Fleming College

Fleming College, also known as Sir Sandford Fleming College, is an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology located in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

History

The college was named after the Scottish-born engineer and inventor Sir Sandford Fleming, who is perhaps best known for his contributions to the concept of Universal Standard Time, and who was knighted in 1897 by Queen Victoria.

On 21 May 1965, legislation was introduced in Ontario establishing Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology by then Minister of Education William G. Davis. This historic occasion for education within Ontario marked the beginning of what would become, some 50 years later, a group of 21 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology and 3 College Institutes of Technology and Advanced Learning.

Sir Sandford Fleming College was subsequently founded in 1967, with David B. Sutherland serving as its first president. Sutherland was the husband of Peterborough's longest-serving mayor, Sylvia Sutherland.

In 2024, facing challenges due to federal policy changes lowering international student enrolment, Fleming cancelled or suspended dozens of programs and these difficulties continued into 2024, leading to laid offs, with the school saying it's been necessary to combat a funding deficit.

Merger With St. Lawrence College

In April 2026 after declining enrolment of international students and staff lay offs with permanent terminations of many programs, Fleming College and St. Lawrence College announced they would merge operations on April 1, 2027 with all the campuses remaining open.

Organization

The college is governed by a Board of Governors, headed by the President, and executive staff.

Campuses

Peterborough Campus

The main campus of Fleming College is the Sutherland Campus in Peterborough. Other campuses are located in Cobourg, Haliburton (Haliburton School of Art + Design), and Lindsay (Frost Campus). The college's modern architecture was designed by Ronald Thom.

Sutherland Campus

The Dobbin farm was selected in 1967 for what would later be named the Sutherland Campus. In 1973, the first two phases of the site were opened, and in 1983, the site was named the Sutherland Campus in honour of the college's first and founding president. The Sutherland Campus underwent expansion, including a new on-campus residence in 2002 and a new technology wing in 2003.

St. Joseph's at Fleming, a cluster of eight resident homes for 200 people, opened in 2004 and is the first long-term care facility to be built on a college or university campus.

In 2005, the Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre was constructed on campus to accommodate the college's athletic needs. Built in partnership with the City of Peterborough, the Wellness Centre provides athletic and aquatic facilities to students and the community. As well, the Fleming Sport Complex - two new artificial turf fields, change rooms and a field house - opened at the campus in October 2013.

The campus is home to the Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre (KTTC), which opened in 2014, and features Fleming's trades and technology programs.

McRae Building

In 1967 a campus opened in a renovated textile mill on McDonnel Street, and in 1968 the site was named the Stewart W. Daniel Building. The McRae building was also constructed on this same property in 1976. The site was home to Fleming College's trades programs but closed when the KTTC opened in 2014.

Cobourg Campus

The Cobourg Campus opened in 1971. Today the campus offers Academic Upgrading and Continuing Education/Corporate Training courses.

Haliburton Campus

In 1969, the Haliburton School of Fine Arts became part of Sir Sandford Fleming College. In 2004 the campus moved to a new location in Glebe Park on Head Lake in the Village of Haliburton, and today it is known as the Haliburton School of Art + Design. The campus offers full-time 14-week Art Certificates in Artist Blacksmithing, Drawing and Painting, Photo Arts, Digital Image Design, Sculpture, Ceramics, Glassblowing, Jewellery, and Fibre Arts. Students can combine these Certificate programs with a year of foundation credits to obtain a Visual and Creative Arts Diploma. Other programs offered at the campus include Expressive Arts, Sustainable Building Design and Construction, Continuing Education, and Academic Upgrading.

Partnerships

The college has established pathways from college to university through affiliations with a number of provincial, national and international post college institutions and universities. The college has established pathways for students to transfer their credits to Trent University.

In March 2022, the college launched a partnership with the semi-professional League1 Ontario soccer expansion team Electric City FC for the use of its Sports Complex for the club's home games. The club later folded after just two seasons of operation in January 2024 due to declining attendance and ownership mismanagement.

Scholarships

Ensuring accessibility and financial aid for students in need is among the highest priorities at Fleming College. Fleming has provided more than $3.3 million to students in financial need through donor-sponsored scholarships and bursaries. Donor-sponsored student financial aid allows Fleming to support a diverse and vibrant student body, creating educational opportunities for students with exceptional promise.

Programs

Fleming College once featured more than 100 full-time programs. In 2024 the college announced it was cutting nearly 30 programs due to International student visa caps.

Fleming College has a Computer Security and Investigations program, which is one of only three related programs in Canada.

Student government

The social and political needs of students are served through the Student Administrative Council (SAC) at Sutherland Campus and the Frost Student Association (FSA) at Frost and Haliburton Campuses. These are student-run corporations.

Notable alumni

Nila Reynolds

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