History

1989

• BCCAT is established. The BC transfer system makes it easier for NIC students to complete their credentials at institutions throughout BC.
• Dr. Dennis Wing’s contribution to distance education is awarded by the Commonwealth of Learning.

1988

• Faculty and staff raise $800 to $1,000 annually through community donations to support upgrading, university studies, business administration and business office training students in Port Alberni.

1987

• NIC’s Port Alberni campus increases its support staff to four at the Smith Memorial campus. Space is so tight support staff still remember the bruises from bumping into desks, typewriters and computer equipment.

1986-1989

• Between 1986 and 1989, more than 30 courses were offered via personal microcomputers. NIC became renowned for its computer instruction methods and a model for institutions in Canada and abroad. Courses were delivered on floppy disks or by mobile training facilities.

1985

• NIC signs an agreement with BCIT allowing NIC students to complete year one of the registered nursing program at NIC.

1984

• NIC courses are offered via television and on videotape at learning centres as well as via satellite and cable on the Knowledge Network.

1983

• NIC wins federal support to teach critical skills needed in the workplace – including the use and programming of computers.

1982

• NIC’s Business Office Training program offers secretarial training with specialized business machines available in NIC learning centres.
• The first NIC welding programs in modular form are offered at the Comox Valley campus. Additional programs run in smaller communities.

1980

• Samarinda II, a 160-foot ex-whaling ship brings NIC to remote coastal communities not accessible by road.

1999

• Dr. Jim Anderson takes his anthropology class to Jordan. They contribute to an archaeological dig which excavates two major sites along the Dead Sea.
• ElderCollege launches in the Comox Valley, inspired and run by volunteers Elizabeth Smith and Betty Emery.

1998

• NIC partners with the Ha-ho-payuk School and Ha-ho-payuk Society to offer the Nuu-chah-nulth language in two dialects to 36 Port Alberni students.

1997

• NIC’s third President, Dr. Lou Dryden, joins the College.
• NIC opens a joint high school/college facility in Campbell River in collaboration with School District 72.

1996

• Jack Shadbolt officially opens NIC’s 7,200 square foot Fine Arts studio in his name at the Comox Valley campus.
• NIC Nerds Ski Team takes part in Mount Washington Coca-Cola Classic.

1995

• Richard Krentz’ ‘Pole of Choice’ is raised outside Discovery Hall at the Comox Valley campus.

1994

• New Port Alberni campus opens on Roger Street, amalgamating programs held at Smith Memorial School and high school workshops.

1992

• NIC’s Comox Valley campus opens for classes. At 60,000 square feet, it is one of the largest wood frame construction projects in BC.
• NIC president Dr. Neil Murphy signs an official twinning agreement with Mrs. Chiyoko Koike, Principal of Koike Gakuen College, Ishikari, Japan.

1991

• NIC signs its first collective agreement with CUPE Local 3479, providing comparable wage increases, benefits and provisions found at other BC colleges.
• NIC students vote 92 per cent in favour of creating a united, democratic students’ union; the North Island Student Association (NISA).
• NIC Foundation is incorporated as a non-profit society.

1990

• A 45-foot Mobile Gas Training Trailer provides training throughout BC – in partnership with federal and provincial governments and the BC gas industry.
• Dr. Neil Murphy joins the College as NIC's second President, taking over from Dr. Dennis Wing.

2009

• NIC’s fourth President, Dr. Jan Lindsay, joins the College.

2008

• NIC students approve a $15,000 NISU endowment fund
• NIC President, Dr. Lou Dryden, appointed Honourary Colonel of 19 Wing Comox.

2007

• NIC launches ITA-approved Professional Cook program in response to industry demand.

2006

• Art show features the work of the first 12 graduates of NIC and Emily Carr’s initial partnership.
• NIC launches BC’s first Applied Business degree. The BBA is the first degree established completely by NIC.

2005

• NIC appoints its first Director of Indigenous Education. Vivian Hermansen is a member of Snuneymuxw first Nation.
• NIC turns 30.
• NIC partners with Emily Carr University of Art & Design to offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

2004

• NIC’s internationally recognized Remote Web-based Science Labs are developed by Albert Balbon
• NIC’s Aircraft Structures program gets Transport Canada approval

2003

• NIC launches four-year nursing degree. It is the first time students are able to complete a four-year degree on site.

2002

• Albert Balbon and Ron Evans pioneer a remote telescope system for distance astronomy students to explore the universe from home.
• NIC Tourism & Hospitality students welcome 350 guests to NIC’s first Wine Fest, showcasing local industry representatives. The festival is a sell out nearly every year since.
• NIC obtains a T-33 Silver Star jet from the Department of National Defence for use in its aircraft structures program.

2000

• NIC is 25 years old. Its Board of Governors implements Strategic Plan 2000-2003 to enhance the quality of life of the residents and communities of the North Island and Central Coast.

2019

• NIC was gifted a Kwak’wala name for its campus in Port Hardy. Mix̱alakwila means “maker of what’s been dreamt about.”  
• The college’s culinary team, with the support of the North Vancouver Island Chefs Association, held a fundraising dinner as they prepared to compete at the IKA World Culinary Olympics 2020 in Germany.
• Port Alberni celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Roger Street campus with the opening of a time capsule sealed from 1994. Included among the items inside were old photos, a BC Tel phone book and a Sears catalogue.  

2018

• NIC kicked off the academic year and welcomed trades students to new shops at the expanded Campbell River campus. The $17.6 million renovation provided for 105,000 square feet of new and renovated space, including a new teaching kitchen and bistro, library and bookstore spaces and student commons area.  
• NIC welcomed nearly 1,400 Grade 11 students to its Comox Valley and Port Alberni campuses to explore post-secondary life.
• Registration opened for two new Indigenous programs and Nuu-chah-nulth language courses, developed in consultation with First Nation communities.  
• NIC celebrated its partnership with Tla-o-qui-aht Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Camosun College and Vancouver Island University in the creation of new energy efficient shipping container homes on the West Coast.

2017

• The Canadian Nurses Association honoured three NIC nurses—Elder-in-Residence Evelyn Voyageur, alum Dawn Tisdale and instructor Joanna Fraser—among its top 150 nurses in Canada.
• NIC’s Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation (CARTI) announced the return of robotics camps for students, aged 9-12, with almost 290 students from Port Hardy to Ucluelet participating.
• Parking would be free at all North Island College sites beginning October after the Board of Governors voted to discontinue paid parking at the Comox Valley campus.  
• NIC recognized a millennium of service to NIC with its Retirements and Service Awards. The annual awards acknowledge the many staff and faculty who work hard to ensure students succeed each year.

2016

• NIC’s collaboration with First Nations partners was singled out nationally by Maclean’s magazine for an article, Colleges Agree to be Accountable.
• A group of eight NIC students were the only B.C. representatives to take part in an exclusive video conference with federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau to talk about student issues.
• Paramedics and search-and-rescue technicians from CFB Comox and the BC Ambulance Service simulated a mock disaster at NIC’s Komoux Hall as part of a class project on disaster preparedness and disaster nursing.
• North Island College’s Remote Web-based Science Lab (RWSL) received a silver medal at the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics Awards of Excellence in Vitória, Brazil.

2015

• The college joined 35 First Nations to sign a historic Indigenous Education protocol.
• The Board of Governors approved NIC Plan 2020, with a central focus on supporting student experiences and success.
• NIC was one of only a few Canadian post-secondary institutions to host Vietnamese post-secondary leaders and government decision-makers working to transform the Southeast Asian nation’s education system. While here, the delegation toured NIC’s Remote Web-based Science Lab, classrooms and trades facilities.
• Dawn Tisdale, Bachelor of Science in Nursing student, was elected president of the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association (CNSA), the voice of nearly 30,000 Canadian student nurses. 

2014

• NIC’s FEED project launches with funding from the JW McConnell Family Foundation and the CVRD to increase local food supplied to public institutions.
• NIC offers Health Care Assistant program on Hornby Island in collaboration with the Hornby and Denman Community Healthcare Society.

2013

• NIC’s fifth President, Mr. John Bowman, joins the College.
• Dr. Stephen Cross joins NIC thanks to NSERC research funding to study sustainable aquaculture.

2012

• NIC offers university partnerships with UVic, Emily Carr, Royal Roads and VIU, giving NIC students more educational options, close to home.
• NIC and VIHA sign Health Education partnership agreement, positioning NIC to be a key provider of specialty health programs.

2011

• Construction of a new Teaching Kitchen at NIC's Port Alberni campus announced, to be completed in July 2012.
• NIC's Remote Web-Based Science Laboratory is awarded a $750,000 grant from Next Generation Learning Challenges, to further develop and replicate the delivery of science education in remote locations around the world.
• NIC opens Trades Training building on the Comox Valley campus.

2010

• In the 2010/2011 academic year, NIC welcomes 100 students from 15 countries.
• NIC launches Alumni Association to continue relationships with students after they leave NIC.
• NIC celebrates the opening of Gathering Places at its Campbell River and Port Alberni campuses.
• Excavators begin preparing the site for the trades training facility at NIC’s Comox Valley campus.

2025

• A new two-year Health Science diploma program was launched to provide a foundation in health sciences but allowing students flexibility in terms of other study areas. It builds on the Island Pre-Health Science advanced diploma, which started in 2023.
• The North Island College Board of Governors passed a balanced 2025-26 budget, despite fiscal challenges from federal government policy changes that led to a drop in international student enrolment at many post-secondary institutions.
• Andrea Kerr took on a larger role as manager for the Mix̱alakwila campus while also continuing as Manager of Indigenous and Regional Partnerships for the Northern Region.

2024

• Led by the Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation (CARTI), a new seaweed industry pilot project was announced to equip people with the skills to thrive in an emerging sector while promoting economic resiliency for northern Vancouver Island communities.
• ElderCollege celebrated its 20th anniversary in Campbell River and its 25th in the Comox Valley in September.  
• North Island College’s Coastal Forest Technology program was accredited by Technical Accreditation Canada, which subsequently led to accreditation as a Recognized Forestry Diploma Program with Forest Professionals BC.
• Continuing Education and Training’s administration office (CET) in the Comox Valley moved from the main NIC campus to the former St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Comox.

2023

• NIC, the K’ómoks First Nation and guests gathered to bless the site of the new student housing to be built in the Comox Valley. The blessing was to ensure the project entered the site preparation and construction phase respectfully.  
• The Office of Global Engagement and the Office of Indigenous Education were honoured for Journeying Together, NIC’s plan for Indigenizing international education. Awards included a bronze at the College and Institutes Canada World Congress and the national  Reconciliation & Internationalization Award of Excellence.
• The provincial government announced a new two-storey centre dedicated to Early Childhood education and provide new childcare spaces in the Comox Valley through the expansion of  the current Beaufort Childcare Centre.
• Hardev Shergill, who had written a lengthy report in the 1970s providing the basis for the creation of NIC, established a Legacy Award in memory of his late mother through the NIC Foundation. The award supports students in visible minority groups or refugees to Canada.

2022

• NIC and the province announced an ambitious new housing site that would include buildings with a total of 217 beds, including 157 beds for single students and 60 beds for students with families.
• Marisa Bennett became the first Nuu-chah-nulth member to take on the Port Alberni campus administrator role since the college first began operations in the community.
• After a two-year hiatus, NIC’s Campbell River Bistro re-opened to the public for dinner service in the spring. Like many aspects of campus life, it had to adapt to pandemic restrictions starting in 2020.  
• Q̓ə pix ʔidaʔas, the Gathering Place at the Campbell River campus, officially opened to provide a culturally relevant space for connection and celebration.

2021

• New president Lisa Domae kicked off her first official day by releasing BUILD 2026, NIC’s draft strategic plan, for consultation. She succeeded John Bowman, who retired after nearly eight years as NIC president.
• Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in a letter to B.C. post-secondary presidents that she strongly supported the resumption of on-campus activities for the fall term. NIC’s full timetable included in-person, digital and blended classes.  
• NIC Youth Academy summer camps returned for the summer, with a new line-up for kids ages 9-16 that combined fun and hands-on learning in areas like STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), health, language arts and more.  

2020

• Students organized the first-ever NIC Croquet Tournament in late February at Crown Isle. The family-friendly event was for players eight and older and featured prizes, food, a live DJ and a day of no-holds-barred fun.  
• Following the World Health Organization’s declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, services and supports were rolled out to digitally help students. Annual college celebrations also had to transition to the virtual world, even large events like Convocation.  
• The year was a busy one for NIC research. Biology students worked with Project Watershed to collect samples for fish foraging research. As well, nursing faculty Joanna Fraser and Dr. Evelyn Voyageur published work in the Canadian Journal of Critical Nursing Discourse and a book, S’TEṈISTOLW̱: Moving Indigenous Education Forward.