George Brown College is a public, fully accredited

college A college ( Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

applied arts The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing."Applied art" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Art''. Online edition. Oxford Unive ...

and technology with three campuses in downtown

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

(

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

). Like many other

s in Ontario, GBC was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and opened the next year.

Programs

George Brown offers more than 160 full-time programs in art and design, business, community services, early childhood education, construction and engineering technologies, health sciences, hospitality and culinary arts, preparatory studies, as well as specialized programs and services for recent immigrants and international students. The college offers

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

programs, advanced diploma programs as well as

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathemati ...

programs, two in conjunction with

Toronto Metropolitan University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in To ...

. The college offers the following degrees: Arts, Design & Information Technology * Honours Bachelor of Brand Design * Honours Bachelor of Digital Experience Business * Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Services) * Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Business Analytics) Community Services & Early Childhood * Honours Bachelor of Interpretation (American Sign Language) * Early Childhood Education (consecutive diploma/degree) * Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership Construction & Engineering Technologies * Honours Bachelor of Technology (Construction Management) Health Sciences * Honours Bachelor of Behaviour Analysis * Bachelor of Science in Nursing Hospitality & Culinary Arts * Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Culinary Management) * Honours Bachelor of Food Studies * Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Hospitality) Graduate and

certificate Certificate may refer to: * Birth certificate * Marriage certificate * Death certificate * Gift certificate * Certificate of authenticity, a document or seal certifying the authenticity of something * Certificate of deposit, or CD, a financial pro ...

programs, pre-college and apprentice programs round out the college's full-time offerings. As of 2022, there are 180

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. ...

certificates/designations available. In 2021, there were 27,128 full-time students — 29 percent international students — as well as 3,123 part-time students and 58,119 continuing education registrants. George Brown has 15,000

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

students studying in over 35 countries. One of the most popular distance education programs offered by the college is its award-winning Electronics Technician distance education program, developed by Dr. Colin Simpson. George Brown was named one of the Greater Toronto's Top Employers for 2022. In 2022, George Brown College was ranked among the top 10 research colleges in the country, ranking 8th for overall research income, and ranking 4th for both the number of paid students and for the number of completed projects. Research Infosource, which publishes annual rankings reports on research and development at institutions across Canada, released the results for the top 50 colleges in January 2022.

History

The college was established during the formation of Ontario's

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

system in 1967. Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology were established on May 21, 1965. The college is named after George Brown, who was an important 19th-century politician and newspaper publisher (he founded the ''

Toronto Globe ''The Globe'' was a newspaper in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1844 by George Brown as a Reform voice. It merged with '' The Mail and Empire'' in 1936 to form '' The Globe and Mail''. History ''The Globe'' is pre-dated by a title of the s ...

'', forerunner to '' The Globe and Mail'') and was one of the

Fathers of Confederation The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 (23 attendees), the Quebec Conference of 1864 (33 attendees), and the London Conference of 1866 (16 attendees), preceding Canadia ...

. The college's predecessor, the Provincial Institute of Trades (PIT), was founded in 1951 to offer

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

training on behalf of the provincial Department of Labour. In 1952, the PIT began operation at 21 Nassau Street in Toronto's

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canad ...

and, after expanding with the construction of two additional buildings on the site, was offering programs in lathing and structural steel, barbering, diesel mechanics, jewellery arts, watchmaking and welding by 1961. In 1962 the province opened the

Provincial Institute of Trades and Occupations Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Cana ...

(PITO), a sister training institute, at 555 Davenport Road near Casa Loma. When George Brown College was formed in 1967, it absorbed both the PIT and PITO and opened its Kensington and Casa Loma campuses at the two institutes' former facilities. George Brown College also went on to absorb, in 1969, four former Toronto Board of Education Adult Education Centres in a third campus at 507 College Street and, in 1973, five Toronto-area Schools of Nursing in 1973, including: St. Joseph's, St. Michael's, Toronto General, Atkinson (Toronto Western) and Nightingale. In 1973, a new expanded Casa Loma campus was opened. In 1976, the St. James Campus opened at 200 King Street East in buildings formerly belonging to Christie Bakery and

Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was aw ...

. The Hospitality building (300 Adelaide E.) opened at St. James Campus in 1987, the same year that the College Street Campus closed. Kensington Campus closed in 1994.

Presidents

* Gervan Fearon 2021 - present * Anne Sado 2004 - 2021 * Frank Sorochinsky 1994 - 2004 * John Rankin 1991 - 1995 * D.E. Light 1978 – 1991 * C.C. Lloyd 1968 - 1978

Casa Loma campus

Casa Loma campus is situated on the stretch of Kendal Ave. between Davenport Rd. and MacPherson Ave. Nearby features include Casa Loma, and the

City of Toronto Archives The City of Toronto Archives is the municipal archives for the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It holds records created by the municipal government and its amalgamated former municipalities from 1792 to the present day, as well as non-governm ...

. The campus itself is a collection of five buildings. In 2004, the old and mostly unused A building was torn down due to health concerns and to create a green space on campus. Students attending classes in building A were experiencing illness, thought to be due to

sick building syndrome Sick building syndrome (SBS) is an unsubstantiated diagnosis where health problems are attributed to buildings. The cause of the health problems are unknown. Symptoms attributed to SBS may or may not be a direct result of inadequate cleaning or ...

. There is a moose sculpture in the green space.

St. James campus

St. James campus consists of five buildings. The first is a large brick building at 200 King St. E. The second and third are located at 290 and 300 Adelaide St. East and are connected. They are home to

Financial services Financial services are the economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, accountancy companie ...

Creative Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both h ...

, Business Administration and the faculty of Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts. This campus is where the chef school is located.

Waterfront campus

In September 2012, George Brown opened the Waterfront Campus located at 51 Dockside Dr., south of Queen's Quay between Jarvis and Parliament Streets (between Corus Quay and Redpath Sugar Refinery). This campus is home to the Centre for

Health Sciences The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences are those sciences which focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple ac ...

. In 2019, the college expanded its Waterfront Campus to the Daniels Waterfront - City of the Arts complex at 3 Lower Jarvis St. - home to the School of Design. And the latest Waterfront Campus expansion, Limberlost Place, is set to open at 185 Queens Quay E. in the summer of 2024. The 10-storey tall-wood, mass-timber building will be the first institutional building of its kind in Ontario and will house the School of Architectural Studies and the School of Computer Technology. It will also house a research institute and a child care centre.

Toronto Metropolitan University campus

This associate campus is in the Sally Horsfall Eaton building (SHE building) at

. The address is 99 Gerrard St. E. George Brown also has classes from the Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Assistant and Activation Coordinator Gerontology programs at the Sally Horsfall Eaton (SHE) Building at TMU (located at the corner of Gould St and Mutual St.).

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

The Theatre School at George Brown College presents a season of productions at the

Young Centre for the Performing Arts The Young Centre for the Performing Arts is a theatre in the Distillery District in downtown Toronto, Canada. It is a brand-new theatre built into 19th-century-era Victorian industrial buildings. It is home to the Soulpepper Theatre Company and th ...

in the

Distillery District The Distillery District is a commercial and residential district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, east of downtown, which contains numerous cafés, restaurants, and shops housed within heritage buildings of the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery. T ...

in downtown Toronto. It is a brand-new theatre built into 1800s-era Victorian industrial buildings, with the incorporation of additional teaching facilities. The theatre arts program enjoys a partnership with the

Tarragon Theatre The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country.

and

Soulpepper Theatre Company Soulpepper is a theater company based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest non-profit theater in the city. History Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists aiming to produce lesser-known theatrical classics. Soulpepper has si ...

Student Residence, The George

George Brown’s student residence, The George, opened in 2016. Located at 80 Cooperage St. E., near Cherry and Front streets, close to Toronto’s Distillery District, the building was part of the 2015 Pan Am/Para Pan Am Games Athletes Village before George Brown took ownership. The building also houses the Lucie and Thornton Blackburn Conference Centre. The facility is named after a wife and husband who escaped slavery and established Toronto’s first cab company, helped found the Little Trinity Anglican Church and worked on anti-slavery initiatives. Their story is told in a student-created mural at the conference centre.

Sports

The school's team name is the Huskies, and varsity sports include: * Badminton * Baseball * Basketball * Cross Country * Esports * Indoor Soccer * Soccer * Volleyball The volleyball team has been coached by, among others, Olympian

Sam Schachter Samuel Schachter (born May 8, 1990) is a Canadian Olympic beach volleyball player. In 2010 he won the FIVB World Junior (U-21) Championship with Garrett May. At the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel, he and Team Canada won a silver medal. He and p ...

Media

'' The Dialog'' is the student newspaper on campus and is a service provided by the Student Association of George Brown College, The Dialog is a member of

CUP A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, c ...

Libraries

George Brown College students have access to several libraries: * 341 King St. Library Learning Commons * Casa Loma Library Learning Commons * Centre for Hospitality & Culinary Arts e-Library * Toronto Metropolitan University – Sally Horsfall Eaton Academic Resource Centre * St. James Library Learning Commons * Waterfront Library Learning Commons * Sunnybrook Health Science Centre Library – Orthotics & Prosthetics Collection Each of the college libraries primarily house materials suitable for the programs taught at their respective campuses. Students, faculty and staff have access to an extensive range of electronic resources including, ebooks, articles, and image databases. These are available for use in the library and remotely.

Notable alumni

* Katherine Barrell, actress, writer, producer, director * Samantha Bee, comedian, writer, actress, television host * Shaun Benson, actor *

Ryder Britton Ryder Britton (born 21 December 1985) is a former Canadian film and television actor. A graduate from Ivey Business School (MBA), University of Guelph (BSc), and George Brown Theatre School, his most prominent role to date was as Young Richard ...

, actor *

Robin Brûlé Robin Brûlé is a Canadian actress, who is best known for her role as Susan Hunter in the '' Roxy Hunter'' series. Filmography Film Television References Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses George Brown Colleg ...

, actress * Valerie Buhagiar, actress, film director *

Darwyn Cooke Darwyn Cooke (November 16, 1962 – May 14, 2016) was a Canadian comics artist, writer, cartoonist, and animator who worked on the comic books ''Catwoman'', ''DC: The New Frontier'', ''Spirit (comics), The Spirit'' and ''Richard Stark's Parker ...

, comics artist, writer, cartoonist, animator * Lynn Crawford, television chef * Christine Cushing, television personality * Mary Jo Eustace, actress, singer, chef *

Natasha Falle Natasha Falle (born 1973) is a Canadian professor at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who was forcibly prostituted from the ages of 15 to 27 and now opposes prostitution in Canada. Falle grew up in a middle-class home and, when her ...

, activist, professor, abolitionist * John Henry, politician *

Simin Keramati Simin Keramati (; born 1970) is an Iranian-born Canadian multidisciplinary visual artist and activist. She is primarily known as a painter, video artist, installation artist, and filmmaker. Keramati lives in Toronto. Biography Simin Keramati wa ...

, multidisciplinary artist * Daniel MacIvor, actor, playwright, theatre director, film director * Dan MacKenzie, sports and marketing executive *

Michael Mahonen Michael Mahonen (born 27 April 1964) is a Canadian actor, director and screen writer. History Mahonen has Finnish ancestry. After graduating from the Theatre Arts Program at George Brown College in 1989, he auditioned for a young company formed f ...

, actor, director, screenwriter * Mark McEwan, celebrity chef * Keith Mondesir, Saint Lucian politician * Roger Mooking, chef, musician, TV host *

Jayde Nicole Jayde Nicole (born February 19, 1986) is a Canadian model and businesswoman. She was ''Playboy''′s Playmate of the Month for January 2007 and was named the 2008 Playmate of the Year in the June issue of the men's magazine. She is the first Can ...

, model * Aaron Poole, actor * Rob Rainford, television chef, broadcaster * Ted Reader, chef, author * Lou Rinaldi, politician, entrepreneur * Gigi Gorgeous, YouTube personality * Michael Smith, Chef *

Aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the State of Israel. Traditionally descri ...

, WWE Superstar

References

External links

* {{authority control Universities and colleges in Toronto Educational institutions established in 1967 Education in Toronto Colleges in Ontario 1967 establishments in Ontario Hospitality schools Cooking schools in North America