The Community College in Comparative and Historical Perspective - The Development of the College Concept in British Columbia

Oct 15, 2026

The paper examines an alternative model of post-compulsory education, the community college, as it developed in British Columbia. It analyzes the social and historical context that shaped the college concept, the forces leading to its establishment, and the institutional form that emerged. Research-produced data are used to show how far the colleges achieved key objectives. The study concludes with major future problems and issues, and includes comparisons with traditional post-compulsory education systems where appropriate.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

ABSTRACT

Introduction

The Development of Post-Secondary Education in British Columbia

# The Community College in Comparative andHistorical Perspective:The Development ofthe College Concept in British Columbia JOHN D.DENNISON* ## ABSTRACT The paper is concerned with an examination ofone alternative model for post-compulsoryeducation,the community college,as it has developed in British Columbia.Attention isgiven to the social and historical context in which the college idea developed,the forceswhich lead to its establishment and the particular form of institution which emerged. Data,produced from research studies,are presented to indicate the extent to whichthe college has attained some ofits objectives.The paper concludes with a discussion ofthe major problems and issues which the community colleges must face in the future.Wherever appropriate,comparisons are made with traditional systems of post compulsoryeducation. ## RESUMÉ Le Collège communautaire vu d'une perspective comparée et historique Le développement du concept des colleges en Colombie-Britannique Dans cette étude,il s'agit d'un modèle alternatif de formation après la scolarité obligatoire,le college communautaire,tel que celui-cia été mis en valeur en Colombie-Britannique.L'auteur porte son attention sur(a)le contexte social et historique dans lequell'idee ducollege a été développee,(b)les efforts qui ont mené à la mise sur pied des colleges et(c)la structure unique d'institution qui s'est degagee. L'auteur presente des donnees de mémoires le recherche pour indiquer jusqu'ä quelpoint le college a atteint certains de sea objectifs.L'étude se ter zine par une discussiondes problèmes et questions majeurs anxquels colleges communautaires doivent faire face al'avenir. 30 John D.Dennison ## Introduction British Columbia,the most westerly of the ten provinces of Canada,is also one of themost wealthy in terms of natural and human resources.The population has grown at arate in excess of the national average.In 1921,the population of British Columbia was524,000;by 1951 it had reached 1,200,000;and by 1976,2,600,000.A combination ofhigh birth rates after the second World War and increasing migration,has produced a 16per cent increase in population between 1966-1971.(1)The economy of the province islargely natural resource based,while the relatively limited growth of secondary industryhas stimulated continuing concern in political and economic circles. With respect to the emphasis placed upon tertiary education(5),British Columbia hasexperienced a remarkable decade of development from 1965-1975.Prior to that period,progress had been extremely modest.The University of British Columbia was establishedin 1915 and,in keeping with other Canadian universities,had chartered a somewhatconservative course of development.Enrollment had grown slowly,reaching just over3000 by 1945,and following a brief period of expansion when war veterans flocked tothe campus during 1947-1948,continued to grow at a gradual rate until 1953 when theenrollment had reached just over 5000. The university had established one satellite college(6)in Victoria,the capital city,andthese two campuses,in addition to one smallprivate college(7)represented the entirespectrum of post secondary education in British Columbia until 1965.It should also benoted that a number of post-secondary level vocational schools had been constructedthroughout the province by the Ministry of Education.As their name implies,these schools were narrow in scope and generally not regarded as institutions of tertiary education.opportunities were offered,however,in a number of high schools throughout the provincefor students to complete Grade 13 one year beyond the high school diploma.By doing so,a student could accumulate a limited number of academic credits for transfer towards adegree at the University of British Columbia. As suggested earlier,the 1968-1978 decade produced a notable growth in the numberand kinds of tertiary educational institutions located throughout the province.By 1978,astudent gr

FAQs

What focus does the paper place on the community college in British Columbia?

The paper examines how the community college model developed as an alternative to other post-compulsory education options in British Columbia, emphasizing its context, founding forces, and institutional form.

Which elements are analyzed to explain the emergence of community colleges?

It considers the social and historical context, the forces that led to establishment, and the particular institutional structure that emerged.

How does the paper treat future challenges?

It concludes by discussing major problems and issues community colleges must face in the future, with comparisons to traditional post-compulsory education systems where appropriate.

Oct 15, 2026

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