John Abbott College

John Abbott College is a CEGEP located in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, at the western tip of the Island of Montreal. Named after Sir John Abbott, Canada's third prime minister who lived in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue after his retirement, the College primarily serves Montreal's West Island Community, although you can also meet students here from other parts of Quebec and the rest of Canada.

Housed in turn-of-the-century renovated buildings in historic Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, John Abbott is a visually spectacular college long recognized as a prominent landmark in the West Island of Montreal.

Characterized by its tiled roofs and red brick buildings, the College shares a campus with the Macdonald Campus of McGill University on the shores of Lac Saint-Louis. Distinctive architecture, stately trees and rolling green lawns in a charming semi-rural setting have all contributed to the College's reputation for being the most beautiful of the CEGEP network.

The name of each building has historical and/or educational significance:

• BRITTAIN: Dr. W. H. Brittain was Vice Principal of Thérèse Casgrain, an advocate of women's rights.

• HERZBERG: Named after Gerhard Herzberg, a Canadian who won the Nobel Prize for Physics.

• HOCHELAGA: This is the native name for Montreal. The building honours the native people of Canada.

• PENFIELD: Wilder Penfield for whom the building is named was a famous Montreal neurosurgeon.

• STEWART: Mr. and Mrs. Walter Stewart were benefactors to Macdonald College and the building was named to honour their memory.

Over 5,000 students are enrolled in the Day Division and about 2,000 are in the Continuing Education Division.

As one of 47 CEGEPs (collège d'enseignement général et professionnel) in Quebec, John Abbott offers two types of programs: two-year pre-university programs that lead to university, and three-year career or professional programs designed to lead directly to the labour market.