Provincial Institute of Technology and Art

After the University of Alberta was awarded to Strathcona (now Edmonton) by the Government of Alberta in 1906, Calgary's political and commercial leaders began exploring ways of introducing a similar institution to their city. A short-lived private institution, Calgary College, opened in 1911, backed by local entrepreneurs including William Tregillus. In December, Falconer's panel concluded that a technical institute should be established in the City instead, (Having been denied degree-granting powers, Calgary College folded in 1915.) == Operations ==

1916-1920: Early operations and veteran retraining The Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (PITA) opened on October 16, 1916 with a mandate to meet the "educational needs of the industrial and commercial fields" in Alberta. James Collins Miller was appointed at its first principal, Until 1922, PITA operated out of temporary quarters in what is today the Colonel Walker School (K-6) in Inglewood. Initially, the institute offered full-time courses in auto mechanics and metalworking only, and part-time evening, weekend or correspondence classes in disciplines including mathematics and nursing. Miller believed PITA should focus on retraining returning veterans. Under Miller's leadership, PITA's veteran retraining activities were so successful that representatives of the United States government visited the facility to observe. PITA was requisitioned by the Department of Health for one month to serve as a flu hospital. In 1919, the provincial government, anticipating that PITA would soon accommodate civilian students again, began looking for a permanent location. The province decided to purchase 110 acres of farmland owned by the Riley family in North Hill for a sum of $63,000. In return for forgiveness on an additional $30,000 owed in back taxes, Thomas E. Riley donated additional land. Electrical engineering, tractor engineering and motor mechanics proved the most popular with full-time and evening students alike; telegraphy also reportedly attracted a large share of evening students. Hollingworth would go on to become first an electrical student at PITA in 1933, then a teacher there for in 1952; he taught for 28 years. PITA's building opened in 1922, which is today known as SAIT's Heritage Hall. A students' union (today known as SAITSA) was established to provide for "literary, athletic and social activities" outside of the classroom environment. In 1926, PITA established an arts department The main building was used to train 8,000 wireless operators, and twenty-six wooden barracks and service buildings, including a hospital, were constructed on the grounds. During the war, most PITA classes were taught on the grounds of the Calgary Stampede. PITA returned to the North Hill campus in 1945, except for its arts department, which returned in 1946. 1945-60: Becoming the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Towards the end of the Second World War, the federal government proposed the introduction of government-sponsored apprenticeship programs, with costs shared between national and provincial authorities. Alberta accordingly introduced an apprenticeship system in 1945, and tasked PITA to offer programs within this framework. By the 1951-52 academic year, PITA employed 74 full-time staff and 57 part-time staff to accommodate a total enrolment of 2,696 students, of which 1,293 were full-time learners. A significant number of graduates returned to PITA to teach or work: between 1927 and 1952, "some former 121 former Tech students... jointed the staff of the Institute in one capacity or other." Alberta was also experiencing success in exporting natural resources, resulting in growing demand for technically educated workers. As of 1959, Canada had just two technical training institutes: PITA, and the Toronto-based Ryerson Institute of Technology (now Toronto Metropolitan University). Although the College technically remained under SAIT's authority, its department head Illingworth Kerr had petitioned for the department to receive a "distinct name" as an initial step towards securing greater autonomy for the operation. Successive department heads continued Kerr's work, culminating in the College becoming the independent Alberta University of the Arts in 1985. As an instructor, he had taught "almost every course offered" by PITA, including drafting, English and physics. Wood oversaw PITA's transition into SAIT until his sudden death in 1962. == Academic programs ==

Aeronautics PITA offered aeronautics programs beginning in 1929-30, which SAIT continued to offer after post-1960. In 1934, the program incorporated a training course that tasked students with designing and constructing an airplane, the first of its kind in Canada. Under the supervision of instructor Stanley Green, students built a replica 1909 Bleriot aircraft in 1953. This plane successfully conducted a flight across the Channel from France to England in 1956. Arts PITA's arts department, founded 1926, would not have a full-time instructor until 1929, when Alfred Crocker Leighton was appointed as its Head. Four certificate courses were offered: 'elementary,' or entry-level courses; 'fine art'; 'commercial'; and 'applied arts and crafts.' She became the first woman to serve as a permanent arts teacher at PITA in 1933. During her time there, the School of Painting only had male instructors, including James Stanford Perrott (who had been Nicoll's student), Henry G. Glyde, Walter Phillips, and Illingworth Kerr. Dressmaking and Millinery Twenty-one students enrolled for the launch of PITA's two-year Industrial Dressmaking and Millinery program, the purpose of which was to "train girls to act as capable sales-ladies" and qualify them to "take charge of a ladies' department in a store." The program as an individual diploma was discontinued in 1959. == References ==