The Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, previously called Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology, commonly known as Sheridan College, is a diploma- and degree-granting polytechnic institute in Ontario, with approximately 18,000 full-time students and 35,000 continuing education students. Founded in 1967, the college offers programs in animation and illustration, music theatre, film and design, business, applied computing, engineering technology, community studies, and liberal studies. There are campuses in Oakville, Brampton, and Mississauga.
History
Founding
Sheridan College was established in mid of 1967. The "School of Graphic Design" was located in Brampton, Ontario until 1970, when it moved to the new campus in Oakville, Ontario. The Brampton campus was a converted public high school that had previously been in condemned status until re-fitted for use by Sheridan College. The school and area were subsequently replaced by residential homes. The new Oakville location was still under construction when classes began in the fall of 1970. The classes were held in a large open area under triangular skylights which allowed excellent lighting for the students. The photography department used a well equipped photo studio area and darkrooms for processing film and prints. That building has become merged with many other structures as extensive expansion of the campus has occurred on an ongoing basis. The main courses taught that year were graphic design, fashion design, photography and animation.
Contributions to animation
In the 1960s and early 1970s, the Canadian animation industry was little formed and virtually non-existent, excepting animation pioneers of the National Film Board. and such Canadian studios as Crawley Films in Ottawa and The Guest Group in Toronto, a group of creative companies owned and run by Al Guest.
The situation began to change in the late 1960s with Rocket Robin Hood, which was produced by Al Guest and his partner Jean Mathieson. In 1968 President Porter organized the school's first course in classical animation, even though at the time there was little evidence of demand for graduates. The school took advantage of the closing of Al Guest's studio following the production of Rocket Robin Hood and were able to buy up the cameras and animation equipment. Subsequently, Guest and Mathieson served as creative advisors to Sheridan and hired a number of Sheridan graduates as key personnel for their new studio Rainbow Animation.
In 1984, Sheridan student John Minnis created the short animation piece Charade. The five-minute film was animated by Minnis with Pantone markers on paper during a single three-month summer term at Sheridan College. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 57th Academy Awards. As Sheridan's animation department continued to grow, it produced hundreds of animators into Canadian and international studios, at one point in 1996 being called "the Harvard of animation schools" on "a worldwide basis" by animator Michael Hirsh. A significant number of graduates have held key positions at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Don Bluth Productions, Pixar Animation Studios, and DreamWorks Animation, both for traditional and CGI animation. Sheridan graduates include five Academy Award nominees and two winners, and in 2005, animation professor Kaj Pindal won an Emmy Award.
Bid for university status
Former President Dr. Jeff Zabudsky announced in 2012 that Sheridan College would seek to become a university by 2020. The college began implementing several changes to meet the non-binding criteria of a university as set by Universities Canada including: the establishment of an academic senate to set policy, increasing the number of degree-level courses, and increasing the number of instructors with master's and doctoral degrees. The college appointed former Mayor of Mississauga Hazel McCallion as its first chancellor in 2016. Current President Dr. Mary Preece has stated she aims to keep Sheridan on the path to attaining University status.
Academics
Faculties and Schools
- Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design
- Pilon School of Business
- Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Applied Science and Technology
- Faculty of Continuing and Professional Studies
Programs
The college has more than 130 programs leading to degrees, certificates, diplomas, and post-graduate diplomas. Sheridan College has a music theatre performance program, undergraduate and post-graduate film programs, and a craft and design program. They have courses in business, animation, illustration, applied computing, engineering technology, community studies, and liberal studies, among others. In 2012, art and design programs within Sheridan's Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design were recognized by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) to have "substantially equivalent" membership status. (NASAD's nomenclature for non U.S. members) Sheridan is only the second art institution in Canada to achieve this status.
Research Initiatives
- Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technologies (CAMDT)
The Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technologies (CAMDT), located at the Brampton campus, is a 40,000 sq. ft. facility housing highly specialized manufacturing and design equipment. CAMDT allows Sheridan and its industry partners to collaborate on addressing challenges in the manufacturing sector, while developing graduates with the skills and practical knowledge to make an immediate and positive impact in the workplace.
- Centre for Elder Research
The stated mission of Sheridan's Centre for Elder Research is to enhance quality of life for older individuals, by developing, testing, and implementing new and realistic solutions to improve the day-to-day experiences of elders and their families.
- Screen Industries Research and Training Center (SIRT)
Opened at Pinewood Toronto Studios in 2010, Screen Industries Research and Training Center (SIRT) is a digital media sound stage and post-production facility that focuses on 2D and 3D stereoscopic production processes. SIRT was conceived and launched by Sheridan College to operate in connection to the creative industries and three levels of the Canadian government. The Center's stated mission is to conduct high-level research on film, digital cinema, and high-definition technologies in all levels of production and display. The University of Waterloo announced in July 2010 that funding was awarded for joint research between their film department and SIRT.
- Centre for Mobile Innovation (CMI)
The Centre for Mobile Innovation is a research facility for faculty and students to create solutions in collaboration with community and industry partners in the area of Internet of Things (IoT), Wearable Computing, Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), and/or Machine Learning.
Campuses
Sheridan College has three campuses located in Ontario, all which can be commuted to and from within campuses with the Sheridan shuttle bus:
Trafalgar Campus
Located in Oakville (1430 Trafalgar Road), Trafalgar Campus is the main campus of the Sheridan College, which serves 9,610 students. Trafalgar Campus is the home of the Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design, and Canada's largest art school. There are two performance theatres which hold performances annually. Trafalgar campus is also home of the Bruins soccer and rugby teams.
Davis Campus
Home of Sheridan's community services, engineering & technology, and applied health programs, named after former premier of Ontario William G. Davis, who created the college system, Davis Campus is located in Brampton (7899 McLaughlin Road) and serves approximately 12,167 students. Within the school here are three major centres, the Centre of Mobile Innovation, the Centre of Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technologies, as well as the Centre for Healthy Communities.
Hazel McCallion Campus
Located in Mississauga (4180 Duke of York Boulevard), opened in September 2011. It was approved by the Mississauga City Council on October 28, 2009. Its initial phase of development is intended for approximately 2,000 students, with an additional 3,700 students to be accommodated with the opening of HMC’s second building in January 2017. Residential dorms are currently only at Trafalgar and Davis campuses.
Skills Trade Centre
Previously the Skills Training Centre in Oakville. The new relocation to Davis Campus and upgraded redevelopment in Fall 2017 now has 130,000 square feet of workshops, classrooms, facilities, machinery and equipment for the apprenticeship and pre-trades programs at Sheridan. This transformation from the previous Skills Trading Centre includes the transfer of multiple programs to the Davis Campus, including:
- Apprenticeship programs: Electrician - Construction & Maintenance, General Machinist, Industrial Mechanic Millwright, Tool and Die Maker
- Electrical Techniques
- Electrical Engineering Technician
- Mechanical Technician â€" Tool Making
- Mechanical Techniques â€" Plumbing
- Mechanical Techniques â€" Tool and Die Maker
- Welding Techniques
- Dual-Credit programs
Student life
Publications
The journalism school produces the Sheridan Sun, an online and print newspaper with a circulation of approximately 2,000.
Athletics
An informal hockey team was formed by students in Sheridan's first year of operation, 1967. The team officially joined the newly created Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) the next year, along with 20 other new hockey teams from throughout Canada. The Bruins won their Central Division, also participating in the very first Provincial Championship tournament. The hockey team was discontinued after a successful history in 1992, with the void filled by other Bruins Varsity sports. Apart from intramural sports, Sheridan College currently has men's and women's Varsity teams for basketball, soccer, rugby, cross country running, and volleyball. They are still associated with the OCAA.
People
Presidents
Notable alumni
