DSU) since 19 ...
''
*
List of colleges and universities named after people
Many colleges and universities are named after people. Namesakes include the founder of the institution, financial benefactors, revered religious leaders, notable historical figures, members of royalty, current political leaders, and respected te ...
*
Douglass College
Douglass Residential College, is an undergraduate, non degree granting higher education program of Rutgers University-New Brunswick for women. It succeeded the liberal arts degree-granting Douglass College after it was merged with the other und ...
, similarly titled but different college part of
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
References
External links
Douglas CollegeDouglas 360°
{{Authority control
1970 establishments in British Columbia
Buildings and structures in Coquitlam
Education in Coquitlam
Education in Surrey, British Columbia
Education in New Westminster
Educational institutions established in 1970
Universities and colleges in Greater Vancouver
Colleges in British Columbia
Vocational education in Canada