History
Our story
At NIC, we鈥檝e always done things a little differently.
We started in 1975 as a small cohort of learning centres.
Two years later, we hit the road in our first mobile learning unit to serve remote communities across the west coast of Vancouver Island.
We used the Samarinda II 鈥 a former whaling vessel 鈥 to serve areas that were inaccessible by road.

Nigel and Adele Bailey drove one of NIC鈥檚 mobile learning centres in the mid 1980s
And by the mid-80s, we took to the airwaves, using television, videotape and satellite television to deliver education. By the end of the decade, we became national leaders in education by delivering more than 30 courses via micro-computer.
We鈥檝e changed over the years 鈥 growing to four main campuses and an expanding range of online programs.
But what鈥檚 never changed is our commitment to students and the communities we serve.
We鈥檙e proudly North Island and we believe it matters where you learn.
We鈥檙e unwavering, meeting and supporting people wherever they鈥檙e at.
We鈥檒l continue to be resourceful and inventive, working with others to build stronger communities one learner at a time.
Our desire for knowledge, connection and understanding drive us forward.
Together, we make waves.
1975
- BC鈥檚 Department of Education approved the establishment of 糖心vlog传媒, serving School Districts 71, 72, 84 and 85. Dr. Dennis Wing is appointed as principal of NIC.
1976
- 糖心vlog传媒learning centres open in Gold River and Port Hardy.
- Port Alberni School District (SD70) joins NIC, opening in a leased Catholic school facility on 8th street.
- Fall term classes commence in NIC鈥檚 first full year of operations.
1977
- The first 糖心vlog传媒mobile learning unit begins service to west coast communities.
1978
- Students at NIC鈥檚 Alert Bay centre take part in NIC鈥檚 first aquaculture program.
- Central Coast School District (SD49) joins 糖心vlog传媒and the Bella Coola Centre is born.
1979
- 糖心vlog传媒develops Forest Resource Skills courses in cooperation with three major forest companies.
- A second 糖心vlog传媒mobile unit is added to serve the North Island.
1989
- BCCAT is established. The BC transfer system makes it easier for 糖心vlog传媒students to complete their credentials at institutions throughout BC.
- Dr. Dennis Wing鈥檚 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鈥檚 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. 糖心vlog传媒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
- 糖心vlog传媒signs an agreement with BCIT allowing 糖心vlog传媒students to complete year one of the registered nursing program at NIC.
1984
- 糖心vlog传媒courses are offered via television and on videotape at learning centres as well as via satellite and cable on the Knowledge Network.
1983
- 糖心vlog传媒wins federal support to teach critical skills needed in the workplace 鈥 including the use and programming of computers.
1982
- NIC鈥檚 Business Office Training program offers secretarial training with specialized business machines available in 糖心vlog传媒learning centres.
- The first 糖心vlog传媒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 糖心vlog传媒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
- 糖心vlog传媒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鈥檚 third President, Dr. Lou Dryden, joins the College.
- 糖心vlog传媒opens a joint high school/college facility in Campbell River in collaboration with School District 72.
1996
- Jack Shadbolt officially opens NIC鈥檚 7,200 square foot Fine Arts studio in his name at the Comox Valley campus.
- 糖心vlog传媒Nerds Ski Team takes part in Mount Washington Coca-Cola Classic.
1995
- Richard Krentz鈥 鈥楶ole of Choice鈥 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鈥檚 Comox Valley campus opens for classes. At 60,000 square feet, it is one of the largest wood frame construction projects in BC.
- 糖心vlog传媒president Dr. Neil Murphy signs an official twinning agreement with Mrs. Chiyoko Koike, Principal of Koike Gakuen College, Ishikari, Japan.
1991
- 糖心vlog传媒signs its first collective agreement with CUPE Local 3479, providing comparable wage increases, benefits and provisions found at other BC colleges.
- 糖心vlog传媒students vote 92 per cent in favour of creating a united, democratic students鈥 union; the North Island Student Association (NISA).
- 糖心vlog传媒Foundation is incorporated as a non-profit society.
1990
- A 45-foot Mobile Gas Training Trailer provides training throughout BC 鈥 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鈥檚 fourth President, Dr. Jan Lindsay, joins the College.
2008
- 糖心vlog传媒students approve a $15,000 NISU endowment fund
- 糖心vlog传媒President, Dr. Lou Dryden, appointed Honourary Colonel of 19 Wing Comox.
2007
- 糖心vlog传媒launches ITA-approved Professional Cook program in response to industry demand.
2006
- Art show features the work of the first 12 graduates of 糖心vlog传媒and Emily Carr鈥檚 initial partnership.
- 糖心vlog传媒launches BC鈥檚 first Applied Business degree. The BBA is the first degree established completely by NIC.
2005
- 糖心vlog传媒appoints its first Director of Indigenous Education. Vivian Hermansen is a member of Snuneymuxw first Nation.
- 糖心vlog传媒turns 30.
- 糖心vlog传媒partners with Emily Carr University of Art & Design to offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
2004
- NIC鈥檚 internationally recognized Remote Web-based Science Labs are developed by Albert Balbon
- NIC鈥檚 Aircraft Structures program gets Transport Canada approval
2003
- 糖心vlog传媒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.
- 糖心vlog传媒Tourism & Hospitality students welcome 350 guests to NIC鈥檚 first Wine Fest, showcasing local industry representatives. The festival is a sell out nearly every year since.
- 糖心vlog传媒obtains a T-33 Silver Star jet from the Department of National Defence for use in its aircraft structures program.
2000
- 糖心vlog传媒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
- 糖心vlog传媒was gifted a Kwak鈥檞ala name for its campus in Port Hardy. Mix瘫alakwila means 鈥渕aker of what鈥檚 been dreamt about.鈥
- The college鈥檚 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
- 糖心vlog传媒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.
- 糖心vlog传媒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.
- 糖心vlog传媒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 糖心vlog传媒nurses鈥擡lder-in-Residence Evelyn Voyageur, alum Dawn Tisdale and instructor Joanna Fraser鈥攁mong its top 150 nurses in Canada.
- NIC鈥檚 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 糖心vlog传媒 sites beginning October after the Board of Governors voted to discontinue paid parking at the Comox Valley campus.
- 糖心vlog传媒recognized a millennium of service to 糖心vlog传媒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鈥檚 collaboration with First Nations partners was singled out nationally by Maclean鈥檚 magazine for an article, Colleges Agree to be Accountable.
- A group of eight 糖心vlog传媒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鈥檚 Komoux Hall as part of a class project on disaster preparedness and disaster nursing.
- 糖心vlog传媒鈥檚 Remote Web-based Science Lab (RWSL) received a silver medal at the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics Awards of Excellence in Vit贸ria, Brazil.
2015
- The college joined 35 First Nations to sign a historic Indigenous Education protocol.
- The Board of Governors approved 糖心vlog传媒Plan 2020, with a central focus on supporting student experiences and success.
- 糖心vlog传媒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鈥檚 education system. While here, the delegation toured NIC鈥檚 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鈥 Association (CNSA), the voice of nearly 30,000 Canadian student nurses.
2014
- NIC鈥檚 FEED project launches with funding from the JW McConnell Family Foundation and the CVRD to increase local food supplied to public institutions.
- 糖心vlog传媒offers Health Care Assistant program on Hornby Island in collaboration with the Hornby and Denman Community Healthcare Society.
2013
- NIC鈥檚 fifth President, Mr. John Bowman, joins the College.
- Dr. Stephen Cross joins 糖心vlog传媒thanks to NSERC research funding to study sustainable aquaculture.
2012
- 糖心vlog传媒offers university partnerships with UVic, Emily Carr, Royal Roads and VIU, giving 糖心vlog传媒students more educational options, close to home.
- 糖心vlog传媒and VIHA sign Health Education partnership agreement, positioning 糖心vlog传媒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.
- 糖心vlog传媒opens Trades Training building on the Comox Valley campus.
2010
- In the 2010/2011 academic year, 糖心vlog传媒welcomes 100 students from 15 countries.
- 糖心vlog传媒launches Alumni Association to continue relationships with students after they leave NIC.
- 糖心vlog传媒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鈥檚 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 糖心vlog传媒 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 Mix瘫alakwila 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.
- 糖心vlog传媒鈥檚 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鈥檚 administration office (CET) in the Comox Valley moved from the main 糖心vlog传媒campus to the former St. Joseph鈥檚 General Hospital in Comox.
2023
- NIC, the K鈥櫭砿oks 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鈥檚 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 糖心vlog传媒Foundation. The award supports students in visible minority groups or refugees to Canada.
2022
- 糖心vlog传媒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鈥檚 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.
- Q虛蓹 pix 蕯ida蕯as, 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鈥檚 draft strategic plan, for consultation. She succeeded John Bowman, who retired after nearly eight years as 糖心vlog传媒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鈥檚 full timetable included in-person, digital and blended classes.
- 糖心vlog传媒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 糖心vlog传媒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鈥檚 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 糖心vlog传媒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鈥橳E峁圛STOLW瘫: Moving Indigenous Education Forward.