Prior to the 1960s, only institutes of technology and vocational centres co-existed with universities in the province of Ontario at the post-secondary level, and many of those schools were established primarily to help veterans reintegrate into society in the post-war years. In response to an increasing need for technical education, Minister of EducationWilliam Davis, regarded now as the “father of the Ontario College System”, established Ontario's colleges of applied arts and technology to train individuals for employment in their respective communities. St. Lawrence College was founded during this period in 1967 as part of the province's initiative to create many such institutions. These schools were designed to provide career-oriented diploma and certificate courses, as well as continuing education programs in the communities in which they are located. Brockville was originally proposed as the site for the main campus of St. Lawrence College, but Kingston was ultimately selected, since its larger population base would allow it to support a full campus. For the site, a piece of farmland was purchased from the Ontario Psychiatric Hospital located at King St. W. and Portsmouth Ave. Brockville would retain a smaller campus, while the Cornwall and Kingston campuses were designed to serve six counties in Eastern Ontario. Some of the earliest full-time courses offered included such programs as Business Administration, Home Economics, Early Childhood Education, Engineering Technology, and Electronics Technician. Today, about 89 programs are offered. In response to increasing enrolment, in part due to the double cohort, Ontario college's have received funding for expansion in recent years, including St. Lawrence College which has grown considerably since its founding.
Academics and reputation
The college has approximately 6,700 full-time students and 20,000 part-time registrants in 89 academic programs and employs 829 full- and part-time staff; this includes 414 faculty. St. Lawrence College has received accreditation to offer Baccalaureate Degree programs in the following areas:
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. St. Lawrence College scholarships for Aboriginal, First Nations and Métis students include: Brown's First Nations Opportunities Bursary; Aboriginal Postsecondary Education and Training Bursary.
