Photo gallery: Athabasca University’s history in pictures

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See how Athabasca University has evolved over its 52-year history

June 25, 1970, was a turning point for open, distance education in Alberta and Canada. That's when the Government of Alberta officially created Athabasca University (AU).

Although initially envisioned as a traditional bricks-and-mortar university, AU's focus soon changed and in 1972 became the province's first pilot for an open, distance university. In doing so, it charted a course for the modern, digital-first, online institution that's now home to more than 41,000 students each year.

To help mark AU's 52nd anniversary and celebrate the successes of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, we thought it would be fun to share a collection of images from our past.

The IBM Building in Edmonton in the 1970s
AU's first home was on the fourth floor of the IBM Building in downtown Edmonton. That's where the Athabasca University Interim Governing Authority began planning for the future of the institution. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
vintage photo of two men looking at a 3D model of campus
AU achieved self-governing status on April 12, 1978, when it became Alberta's fourth public university. Not long after, planning would begin on a new campus in the town of Athabasca, located 145 kilometres north of Edmonton. Former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed (centre) and former AU vice-president Neil O. Henry view a 3D model of the future campus at a sod-turning ceremony in August 1982. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
3D model of Athabasca University campus
A closer look at the 3D model of AU's campus, which was approved by the university's governing authority in 1981. The model, created by Wayne H. Wright Architects Ltd., was built to a 1:300 scale and can still be viewed near the entrance to the main AU building. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
two men at a construction site
This image shows the Athabasca campus as it looked while under construction in 1983-84. The principal contract for construction was awarded to A. V. Carlson Construction Corp. Ltd. Campus officially opened in 1984. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
Pierre Burton with AU librarian Tom Edge
Canadian author Pierre Berton (left) and AU's first university librarian, Tom Edge, pose for a photo during the university's convocation in 1982. Berton was awarded an honorary degree for his contributions to Canadian literature and history as a journalist and author. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
vintage photo of a woman on a telephone
This marketing photo from the early 1980s shows prospective AU students the many different ways the university delivered instruction at the time: telephone, video, texts (not the kind on your smartphone), and workbooks. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
vintage photo of woman and man standing
Former AU staffers Denise Turcotte and Neil O. Henry model AU T-shirts in the 1980s. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
vintage photo of a man showing a tarantula to elementary students
Dr. Robert Holmberg, a.k.a. the "Doctor of Spiders" and now a professor emeritus, shows a tarantula to elementary school students during a classroom visit in Edmonton in 1983. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
vintage photo of a woman at a light table
A staffer in AU's media services department uses a light table to work on designs for a university publication. This image, from 1979, shows how publications such as course materials were created before the introduction of computers in the late 1980s. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
a hand removing a package from a mailbox
Course is in the mail! This marketing photo from 1982 shows how AU's distance learning course materials were distributed to students at the time. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
vintage TV with a Telidon connection
Telidon screen from the 1980s
Telidon (shown in the above 2 images) was a communication tool developed by the Canadian government in the 1970s. AU used it for distance education before the adoption of the internet. The system combined technologies from TV, telephone, and the computer. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
casette tapes
An AU marketing photo from the 1980s shows yet another way the university delivered distance learning material to students: through cassette tape. Each tape pictured contained lectures for individual courses. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
vintage photo of graduates seated in gowns at convocation
AU graduates celebrate convocation under a tent at AU campus in this undated photo, likely from the 1990s. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
A group of students seated at a large table
A group of students pose for a photo in an Alberta North classroom in 2000. Alberta North was a partnership of 6 Alberta post-secondaries that offered distance education to students in remote and northern areas of the province. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
Academic and Research Centre on AU campus
An aerial view of the Academic and Research Centre on AU's campus in the town of Athabasca. The building opened in 2012.
Indigenous dancers performing
Members of the Yellow Ribbon Dancers perform at convocation in 2006. The group helped celebrate the Honorary Doctor of Letters awarded to Marie Smallface-Marule, and the Order of Athabasca presented to Herb Belcourt. Image courtesy of the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.
graduate and family at convocation
A new AU graduate celebrates convocation in 2015 with her proud family.
Louisa Daley at convocation
AU's oldest-ever graduate, Louisa Daley, celebrates convocation and her Bachelor of General Studies-her second degree from the university. Daley was 93 when she graduated in 2018, and in total studied at AU for 34 years. She passed away in 2021.
Athabasca University Mace
The Athabasca University Mace is displayed prominently at every convocation. Created by Métis artist Brian Clark, the mace symbolizes the traditional talking stick commonly used by many Indigenous Peoples to express the authority and power of the group.
two women at a podcast recording in front of microphones
PowerED™ by Athabasca University director Jessica Butts Scott (left) chats with Katrina Ingram, host of the Back to School Again podcast. Butts and former president Neil Fassina were on the show to talk about the future of learning, including micro-credentials, digital disruption, and machine learning.
Amy Kowalchuk working on a specimen at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, where she works through the Historical Resources Intern Program, a partnership between Athabasca University and the Government of Alberta.
Amy Kowalchuk works on a specimen at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller in 2020. Kowalchuk was part of the Historical Resources Intern program, a partnership between AU and the Government of Alberta.
Canadian women's eight rowing team with their gold medals and holding flowers
AU student and Canadian rower Susanne Grainger (centre) and her teammates with the women's eight rowing team celebrate their gold medal victory at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Grainger is one of many high-performance athletes who've turned to AU to prepare for life after sport. Image: RCA/Merjin Soeters
grad student working on a laptop
Recent AU graduate David Cloutier (Master of Arts - Interdisciplinary Studies '22) studies in his kitchen in Calgary for a recent video shoot. Cloutier researched teacher leadership while working full-time at a local school.
research team in a wetland bog
Graduate students working under the supervision of Dr. Scott Ketcheson, Canada Research Chair in Hydrological Sustainability, work in the field collecting water samples in Alberta's boreal forest. The work will help improve our understanding of how water moves through the environment and what that means for the health of ecosystems.
Dr. Matthew Prineas at a podium
Dr. Matthew Prineas, provost and vice-president academic, delivers an address at convocation in 2022. Parts of the program were pre-recorded from a state-of-the-art studio in Edmonton so that graduates could tune into the ceremonies from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.
Peter Scott with Roy Weasel Fat, who is wearing a headdress
AU president Dr. Peter Scott (left) presents an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Red Crow College president Roy Weasel Fat at a pre-recording of the 2022 convocation ceremonies. Weasel Fat was recognized for his work in promoting the role of Traditional Blackfoot Knowledge in formal education for Blackfoot learners.

Learn more about AU's history or visit the Thomas A. Edge Archives & Special Collections.

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