About Vanier
Vanier College is a publicly-funded English language CEGEP located in Montreal. Named in honour of General Georges P. Vanier, a Canadian soldier, diplomat and former Governor General of Canada, Vanier College opened its doors on September 8, 1970 welcoming close to 1,400 students in its first cohort.
As a college, we value education as a transformative process through which students engage in achieving their potential. Deeply anchored in our local and broader community, Vanier has long been a site of rich learning, cultural diversity and growth. The openness to others and inclusive and welcoming environment found at Vanier are fundamental to our mission.
We believe in and cultivate:
- Creativity, critical thinking and excellence
- Accessibility, inclusiveness and diversity
- Lifelong learning and continuous improvement for all
- Commitment, community engagement and openness to the world
We believe in and strive for:
- Respect, integrity and responsibility toward self, other and the environment
- Cooperation, communication, transparency and accountability
- Fairness and equity
Mission
To provide a life-enriching learning experience that prepares students to succeed academically and professionally as engaged citizens of the world.
Values
Vanier College will be renowned and chosen for excellence, accessibility and inclusivity in education, achieved through innovative and effective practices, student engagement and a creative, committed college community.
Land acknowledgement
We acknowledge that the place in which we work and study is situated within the traditional unceded lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) peoples, part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. There is also a strong historic presence of Anishinaabe peoples in what is now known as the Greater Montreal area. Tio’tia:ke, or Montreal, has also long been, and continues to be, a gathering place for many First Peoples from all directions. We honour and thank the traditional custodians of this land and strive to work for the success of future generations.
Historical timeline
1847
A group of Sisters opened their first school, called Maison Sainte-Marie. They used a small house originally built by Sulpician priests in the 1720s. This building was located on the present-day site of the E building.
1897
The Sisters occupied more space and shaped the lives of hundreds of young Catholic girls from Montreal and the United States. Renamed Pensionnat Notre-Dame-des-Anges, their school included what we now call the C building (left), the center chapel (F building), and the School of Continuing Education or E building (right). Room and board were offered to those pupils who came from far away.
1926
By this time, the school had expanded even more, with the addition of what we call the B building (left). The original structure of the first school (right) had been renovated and completely transformed. The sisters maintained a farm for growing food which included a chicken house and a dairy operation.
1933
The Sisters of Sainte-Croix created a second academic institution called Collège Basile-Moreau. This school taught the equivalent of what we refer to as high school today. Asides from educating future lawyers, politicians and scientists, Collège Basile-Moreau was renowned for its top-notch music program.
1955
Nearly over a century since their arrival, the Sisters of Sainte-Croix occupied most of the modern-day site of the Vanier campus. We can see the addition of what we call the A building today (left).
1970
Here's an aerial view of the campus taken prior to the inception of Vanier College in 1970, when the Government of Québec secularised education across the province. Note the newer and larger chapel in the center, as well as the absence of the modern-day Sports Complex on the left side and the N building on the far right.
2020s
The front of our campus as it appears today. From left to right are the B, C and F buildings.