Fonds - Alberta College fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Alberta College fonds

General material designation

  • Textual record
  • Photographic material

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Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title based on the contents of the fonds.

Level of description

Fonds

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Edition statement of responsibility

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

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Physical description area

Physical description

3.58 m of textual records. -- ca 450 photographs. -- 2 videocassettes. -- 1 optical disc.

Publisher's series area

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1903-2020)

Administrative history

Dr. T.C. Buchanan, pastor of McDougall Methodist Church in Edmonton, founded the province's first post-secondary institution in 1903 on Methodist Mission land set aside for missionary and education purposes by Reverend George McDougall. Although originally named McDougall College in honour of this early missionary to the Edmonton area, the founders soon abandoned this designation in favour of Alberta College. The college's first classes assembled on October 5, 1903 in the space above the Johnstone Walker Store on Jasper Avenue. Within two months, the original 67 students, along with four teaching staff, moved to the Masonic Hall to continue their studies in Arts, Commerce and Music under the direction of the school's first principal, Reverend Dr. John H. Riddell. The Northwest Territory Council granted a charter to Alberta College in October 1904, at which time the school moved into a new building on 101st Street, on the grounds of McDougall Methodist Church. The institution continued to undergo a number of changes, including new campuses, buildings, and the transfer to the United Church in 1926. Enrollment continued to expand in the 1930s to the 1980s.

In 1991, the provincial government passed amendments to the Alberta College Act to continue college operations as a private college independent of the United Church. Work also began on a two-phase construction project for a new facility. In 2000, the Board transferred college assets to the province, and on July 1, 2002 the facility and the majority of its programming was transferred to Grant MacEwan College. The Alberta College Campus offered academic upgrading, English as a Second Language (ESL), and the Royal Conservatory of Music. It continued as a MacEwan University campus until 2020, when programming moved to Allard Hall located on City Centre Campus.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The fonds consists of the administrative records of Alberta College before being taken over by Grant MacEwan College, and records from the Conservatory of Music post take-over. Records include reports, budgets, committee meeting documents, business plans, news releases, newspaper articles, correspondence with government departments, and organizational charts. Also included are photographs of events, campus structures, and the construction of the last building. Presidents during this time were Dr. Reginald Pridham, Brenda Cooke, and Michael Faulkner.
Series: 1. Executive Office: a) textual records, b) photographs and other media. 2. Conservatory of Music. 3. Board of Governors. 4. President's Office.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Records may be subject to Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Records may be subject to the Copyright Act of Canada.

Finding aids

File list is available for 2021-04-16/127 (meeting records).

Associated materials

Contact the City of Edmonton Archives for records related to the early years of Alberta College.

Related materials

Accruals

Unit is considered closed.

Alternative identifier(s)

Accession Number

2020-01-15/95

Accession Number

2020-10-27/106

Accession Number

2021-04-16/127

Accession Number

2021-04-16/128

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Description record identifier

Institution identifier

Rules or conventions

RAD, July 2008 version. Canadian Council of Archives.

Status

Final

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Revised by KB - January 15, 2024.

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Script of description

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